Natasha Day

Material and how it can be transformed into something other than itself has always interested me.

I use many different mediums in art making but right now hand building sculptural vessels with clay is my focus. I love the extreme versatility of clay and its wonderful immersive potential through the process of making.

It lends itself to responsive and immediate sculptural work, yet requires an understanding and incremental learning about its particular possibilities and limitations. That is the challenge for me.

My themes are based on rubble and ruin, the way built forms regenerate over time after both natural and man made events, and how nature assists by adding plant, animal and insect life. Weathered shapes, curves, holes and ridges and the smaller pieces of flotsam lodged inside by chance attract me.

I use photographic references collected from coast, countryside or town. Many of the shapes that evolve as I work are informed by shapes found in beach groynes, trees and old flint walls and will be highly textured or smoothly sculpted to accentuate from. These combine with my internal abstract references of archaeology, history also pulling on psychology from my past career working closely with people in the field of mental health and counselling,

By making vessels these pieces can be both functional and sculptural which is important to me.

I am a Norfolk artist based in Norwich, a member of The Norwich Twenty Group and the LAC exhibiting regularly. I recently completed my BA and my MA in Fine Art at Norwich University of The Arts.