17cm H x 26cm L x 15cm W
22cm H x 22cm L x 11cm W
both: 33cm H x 27cm L x 20cm W
18cm H x 17cm L x 17cm W
28cm H x 42cm L x 22cm W
34cm H x 39cm L x 39cm W
27cm H x 37cm L x 18cm W
24cm H x 37cm L x 15cm W
larger: 29cm H x 39cm L x 20cm W; smaller: 11cm H x 24cm L x 19cm W
larger: 26cm H x 25cm W x25cm; smaller: 18cm H x 18cm L x 12cm W
Artist Statement
Inspired by the ancients, I hand-build my work using only the simplest tools and materials. After carefully scraping and smoothing the forms, lines are impressed individually into the clay with the edge of a mussel shell and the remaining surface finely burnished with agate pebbles. The finished work is either saggar-fired to a lustrous black using cow dung or pit-fired to achieve subtly varied terracottas and greys. Shaping and firing this way is difficult and time consuming, but imbues each piece with unique individuality.
Deeply rooted in the past, yet contemporary in style, my work comments on nature and its endless cycles and rhythms expressed through abstract fluid patterns that evoke serene movement.
-- Ian Garrett
Bio
Since completing my studies in 1998, I have worked full-time as a ceramic artist based in Swellendam in the Western Cape. My work has been widely exhibited in South Africa where it has won awards and been included in many public and private collections. In 2012 I was represented by Amaridian Gallery in New York before its closure in 2013. Since the beginning of 2014 I have been represented by GalleryNummer40 in the Netherlands and, with them, have exhibited my work at Art Fairs in London and Amsterdam.– Ian Garrett