Matthew Tyas

melting snow teabowls

This series of work is an ode to Heritage Pottery pieces while also, I feel, marking a departure towards a more personal voice in this context. They address landscapes in a different way to other Landscapes in the shop. One can consider these pieces functionally with their wink to tea bowls, to yunomi and chawan of Korean and Japanese origin, but I feel they turn their back to the mountain a little and seek their own voice.

Perhaps the greatest feature of 'functional' ware the personal dimension, where beautiful objects are removed from their pedestal, from the mountains and clouds, and explored through touch. These are more than bowls, they are personal objects of contemplation and exploration. For me, they consider snow in its softness, how it blankets the ground and then recedes. There are gentle variations in surface, opacity, colour and texture. Soft voices and subtle contrasts juxtaposed with generous making and exquisite textures.

All pieces stamped with my unique "MT" mark.