Early Works (1997-2000)

Pink & Blue Bowls, tin glazed stoneware bowls (1996)
Dinner Bowls, slipcast porcelain tenmoku glazed bowls (1997)

My undergraduate training was in applied arts with a major in ceramics. Earlier on I made functional wares, but I was always interested in how function can have a metaphoric and the everyday can be transpired and read as having cultural meaning. Below are some examples of my early ceramic works, experimenting with different types of glaze surfaces. Working with functional wares, helped me to appreciate the symbolic role of objects in our lives, beyond being conceived as invaluable mass produced items. 

Emotions of the Orchestra (1997)
Sydney Symphony Orchestra,
education materials cover illustration

The image to the left was a drawing done at a Sydney Symphony Orchestra drawing session during my undergraduate degree. I responded to the music by creating this drawing representing the emotional quality of hearing the live music. Our class sent the SSO a thank you note for the session, with this image attached. The team were so impressed, they asked for permission to use the illustration as part of their educational materials. This included book covers, CDs and tapes which were distributed to schools. This was a significant moment for me, as it was the first time my work had been published on publicly available materials.