‘Bioliths’

'Bioliths'– Groupings of slipcast and handcarved forms set into a polished concrete base.

Materials:- Bone china and concrete.
Dimensions:- Various – See captions.

Inspiration can come from anywhere – often dreams supply an idea, occassionaly it can be something observed in nature that sticks in the mind, so much so that I need to capture its essence in a piece. The ‘Bioliths’ arose from a memory of seeing – on the crowded streets of Tokyo outside the entrance to a soaring corporate tower block – a set of butterfly eggs posited (accidentally perhaps) by the insect upon the edge of a huge concrete planter and not on the plants as expected. The juxtaposition of these tiny, fragile and beautifully intricate organic structures against the hard grey concrete of the urban high-rises was one of nature’s ‘little dramas’ that stayed with me.

Pieces like these were exhibited by the Scottish Gallery at the ‘Collect’ art fair held in the Saatchi Gallery.

Making process

Direct casts of pebbles – taken from a favourite beach, chosen for both their aesthetic and haptic qualities – are made then hand-carved with nature inspired textures and patterns. The fired forms are pressed gently into soft wet concrete, their positions checked and adjusted if necessary, before being left to set in place. Tapping very carefully with a block of wood releases the ‘Biolith’ from the hardened concrete – much like a fossil being removed from a rock – leaving a unique ‘hermetic’ impression into which each ‘Biolith’ is returned after the concrete has been polished to complete the base.

For more on how I create my works, take a look over on my Instagram feed where there are a number of posts about my making methods. Click the Instagram icon below to visit.