This piece featured in Modern Art Oxford’s ‘Flow’ exhibition in 2020.

Clay is flow embodied both in its properties and its cyclical nature of formation – the long slow breakdown of igneous rocks into other substances.

Many of us live near or right above some of this ancient material. Our lives depend on its water-holding properties often as springs and rivers, and it has been the enduring building blocks of many societies’ cities from ancient times to the present day.

I never know at the beginning where an idea will come from and often have many interrupted attempts at ‘Flow state’ due to family and other issues. I nearly always begin by looking at my environment. I like to empty my mind of the everyday before I start. The first flow phase is engaging with what I see, hear and smell. This work has been very local due to the restrictions and new mindset we are all experiencing. Walking is especially helpful for this. I can get a rare sense of freedom when I walk on my own.

Just over the garden fence an enormous auger appeared, 20m tall and began piercing the ground to make new foundations. It turned out great clods of blackish clay and my imagination was engaged. I decided to explore the clay; visiting the builders to get some, researching why it was there, its age and its distribution. This led me to some interesting discoveries both personal and creative, and re-visitation of past homes and walking the landscapes all connected by its distribution.

The piece explores the cycle of ‘flow state’ through the medium of clay.