'.. Perhaps creating something is nothing but an act of profound remembrance ..' - Rilke
About Me
My Inspiration
Hand-stitching is my chosen method of decorating the surface of my work. I was inspired to begin looking for ways to incorporate stitching into my ceramics practice by a collection of inherited textiles, some of which were made by my mother.
My process begins with the creation of small hand-stitched 'samplers' where I explore pattern and line using the simple stitches found in my inherited fabrics. Embossing tiles are made from the samplers, and my stitched designs are thereby transferred onto the clay slabs with which I construct my pieces. Comprehensive testing of all the different materials and techniques that I use has been, and continues to be, crucially important in the development of my work. Details such as the texture of a fabric, the quality of a glaze or the method of construction employed can impact the finished piece both aesthetically and from a functional perspective.
Making my work in this slow and considered way brings me a great deal of satisfaction. No two pieces are ever exactly the same as my aim is not to create uniform pieces but rather work that expresses a story and reflects the hands and the ideas of the maker.
My Story
Following school I completed a Bachelor of Fine Art, majoring in Printmaking, at the University of Cape Town. I enjoyed many aspects of printmaking but always felt a desire to work three dimensionally and when I moved to London in 1996 with my husband, I took the opportunity to study ceramics at a community college. In 1998 we returned to Zimbabwe but due to political unrest emigrated to Australia in 2001. I was fortunate to be able to continue studying ceramics at TAFE NSW while juggling motherhood and settling into a new country and have since completed a Diploma and an Advanced Diploma in Ceramics through TAFE NSW.
The work that I make is the result of everything that I have experienced. Clay, stitching and printmaking have come together in an organic and unpremeditated way to express my story. The functional nature of my work ties it to the domestic realm where both stitching and ceramics are often found to be in use, but the concepts which drive my creativity add another layer to the story of the humble domestic objects that I choose to make.
Hand-stitching is my chosen method of decorating the surface of my work. I was inspired to begin looking for ways to incorporate stitching into my ceramics practice by a collection of inherited textiles, some of which were made by my mother.
My process begins with the creation of small hand-stitched 'samplers' where I explore pattern and line using the simple stitches found in my inherited fabrics. Embossing tiles are made from the samplers, and my stitched designs are thereby transferred onto the clay slabs with which I construct my pieces. Comprehensive testing of all the different materials and techniques that I use has been, and continues to be, crucially important in the development of my work. Details such as the texture of a fabric, the quality of a glaze or the method of construction employed can impact the finished piece both aesthetically and from a functional perspective.
Making my work in this slow and considered way brings me a great deal of satisfaction. No two pieces are ever exactly the same as my aim is not to create uniform pieces but rather work that expresses a story and reflects the hands and the ideas of the maker.
My Story
Following school I completed a Bachelor of Fine Art, majoring in Printmaking, at the University of Cape Town. I enjoyed many aspects of printmaking but always felt a desire to work three dimensionally and when I moved to London in 1996 with my husband, I took the opportunity to study ceramics at a community college. In 1998 we returned to Zimbabwe but due to political unrest emigrated to Australia in 2001. I was fortunate to be able to continue studying ceramics at TAFE NSW while juggling motherhood and settling into a new country and have since completed a Diploma and an Advanced Diploma in Ceramics through TAFE NSW.
The work that I make is the result of everything that I have experienced. Clay, stitching and printmaking have come together in an organic and unpremeditated way to express my story. The functional nature of my work ties it to the domestic realm where both stitching and ceramics are often found to be in use, but the concepts which drive my creativity add another layer to the story of the humble domestic objects that I choose to make.
Publications
C-File discovers a missing masterpiece
(An article by Garth Clark about the English potter William Staite Murray (my great great Uncle))
https://cfileonline.org/collector-sydney-australia-a-missing-masterpiece-contemporary-ceramic-art/
Workshops
Ceramics Congress (2021) - From stitch to clay
https://ceramic.school/courses/clare-unger-handstitching-ceramics//ref/unger
YouTube
Making Instagram Your Own - A conversation with Amy Kennedy Ceramic Artist
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5EJwzs2BR8
C-File discovers a missing masterpiece
(An article by Garth Clark about the English potter William Staite Murray (my great great Uncle))
https://cfileonline.org/collector-sydney-australia-a-missing-masterpiece-contemporary-ceramic-art/
Workshops
Ceramics Congress (2021) - From stitch to clay
https://ceramic.school/courses/clare-unger-handstitching-ceramics//ref/unger
YouTube
Making Instagram Your Own - A conversation with Amy Kennedy Ceramic Artist
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5EJwzs2BR8