BA (Hons) Ceramics 2006 |
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MEGAN PHILLIPS
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I do not wish to make true to life exact representations of dogs that are detailed down to the last strand of fur, but more to illustrate specific movements or gestures of the whole animal. The use of slips and various mark making techniques within the ceramic surface can help in emphasising specific movements, expressions, or draw attention to a particular area of importance. Dogs have been around almost as long as man, they lived side by side aiding each other in mutual survival. This could be because the dog is one of a few animals other than humans that have the capacity to show compromise within different scenarios. Through body language a dog can communicate submission as well as dominance, even though in most parts, dog body-language consists of negotiating displays, used to diffuse possibly of conflicts to insure the health and survival of the dog. What made me want to look at dogs is that unlike a few other members of the canine family the domestic dog and the wolf are large family pack hunters and so need complex communication skills to keep the peace and overcome conflict within the group. Even as a singular dog, they communicate to us as they would to another dog by using facial expressions along with bodily-movements to communicate a relaxed state, tense, stress, fear, as well as the more aggressive stances that can follow if a warning is ignored, though a dog that shows a aggressive stance is not always violent. I want to portray dogs as they are, their specific movements, how they would interact with each other, the sequences of which a certain behaviour works out , the odd situation they can get themselves in to, and also the moment of surprise when they realise they are being watched. Animals have their own way of communicating, they live their own lives, no matter how close we think we are to them, they have their own language and are always talking to us, though not with a voice but with movement. |
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Before working in clay I used paint and other drawing materials as my medium of expression. Since moving to ceramic I continued developing my skills gained from drawing, but only as something separate from ceramics. I decided to utilise skills gained in both mediums to combine the two as a means of surfacing the ceramic work. . 
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