Paula Canney Ceramics

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Fruhling - a happy pot

The images of Anthony Caro’s Trojan War series kept re-occurring to me.

The idea of solidity cut into, as opposed to creating an empty space, was appealing.

So I got a lump of black earthenware (potclays 1995 vintage) and started cutting into it and making holes. It wasn’t becoming a bit of mountain or a rock, it was becoming an entity – maybe Hades or Chronos.

It needed nails and a bit of kiln element I found in the studio wastebin to express itself.

And instead of Hades or Chronos it turned itself into Persephone - emerging to a new Spring - Fruhling.

My blog - technical and general
- articles and interviews with potters

My ceramic journey and observations on my own work can be found in Portfolio and Notes section

Aug 9, 202410 min read

Taoism and the Virtue of energy, and pots.

Seeking to express Taoism and the virtue (Te) of its energy flow and balance is a definite ongoing process. To date the best feedback I ha

Jul 30, 20247 min read

Potfest in the Park

A report back from Potfest in the Park 2024

Jan 21, 20245 min read

Visiting Sandy Brown

I really like Sandy Brown. I also really like Sandy Browns work. On 27th September 2023 I visited Sandy in her studio at Appledore,

Jan 12, 20241 min read

Materiality - part two

Thinking about materiality in relation to my own work - it has many aspects. It's main focus must be in how I use the properties of...

Nov 24, 20230 min read

Jim Malones last exhibition at Goldmark

Nov 10, 20232 min read

TUBES

Alan Watts on the basic elements of tangible life. “….. the universe and man’s place in it, the mysterious center of experience which we...

Oct 31, 20236 min read

MATERIALITY – part one

“So why clay? Why aren’t you doing this in wood?”

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ABOUT ME

My hoped for outcome is a body of work that considers the energies within and around each piece.

My objective is to achieve Mushin/WuWei (no mind) through finding and harnessing Tandien/Hara (centre) and ying/yang (positive/negative). The goal is to begin to see ‘virtue’(Te) and to see the energy inherent in the void or empty spaces within the work I create.

There are, perhaps, few Occidental ceramicists exploring specifically the theory of WuWei and Te and their link to Western concepts of Void, Emptiness and – possibly – modern pre-occupations about ‘mindfulness’.

However, as nothing is new under the Sun I have no pretensions about being ‘new’ or ‘innovative’ – just about trying to be myself …………