screen 1	screen 2	screen 3	screen 4
screen 5	screen 6	screen 7	screen 8
screen 9	screen 10	screen 11	screen 12
screen 13	screen 14	screen 15	screen 16

I decided to describe the items 1-6 on display as 'Ceramic Screens' because the screen in today's vernacular implies an image to be viewed; these are not pots in the traditional sense, as they have no function other than to be looked at. For some time now I have regarded my work as objects to be looked at rather than used. I consider a pot as a three dimensional canvas upon which to apply my colours. The screens are the final solution, flat slabs of clay waiting to be played with.

Screens 1-6 are part of an exhibition reflecting the work of Peter Voulkos (1924 - 2002). He was the first American Potter to express himself in a completely new and exciting way. For me he was an Abstract Expressionist working in clay, comparable to Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.

Voulkos broke all the rules; he cut, slashed and cracked pots, often working on a huge scale, and he turned ceramics into a thrilling and novel form of expression for potters. Voulkos once said, "There wasn't a crack I didn't like".

His work shakes us up. It's almost as if he has replaced the potters wheel with that of a stock car - one doesn't mind the bumps and holes; it's the way he drives to the finish you enjoy.

I used the profiles of Voulkos's pots as a starting point and then abstracted the interior with the use of colour. The triangle mark on his work reflects his interest in pyramids. Spontaneously rendered crosses often appear - as a universal symbol the 'X' is fraught with numerous interpretations. I agree with Voulkos, that the specific meaning of the 'X' is of less importance than the notion of imbuing this age-old symbol with a renewed sense of life. In Zen this practice is referred to as shosin, which means "beginners mind." The goal of this practice in calligraphy, for instance, is to write in the most straightforward and simple way, as if one were a beginner; not trying to make something skilful or beautiful, but simply writing with full attention as if discovering writing for the first time.

In the Voulkos series I symbolically use the triangle to represent a mountain (the place of peace and stillness) or a Buddha figure or a Native American Tepee and the cross to signify time in the here and now.

Screens 7-16 are from my later Jimi Hendrix series, several of the images depict abstracted guitar shapes