Bernadette Pratt

In my work I want to investigatetraditional methods in ceramics and combine these with aspects of the naturalworld. It is the calm and chaos of nature that I find stimulating. This seemsto reflect the calm and chaos of my own personality, and indeed my own life. Inmy work I would like to explore these two opposites; the challenge is tointegrate these elements, so that each has equal importance in order to allowthe union to convey harmony.

The biographical component of my work isconnected with my own changing surrounding. In passing through I was forced tomake an existence in the places I have lived in at each given time. Newsurroundings, impressions and experiences have enriched my life but at the sametime I have always been aware of a risk of losing my identity and my heritage.Travelling has come to represent my path (der Weg) through life itself.

The ceramic heritage is important in mywork because it establishes a link between the old and the new. The ancientrecipe of Egyptian Paste is my link to tradition and represents thatcontinuity. However, once Egyptian Paste is fired to extreme temperatures ittransmutes and starts to have a new dimension. The unpredictability of this methodechoes elements in nature's patterns. It is the juxtaposition of the calm andchaos that fuels my artistic ambition. To fuse both in my work is my aim.