Penny Ericson presents an exhibition of new ceramics.

"..With this new body of work I have sort to capture moments and impressions of my time in Munga-Thirri (Simpson Desert) in Australia’s outback sand country. Moments captured on camera and remembered in clay.

Drawn to the area by the remoteness, the colours and the chance to walk with camels, the resulting work references the flora, fauna, and the uniqueness of the landscape. Walking with ecologists gave the trip a scientific focus and heightened awareness of this fragile environment .

These handbuilt works are constructed with slabs of clay that have been rolled, stretched, marked and modelled. The multi layered slips and glazes are combinations of sands , earths, and ceramic materials that will mix ,melt and crack under the pressure of heat with multiple firings in the kiln.

This build up of layers results in surfaces that reflect and absorb the light . Horizon lines feature strongly to divide the forms as they do in the desert  landscape. In some works a different approach has been taken where clays, sands, and grits have been laminated together in stratified layers with the resulting surface becoming a mirror of geological earth and time.

This exhibition which is all new work, has involved a journey of discovery, with all new clays,  glazes, and a new colour palette. A bit like the ’real' journey, it has been exciting and absorbing. Hopefully I will get back to the desert one day!..."