Johanna DeMaine

Landsborough, Queensland, Australia

Title: Being and Becoming

Year of Creation: 2011

Glaze: Clear limestone glaze, lustre, gold, sand etched, raised enamel

Clay Body: Porcelain

Dimensions: Height 6.30 inches, Width 5.91 inches

Artist's Statement: Being: the entire being; ie physical, mental and spiritual aspects of life. Becoming: the gradual balanced evolution of these aspects of life.

Form has always been central to my work; the three dimensional presence that draws the eye and displaces space in such a way as to create a communication of beauty inviting the viewer to a closer intimacy.

Fifteen years ago I set out to involve the viewer in a deeper conversation and invite an intimacy that transcends time and preserves the concepts of beauty. I believed that I could achieve this through the inspiration of Matisse in the way he used repetitive pattern. But along the way I was seduced by the sensuality of Klimt's work and by the understanding of raising the everyday to the ceremonial.

In my journey I have taken the next step using Matisse's cut out technique to invite a deeper conversation and emotional connection to the story that the marks on the surface convey. This has further been informed with an in depth study of the Chinese Paper Cut. The reflective surface of my work invites the viewer's image to become part of the narrative, through an involvement in beauty and perception via the eye to the imagination.

This work addresses my journey as well as that of mankind.