Driving Creek Railway and Pottery
Artist Residency, February/March 2020
Early 2020 I was an Artist-in-Residence at Driving Creek Railway and Pottery (DCR) in Coromandel, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Barry Brickell (1935 – 2016) is the compelling force behind DCR. Barry, a brilliant, forward-thinking ceramicist, writer, conservationist, innovator, engineer, and painter, envisioned and tirelessly built this bush railway/pottery/conservation site.
Whilst there, I drew on my experience at DCR ten years earlier where I spent time with Barry, learned to coil build large jars and fired one of his wood kilns. In 2020, I kept expecting the late Barry Brickell to appear. I could feel his presence in the wagon train he used to move clay about the property (Terra Cotta Carriage), the kiln props he once used in the dozens of kilns he built (Refractory) and the pile of iconic plastic Chinese sandals he wore and repaired with wire (Kaydee).
In the spirit of innovation and creativity, in 2020 I cut blocks from found wood, adapted a slab roller to become a printing press, and printed on Thai kozo paper using using local materials as pigment: Driving Creek clay (both raw and fired) and wood ash.
Each print is a nod to Barry and a thank you to those who strive to keep creativity and innovation alive at DCR.
Artist Residency, February/March 2020
Early 2020 I was an Artist-in-Residence at Driving Creek Railway and Pottery (DCR) in Coromandel, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Barry Brickell (1935 – 2016) is the compelling force behind DCR. Barry, a brilliant, forward-thinking ceramicist, writer, conservationist, innovator, engineer, and painter, envisioned and tirelessly built this bush railway/pottery/conservation site.
Whilst there, I drew on my experience at DCR ten years earlier where I spent time with Barry, learned to coil build large jars and fired one of his wood kilns. In 2020, I kept expecting the late Barry Brickell to appear. I could feel his presence in the wagon train he used to move clay about the property (Terra Cotta Carriage), the kiln props he once used in the dozens of kilns he built (Refractory) and the pile of iconic plastic Chinese sandals he wore and repaired with wire (Kaydee).
In the spirit of innovation and creativity, in 2020 I cut blocks from found wood, adapted a slab roller to become a printing press, and printed on Thai kozo paper using using local materials as pigment: Driving Creek clay (both raw and fired) and wood ash.
Each print is a nod to Barry and a thank you to those who strive to keep creativity and innovation alive at DCR.
View from Driving Creek Studio
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Raw Materials: New Zealand clays
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Studio with Slab Roller Printing Press
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