Artist Statement

Susan Frost is a ceramic artist living and working in Adelaide, South Australia who uses the evocative properties of colour and decoration to highlight the sculptural qualities of form within her wheel thrown porcelain vessels.

In 2019 Frost undertook a 4-month self-directed residency at BKLYN CLAY in New York with funding assistance from Arts South Australia, dividing her time between studying the city’s architecture and museum collections and making work in the studio in response.  This experience has shifted Frost’s practice into a slower, more research-based approach with a stronger focus on developing one-off pieces and bodies of work for exhibition.

My work uses the evocative properties of colour and decoration to explore the sculptural qualities of form. Within an evolving palette, subtle gradations of colour and tone are applied to the surfaces of minimalist wheel thrown porcelain vessels. The placement and proportions of the forms enable colours to interact with each other in exciting, calming or unexpected ways.Decoration is layered and etched by hand into the clay surface. Inspired by architectural adornment and patterns found in the urban landscape, they are meticulously placed so they flow continuously around the form. The materiality of the porcelain is exploited through long, hot firings. The vessel shrinks and moves as it reaches vitrification, achieving strength and translucency. The melting glaze breaks on the edges of the decoration and pools in its recesses creating tonal contrasts. The once sharp, precise edges of the decoration are softened but the pattern as a whole becomes more defined.