Matthew Blakely | Always searching...
Matthew Blakely : In conversation with Contemporary Ceramics Centre
CCC: Why do you do what you do?
MB: I work with clay because as soon as became aware of the medium and the possibilities with it I became completely obsessed. There was nothing else I wanted to do. In terms of my making practice, I try to keep pushing forward, trying to expand my parameters, to keep myself excited by and inspired by what I make. I’m always searching for something, trying to capture particular qualities and feelings, never quite getting there but just a little further on the path.
CCC: What route did you take when first starting out. Did you take a formal route through education or a more informal approach?
MB: I had no contact with clay growing up and no idea that there was a contemporary ceramics scene. I did evening classes while at uni, which I enjoyed far more than my degree in Medicine. Later I worked in a pottery workshop at a Steiner residential home, then did evening classes at Bondi beach …
CCC: Why do you do what you do?
MB: I work with clay because as soon as became aware of the medium and the possibilities with it I became completely obsessed. There was nothing else I wanted to do. In terms of my making practice, I try to keep pushing forward, trying to expand my parameters, to keep myself excited by and inspired by what I make. I’m always searching for something, trying to capture particular qualities and feelings, never quite getting there but just a little further on the path.
CCC: What route did you take when first starting out. Did you take a formal route through education or a more informal approach?
MB: I had no contact with clay growing up and no idea that there was a contemporary ceramics scene. I did evening classes while at uni, which I enjoyed far more than my degree in Medicine. Later I worked in a pottery workshop at a Steiner residential home, then did evening classes at Bondi beach …
