Sand ripple work
The patterns on these pieces of ceramics are designed by the Atlantic Ocean. For a while they were sand ripples on the beaches of West Kerry, swept into formation by wind and water. Here they are captured in the clay, frozen in time, but given a new dimension and new layers of colour.
I design ceramic pieces based on the shapes that I have seen in the sand on the beach. Very often the shapes in the sand reflect those of the mountains and of the constantly moving surface of the sea. A beautiful synchronicity, a testament to the fact that they are all created by the same force.
I first press the selected composition of shapes into thin sheets of stoneware or porcelain clay. Some of these are then bent to be formed into vessels, and some are kept flat to be shown as wall tiles. I apply richly coloured glazes to accentuate the shapes or patterns of the surface.
