Kate Alterio & Kate Fitzharris: Words Fall Like Water

Recent works by Kate Alterio and Kate Fitzharris.

Kate Alterio:
Alterio’s thoughtful minimalist paintings draw the viewer into the space between stillness and intensity. The fluid nature of the ink dances on the paper, ghostly shadows and textures suggest depth, while rich black tones bring luminosity. The contrast between strong masculine lines and soft feminine edges alludes to the dual nature of the human condition. The horizontal and vertical plains represent the integration of opposites, spiritual and material, feminine and masculine, yin and yang. Torn paper hints at the fragile and ever-changing nature of existence.

Alterio writes,
In Heart of Fire (2012) layers of paper allude to the ephemeral nature of the physical realm but also to the layers within one's self. The text - ‘Into the fire I followed, into the fire to find you’ - is from a poem I wrote referring to an alchemical process. The human experience at times is full of suffering, hence the use of the word fire, it speaks of being thrown into the fire of transformation and through that process finding one’s true self.

Kate Fitzharris:
North Dunedin-based Kate Fitzharris is an award-winning ceramicist whose small, sculptural, doll-like works incorporate ‘found’ materials including wool, wood, wax and other organic matter. Fitzharris gained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Otago Polytechnic School of Art in 1996, prior to which she had already won the Student Award at Cleveland Ceramic Awards in 1995. Her work has continued to earn her prizes at significant ceramic awards including the NZ Potters Inc. Merit Award (2008) and Merit at Portage Ceramic Awards (in 2002 and 2011). Her practice is deeply rooted in the human history of ceramic craft while continually exploring new ways of working with found materials.

About these works:
Fitzharris’s odd little figures have an endearing, anthropomorphic quality; each quirky face is imbued with a distinct personality. The artist’s hands are very much evident in the work and lend every unique piece a gentle naïveté. Like time-worn, cherished heirlooms of childhood Fitzharris’s figures evoke a sense of history and nostalgia. Wise yet childlike, they might tell stories of times long ago and of distant places, but also about now and the everyday. In Cotton Reel four strange little people, one in a skirt made of ceramic twigs, gather around an actual cotton reel. The figures look like they might have come from an Athenian archaeological dig; the surprised and contemplative manner in which they inspect the ‘found’ object might suggest it had arrived from outer space.

In many ways, Fitzharris’s figurines are like modern day talismans and consequently they evoke a variety of responses. Interestingly, the figures in 108, Everyday Bowls, Jug and Cotton Reel all sport their own charm necklaces featuring skull-heads - a seemingly incongruous juxtaposition, given that the figures are unarguably delightful, but in fact a characteristic of the artist’s work.

The artist explains that this body of work represents a new direction for her in that clay is privileged in the making of free-standing figures (whereas her work is generally wall-mounted). Fitzharris is still using what she calls “a recycled mix of other people’s discarded clay - both earthenware & stoneware clays blended together. She writes,

I have enjoyed introducing more colour into my ceramic process and working in a somewhat more painterly way with slips and oxides. I have also used pencil and beeswax post-firing to further enhance surfaces. Some of the pieces have beeswax inlays incorporating scraps of materials found within my studio. I like to use these things often overlooked or discarded. The beads around some of the figures are made from beeswax and found materials like unfired clay scraps and charcoal leftover from past firings.