Honouring the organic potential in papier mâché, I now use methyl cellulose; plants (replacing rabbit skin glue and commercial dyes); and sustainably sourced paper. I gather nettles and dandelions when they are taking over the garden, and forage for other possible dyestuff in the woods and meadows down the road. Although on the face of it they are simple changes, it has taken some time for me to explore their particular properties and adapt to the apparent moderate nature of the materials. In letting this inform the direction of my work, it resonates with a universal sense of listening, proper processing, and reconnecting.
In turn, the bowls have offered up something that amounts to an expression of our integration with the natural world. Their colour, texture, weight, form, and scent even, begin to speak to the environment outside of my studio door.
A twig picked up from my walk, becomes a stirring stick in one of the bowls; some old fruit stones act as feet to balance an unsteady one. Ultimately, the point of connection, however temporary or seemingly arbitrary, is as important an element as the piece itself, it is what brings it to life.
‘I’m very glad,’ said Pooh happily, ‘that I thought of giving you a useful pot to put things in.’
‘I’m very glad,’ said Piglet happily, ‘that I thought of giving you something to put in a useful pot.’
AA Milne
More than anything, I am interested in making bowls that have a wider receptivity outside their own material form. A reminder that nothing in us is innately separate; everything in us is held.