New South Wales based Gail Nichols is an internationally renowned ceramic artist who specialises in soda glazing, with its luscious, and sometimes unpredictable beauty. She is currently exhibiting at Sabbia Gallery, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Soda Glazed Ceramics
Soda glaze techniques were developed in the 1970s as a chloride-free alternative to salt glazing. Glazes are formed on the objects by introducing sodium carbonate or bicarbonate into the kiln at high temperatures. The resulting vapour reacts with the alumina-silicate surface of the clay and creates a glaze.
The result is a dimpled surface similar to that of salt glazing and an attractive flashing, or natural colouring effect. This is produced both by the turbulent environment in the kiln and the location of the objects within the kiln and their proximity to one another.
Gail Nichols’ Methods and Motivation
Nichols is concerned primarily with the fusion of form and surface, and the relationship between form and mass. The choice to work with soda vapour glazing allows her to explore these combinations to a highly refined degree as the firing process fuses the random with the deliberate. Surface finishes are dependent on placement within the kiln, placement of different pieces in relationship to one another, where the soda initially hits, and where the vapour may travel within the kiln.
Large concentrations of soda will result in the heavily dimpled surfaces on parts of the pots, while the flashing – ranging from creams and yellows through to deep terracotta and brown – comes from the uneven dispersal of heat through the gas jets. Nichols also makes a feature of the marks left on the pots by the kiln supports – turning them, by their placement, into decorative elements, and adding to the textural language she creates.
The Influence of the Landscape on Nichols’ Work
Within the supporting literature for the exhibition is the information that Nichols has moved from Sydney to the southern highlands of New South Wales, and that the experience has highlighted her sense of space and form. Certainly, the objects in the exhibition carry a strong sense of the landscape and many the titles allude to natural features of her physical surroundings.
However, this is something of a fugitive impression, as there is an elusive quality to the works, particularly in the collective sense offered by a group of objects together in one place.
Similarly, a strong heritage of hand-throwing technique is evident in the lines of the objects is disarmed by the whimsical variations of post throwing manipulation. In both respects, the work denies the possibility of standard categorisation and requires that the viewer step back and accept that there is something very integrated happening – initially in the making process, but of a strength that has transferred itself to the finished work.
These pieces have a quiet but immensely strong presence within the gallery space. There is a collective subtlety in the overall effect of the surfaces of the objects, but a dynamism that speaks clearly from individual pieces. Various combinations in the curating choices that were made demand respect – Spotted Pillow - Pillow Form, Yamaki – Grey Cloud – Tall Jar and Setting Suns – Bowl share a wall fixed horizontal plinth reminiscent of a sideboard. There is a tangible dialogue occurring between the three pieces that defies the idea that they could be sold separately, yet each has its individual strength.
Nichols has concentrated on four main forms: bowls, jar shaped vases, shouldered jars and what she calls pillow forms. These are interesting, quirky works with a quiet, meditative quality that are, perhaps, the most directly linked to the landscape of all the works in the exhibition. For all their literal, stone-like qualities, Nichols manages to avoid any sense of cliché or contrivance. There is an honesty that comes through working with the properties of the clay and the process.
This is a beautiful exhibition. Nichols’ authority with her materials and process are evident in the cohesiveness of the collection. From her tall jars to the tiny whiskey cups that beg to picked up and cradled, she issues an invitation to the viewer to share fragments of her landscape.
Exhibition Dates and Sabbia Gallery Contact Details
The Exhibition opened on 10 March 2010 and runs until 3 April 2010. Sabbia Gallery is open Tuesday to Friday 11am to 6pm, Saturday 11am to 4pm. Enquiries can be made via gallery@sabbiagallery.com
Karen Finch - Karen is a Sydney based freelance writer, artist and musician. To learn more, click on her name to read her profile.
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