9 - 27 March 2006
about the exhibition
David Pottinger’s recent work has firmly established him as one of Australia’s foremost ceramic artists. The designs and smooth surfaces of his cylindrical vessels contain a complexity and intricate beauty that reward close inspection. Organic tones are minutely peppered with orange, yellow and black at close quarters, and a rhythmic ‘weaving’ of linear pattern conjures movement and creates tension between structure and form. “One of the main aims of this body of workis to develop a series of hand-built vessels that explore the relationship between line, colour, differing linear structural patterns and the ability to create the illusion of visual movement around, across and within a form. By focussing on the technique of neriage (the layering of different colour porcelain), I create linear patterning that reflects both movement and time. The patterning formed using this technique does not merely sit on the surface of the vessel but provides the substance from which the vessel itself is made, and is therefore uniquely viewed from both the interior and exterior surfaces, revealing a slightly shifted patterning from inside to out.” With muted colours that reference the natural world, it is easy to read the embedded linear patterns as sedimentary formations in rocks or minerals, bringing about interesting analogies with the material used, and adding depth to an already complex visual dialogue.
Born in Dalby, Queensland, David studied ceramics at Kelvin Grove College before receiving a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) followed by a Masters Degree at RMIT in 2004. He has held five solo exhibitions and been involved in over a dozen group shows since 1987, and has twice been the recipient of the International Ceramics Award (Sydney Myer Fund), as well as a Siemens Fine Arts Scholarship Award. David’s work is represented in numerous public collections including the Shepparton Art Gallery (Victoria), National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia and National Gallery of Australia. This is David’s first exhibition at Beaver Galleries.