Making an imprint, leaving a mark, creating an impression
can define how the world sees you. Art offers up so many avenues to do just
that--to make impressions. Whether clay, printmaking or watercolour, they
all lend themselves to leaving a mark.
Paula shared that, "I have taken one of my three favourite mediums, clay,
augmented by watercolour, to give texture to my floral mural, for "All Things
Bright and Beautiful". Just as a writer sometimes has a difficult time, putting
pen to paper, working in clay is no different. How does this bag of grey wet
clay sitting in a plastic bag, in front of me, become something bright and
beautiful? The flowers framed already by my studio window gave me an idea. How
could I preserve this scene in clay?"
Clay was rolled out in preparation for numerous floral
shapes to be cut out. Using her series of hand built clay stamps, the ends of
found objects, stray materials, Paula stamped, prodded, and dragged her collection of
tools across her clay to make numerous impressions. Left for a week to air dry, the pieces were assembled in her kiln and bisque fired to a pure white. A pure white ‘canvas’ waiting to be
coloured. Instead of glaze, Paula chose to paint with watercolour, enabling more of
the impressions to stand out against their darkened background where seepage of
paint had occurred.
A garden blesses us each spring with old favourites,
perennial friends on which we can always count. A harsh winter can claim the
hardiest of plants, but along with our memories and a love of photography, they
are never forgotten.
