I’ve been pushing for stronger lights and darks in my Holga medium format film photographs so still life offers an opportunity to control the light. My project using ceramic forms attempts to bring the women of my families history into the limelight. Finding detail is sometimes a wonderful enlightening experience, and other times extremely frustrating as so few details remain to identify an individual. They remain in the shadows, dark and barely visible.
Another opportunity to push the limits of the Holga came through visiting a wood fire kiln in action. Wood fired work has an aesthetic all of its own.
Wood fired ceramics will form part of my final selection of work as the glaze response replicates the weathered effect I am trying to achieve for some of the work. The drama and enormous amount of work involved with firing a wood kiln makes each piece a little more exciting and special, intrinsic. I look forward with great anticipation to further involvement with this process.
