Lucy wants her work
to occupy the space where architecture and landscape meet. With repetitive
patterns and bold colour, her objects are informed by modernist architecture
and have textile like qualities, combining soft and hard. She is concerned with
juxtaposing form and texture to create both tension and harmony.
Lucy hand builds her work using a combination
of pinch and slab building techniques. She collects and creates repetitive
textures using natural and self-made objects.
Interview with Lucy Tolan:
FG: What made you become an artist and designer? What would you have
done otherwise?
Lucy: In high school I knew I
wanted to do something creative but wasn’t sure about which direction to take.
For a long time I considered studying interior design, but my heart wasn’t 100%
in it. It wasn’t until the end of my final year in high school that I decided
I’d follow my heart and pursue Fine Art. I thought at the very least I’d learn
practical skills I could use throughout my life, I feel so lucky to call being
an artist my job now!
FG: Clay is the material you use the most in your works. Why do you
prefer it to others?
Lucy: I love the tactility of
clay, I feel so connected to the making process. I work in a rhythm and making
becomes almost meditative when I’m in a flow, it allows me to tune out of the
world. I enjoy the challenge too as it’s quite hard to control, sometimes my
forms try to work against gravity and collapse, I try to push clays boundaries.
The most exciting part of the process is firing a piece in the kiln. It’s like
magic having a fragile object you created by hand become vitrified and
permanent. My objects are extremely textured and uneven so I really enjoy
holding them and viewing a vessel from multiple perspectives.
FG: Describe your works in three words.
Lucy: Tactile, bold,
architectural
FG: What is your creative process like? Where do you take inspiration
for your pieces?
Lucy: I don’t spend a great deal of
time planning each vessel, the process is fluid allowing the vessel to take on
a life of its own. I build vessels up allowing the clay to lean and move as it
pleases. If I set boundaries with a narrow vision of the finished vessel I miss
the opportunity for intricate details that occur as the object evolves. I’m
influenced by textiles and architecture and want my objects to embody both of
these simultaneously, combining soft and hard. I’m interested in the forms and silhouettes
fabricated in architecture and the materiality of textiles.
FG: Can you name an artist, a piece or a project that inspired you?
Lucy: I was deeply inspired by my
visit to Naoshima Island in Japan, where I experienced the architecture of
Tadao Ando. I was captivated by how Ando unified his buildings with the
landscape; the materials created a tension with the landscape but the form and
design allowed for harmony. The experience was surreal, a day I’ll always
treasure.
FG: What are your future projects? What are you working on at the moment?
Lucy: I’m currently focusing on my
Seams body of work, I’m trying to expand on my techniques and forms, pushing
their boundaries as much as I can. I really want to begin collaborating with my
peers again, my creative community is so special and I’m desperate to engage
with it more now that we’re out of lockdown.
Photography Credits:
Photography by Shelley Horan www.shelleyhoran.com
Art Direction and Styling by Both http://both.studio
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