My work focuses on drapery, a progression from the incidental objects in portraiture and still life to a subject in its own right. The complexity of the folds of fabric, and the subtleties of white on white, are issues that have captivated many artists before me. The complex and ambiguous shapes of drapery are sensually appealing, and I also use the subject as a metaphor for flesh, for spirituality, for femininity. I have explored the subject in both 2D and 3D works: photographs, drawings, watercolour, oil, acrylic paintings; and fabric, clay, steel, aluminium and bronze sculptures.

My recent sculptural work has focused on using draped ceramic forms that are evocative of the vulva. The porcelain is wedged and rolled, sometimes between damask for imprinting, and then carefully draped into shape. At the critical stage of drying, and before firing, I carefully sand and burnish some of the delicate porcelain surfaces, creating both visual and textural contrasts in the work and emphasising the similarities of the unglazed porcelain to the satin or velvet textures of skin. After the pieces emerge from the kiln they may be further sanded, shaped and sealed. The visual attraction of the flowing curves and different textures of the unglazed porcelain invite touch and compel the viewers gaze to trace the lyrical lines of the sculpture, emphasising the sensuality of the material and form.

I have also begun adding other elements to the works, by using contrasting materials such as wood and bone. Although I began by using real bones I now carve ‘bone’ and ‘wood’ pieces from stoneware clay, and use slips to colour these pieces before firing. In this way I can create contrasts of texture, characteristics, colour and meaning in the work.

In late 2015 I was awarded a twelve month residency at Clifton Pugh’s artist commune in Victoria. This is a fifteen acre property in the bush with rustic mudbrick cottages and corrugated iron studios. I have relished the focus and concentration that the solitude and silence of the bush provides. Already the effect on my work and self has been dramatic. Just having the time, the uninterrupted time, to think about the work, to make the work, to explain the work, has been invaluable. It is only now that I am able to begin to tease apart all the threads of meaning inherent in the concept of the drapery sculptures. My work has started to integrate and reflect elements of the bush, the textures of bark, the micro-landscapes of moss, pebbles and fallen leaves.

Creative Riverina

Jodi Stewart