Marita Green

Marita Green

"There is a real place for hand-made things in a sea of mass production. I throw my pots on an electric wheel, and fire in an electric kiln. Most of my domestic ware is earthenware, and slip decorated (slip is a coloured liquid clay applied before firing).”

Marita Green

"There is a real place for hand-made things in a sea of mass production. I throw my pots on an electric wheel, and fire in an electric kiln. Most of my domestic ware is earthenware, and slip decorated (slip is a coloured liquid clay applied before firing).”

Your new collection of ceramics is beautifully bright and joyful, a visual feast so to speak! Were you especially inspired by an idea that determined the body of work?

Pretty much all my work is autobiographical in some way, and intuitive. I’m a reflective person by nature and spend a lot of time musing inward (possibly too much time!!!). This work is the manifestation of that as it relates to our journey as a family in 2021. 2021 was super challenging for us as we faced some big health hurdles with our eldest child. As a Mum it meant re-adjusting the way I saw my child’s future, who they were and their place in the world. It meant recalibrating what was important to us as a family, and viewing the world through a new set of eyes. There was a lot of uncertainty, living from day-to-day, getting used to a drastically different new normal, and reflecting on the past with hindsight.

Looking back at that period (now that things are on the up) I can see those times of confusion, intense clarity, fear, pain of change, with a lot more objectivity and context. And that’s what these pieces are about. You’ll see imagery of eyes, hands, pathways, arcs of light, love, and growth on these pieces.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE OF WORK THIS TIME AROUND? IS THERE A TECHNIQUE YOU ESPECIALLY LOVE?

I’m most happy with the large platter – with its chaotic surface – as I think it captures rhythm and balance as well as a narrative. Its icons and colours challenge the viewer to find meaning and stories within the piece. And that’s exactly the emotional space (in me) that it represents – when everything is mad and exhausting, and we are searching for meaning and peace. So I feel the greatest level of artistic integrity with this work. The colourful surface was achieved over multiple firings.

YOUR VASES AND BOWLS ARE QUITE SCULPTURAL WITH SECTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN CUTOUT- IS THIS A NEW FEATURE OF YOUR WORKS OR HAVE YOU WORKED PREVIOUSLY WITH THIS?

This is new, and I feel like I have just scratched the surface – you’ll be seeing more additions (or ‘sprigs’ as they are called) and cut-outs in the future. The process of adding and removing means I have to plan where I am going with the surface at the time of forming the piece in clay – which is very early in the process. There is a small window of time with clay when you can cut and add. Adding colour comes well after that. So I have to know right from the outset where I’m going with the piece decoratively. That’s challenging for me as I usually work solely by intuition. But I like the outcome.

Is there a destination either locally or globally that inspired, or continues to inspire your ceramic designs?

People, rather than places or ideas, are my biggest inspiration. I’m constantly trying to make sense of my internal reality, and that’s always in context with others. People challenge that way I think, feel, view the world. When I am in relationships with people I’m always learning and moving, despite my introverted hermit-self wanting to hide away forever!

WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO ASPIRING POTTERS?

Don’t worry about the rules, or the right or wrong way, or not having the tools or space. Make things out of clay anyway. If you love the medium like I do, you will find learning every time you work with it. I believe the deepest learning in clay comes from doing, not watching or reading or knowing.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PROCESS OF YOUR DAY? DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE RITUALS THAT ASSIST IN GETTING YOUR CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING?

I pretty much just go out to the studio as soon as the children have left for school, and stay there as long as I can get away with! Without sounding smug, I’ve never really had a problem with creative drought. There are always SOOOOO many things to try, to test, to explore in clay. Sometimes the urgency and volume of ideas can be quite anxiety causing! Often times it’s like a time warp as soon as I step in to the studio – time passes so quickly, and then it's suddenly time to go back inside the house and do normal Mum things.