Katharine Morling‘s work is so good, it’s confusing. That is, it takes a moment for the brain to put together exactly what’s going on — at least my brain anyway. She describes what she does as three dimensional drawings in ceramic, and that’s bang on the money; life-sized pencil drawings that come to life, lifted from the page with consummate skill in Morling’s Deptford studio. So how does the magic happen?
Stitched Up
Things begin with some quick drawings, based on feelings and experiences, to get a raft of ideas down on paper, before a couple are selected for further development. More detailed drawings follow, until one grabs the artist’s imagination sufficiently to warrant the next stage.
The nature of her subjects make their ceramic construction tricky, and Morling researches the shapes carefully, planning the internal structure and temporary external supports needed. From there on in it’s clay, a couple of simple tools, and pure talent. The work is intricate and time-consuming — the studio has up to three assistants working alongside Morling herself — but the results of their efforts are certainly worth the trouble.
Some works focus on the objects of everyday, such as the autobiographical Poison Pen (a meditation on her own dyslexia), while others like Butterfly Box take off on a flight of fancy with a childlike imagination. Top stuff.
Cut
Time
Plenty
Poison Pen
A Stich in Time
Boy
Shifting Diamonds
Oil
Butterfly Box
Photography, Stephen Brayne
Undercurrent
