Deirdre Hawthorne makes sculptural vessels developed from landscape, from very specific sea shores, gardens and city streets that hold significance for her.  She uses different ways of capturing and interpreting these places, by photographing directly onto the surface, by imprinting, by piercing the form with objects, or by growing seeds within the clay. The clay is often pushed to the point of destruction, making the work extremely fragile but revealing its inherent resilience.  Through her work she trys to convey the layering of marks - physical and emotional, natural and unnatural, ancient, fresh, accidental or purposely inflicted, on places and people.

 

Deirdre lives and work near Strangford, County Down, Northern Ireland.