ceramics

The ceramic jars kind of remind me of egyptian canopic jars, especially with the terracotta clay and the eye/bird motif, which is definitely age-old.
The hand-made aesthetic is to me, the most important thing about my current practice, and so deeming them 'deliberately' wonky was a choice- to not be too precious about their construction, the outcome, and to enjoy the process without perfectionism. Also, the clay itself was particularly difficult to work with, as it was plastic-y and a little bit too solid for comfort (therefore would have eaten me up if i was trying to be a perfectionist about my work).
It was a deliberate choice to make something functional as well as decorative; my previous ceramics (unfinished in uni) were intended to be frivolously decorative and, in isolation with limited resources, i didn't have the same kind of luxury. To recreate my idea seemed like my initial attempt had been pointless , when in fact i want to really do them justice as i am quite proud of them and where they were headed. So to make something functional seemed like the next natural step, without overwriting my older ideas of bird mobiles and tiles.
The idea of having 'birds circling' came from the 'crows circling' stereotype, associated with death. The jars were made to be intentionally unlucky- a contrast from good-luck omens and charms that welcome positive forces. Subverting this idea is definitely welcoming slightly dangerous energies into play, however, given the state of the world right now, i'm not sure a couple of 'bad' pots have much of a say in anything. The 'eye' motif came from these pots- from painting them on the birds to narrowing down the focus on what i enjoyed to do, and what looked best in an experimental way.
Also, the pots lend to a rotary style of viewing the paintings- they are constantly in motion and there is not start or end piece. It is a conversation between the ink and the clay.
Also Also Also, i think that personally, choosing whether something i have control over is good or bad luck is kind of a cathartic way of taking control over my own perceptions on luck and fortune, which can sometimes be a little overriding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6nTv2ztK98&t=1s