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| Kath Fries, Decant work in progress, 2014, paper clay, ink and mirror panel |
My FCMG residency project revolves around two Chinese ewers in the Museum's collection and the nearby site where they were found, Prospect Creek. I created bisected replicas of the ewers in paper clay, which were dipped and splashed with ink, alluding to writing and the unrecorded, unwritten history of these objects. Ink always turns up in my studio materials, stemming from my interest in Chinese landscape painting and its ability to convey space and harmony with the natural world. The Chinese term for 'landscape' is made up of two characters meaning 'mountains and water'. These paintings are imaginary, idealised landscapes, exploring the notion of 'wandering while lying down'.
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| Kath Fries, Decant work in progress, 2013, paper clay and ink |
I've visited Prospect Creek several times, returning to the the ewer's last known place of origin in a game of trace - a pseudo detective investigation to uncover and absorb a sense of this site. Rainwater runoff naturally drains into the creek, sometimes flooding surrounding areas, so massive storm water drains have been constructed to direct and control the water flow. Sediment and debris is gradually deposited as the flow reaches flatter wider ground and slows down. The sediment forms interesting patterns with intriguing tonal variations that remind me of massive river systems photographed from aerial view points - an interconnecting micro/macro landscape that ebbs and flows.
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| Kath Fries, Prospect Creek storm water drain sediment, 2013, photograph |
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| Kath Fries, Prospect Creek storm water drain sediment, 2013, photograph |
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| Kath Fries, Prospect Creek storm water drain sediment, 2013, photograph |
The distinctive dispersion, separation and tonal variation that can be achieved when painting with ink, is a quality that quietly speaks volumes in Chinese landscape painting. Although working on clay, rather than paper, I wanted my ink seepages to suggest landscape - both the sediment patterns in the local creek bed and Chinese pictorial scrolls. I experimented with trickles of water, dripping and splashing ink onto layers of lumpy clay slip and then watched to see how much of the distinctive ink bleeding pattern remained as the clay dried and cracked. The clay I'm working with contains paper fibres to make it more robust, and these fibres also helped to absorb and hold the ink stains.
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| Kath Fries, Decant work in progress, 2013, FCMG studio, paper clay and ink |
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| Kath Fries, Decant work in progress, 2013, paper clay and ink |
After experimenting with different supports for the clay slip, (plastic, wood and fabric) - I tried a glass mirror panel and managed to gently wash some of the slip and ink away to reveal patches of the mirror beneath and fragmented reflections. The reflective nature of water is often referred to as mirror-like. Both bodies of water and glass mirrors have an almost magical allure and feature in folklore as portals, suggesting that one may be able to move through the looking glass to another parallel world. Another way of embarking on an imaginary journey - 'wandering while lying down'.
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| Kath Fries, Decant work in progress, 2013, paper clay, ink and mirror panel |
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| Kath Fries, Decant work in progress, 2013, paper clay, ink and mirror panel |
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| Kath Fries, Decant work in progress, 2014, paper clay, ink and mirror panel |
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| Kath Fries, Decant work in progress, 2014, paper clay, ink and mirror panel |
This is the third in a series of blog posts from my FCMG studio.
I would like to thank Fairfield City Museum and Gallery for this commission and the opportunity of being their first artist-in-residence. The work resulting from my residency will be exhibited in a solo exhibition, 'Decant', in the Stein Gallery at Fairfield City Museum and Gallery (cnr The Horsely Dr and Oxford St, Smithfield NSW 2164), 22 February - 12 April 2014. Opening night: Wednesday 26 February, 6.30-8.30pm
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