Mollie Brotherton
Please click on the link to the left to see the ceramics, drawings and collages
Personal Statement
My work is inspired by the countryside of Le Gers. What interests me about this rural area are the changes in season, the shifting variations in the colours of the land and the rolling hills and ancient woodlands. The area is steeped in human history made evident by the ancient Bastide villages and well trodden pilgrimage routes through the wooded valleys. The physical experience of walking the countryside is paramount to my work. The earth cannot be understood without being touched, walked upon and explored. Hills have no presence unless one stands at the top and feels the land drop away in front, or stand below and look up.
The region is agricultural and the changing crops of the fields provide endless scope for textured surfaces whilst the hilltop farms and stands of oak trees with distant views of the mountains help to punctuate and draw the eye around the form. The medium of clay provides the perfect material in which to express these ideas. Every piece starts as a series of drawings which are then worked into a textural collage using found materials from the particular location, this in turn is used to create textured slabs of clay or plaster moulds. The slabs of clay are then cut up and reassembled with reference to the original drawings.