Cita Daidone

My artwork is a dialogue between sculptural forms and drawing. My journey navigating ceramics practice has ebbed and flowed. In recent years it has gathered momentum through my work in art education and my role as a ceramics tutor. I majored in ceramics at COFA in 1984 but since then my practice has diversified into drawing, painting and collage. There is a mythical and fairy-tale dimension to my work; I am interested in stories and symbolism. 

My work conveys my interest in nature and the strength that we can draw from it. I live in the inner west of Sydney where there is a

nearby Edwardian estate and parklands called Yaralla. Sadly the

horses that once roamed this estate for many decades have now gone because of bureaucratic decisions. The idea for the series of spoons came from the horses that I loved seeing every day. Living in the midst of a sprawling metropolis it was a wonderful gift to pat and be near these beautiful beings. The horses provided a connection to nature. I also refer to birds in my work and the mythology of the bush. Birds are carriers of spiritual dimensions that are important to my life. Kookaburras and magpies are the most common birds that I see and are emblematic animals that remind us of our place in nature and our sense of who we are. I live in both worlds, urban Sydney and the quietness of the South Coast. Sea life forms especially shells and nymphs are derived from walks and explorations of the rock pools and beaches and often appear in my work.

Mark making is integral to my work; playing on the surface of the

clay is like drawing on paper. My work flows from the two-

dimensional to the three-dimensional. Most often I start with

drawing and sometimes I start with the sculptures. The tactile

element of the sculptures allows the audience to experience the

individuality of the work. The scale of the work is relative to the

human hand and audiences experience the work by sight and by

imagining the touch.

The sculptures may be considered as objects to be used in the context of dining; they are spoons but the functionality is secondary. There is a relationship between food and nurturing, both of the body and the mind. I like the resemblance to nests and containment, as objects necessary for survival. I collect nests and cherish them as beautiful forms, lovingly crafted by our bird friends. I sometimes photograph my work with nests. Nests are quiet places for resting, for calming the mind.

I use both porcelain and earthenware with underglazes and glazes.

Porcelain has a high level of translucency and elements of glass

which create a unique surface quality. It is ideal for carving. I want

my work to have variable thicknesses and texture and the evidence of the carving is clear. My mother is a woodcarver and her practice has informed my work although her work generally is much larger in scale. I prefer the intimacy of hand held forms.

My process is to create rough forms by modelling the clay or

porcelain and then at the leather hard stage I carve using fine bladed tools. The layers are gradually shaved away and I love the faceted surfaces which are created. This is complementary to my drawings where lines and edges are dominant elements.

The process of drawing is so engaging for me, a meditative

experience. My previous work involves hand stitching papers and

fabrics to paper surfaces and this same process is now translated into my current work which is a reverence for the natural world. I want my work to have a spiritual energy. The text in my drawings

documents my thoughts, suggesting other layers of meaning, like

poetry they help clarify the ideas.

Photographing my work is part of my practice. It links the different

forms that I use. An instant visual feedback that adds an intriguing

dimension to my practice because it is always showing me something new. As in the act of drawing, the camera acts as a third eye capturing the essence of the work. I can rearrange, mirror and collage the image. In one quick click of the lens there is a moment to step back from the work to see how it is resolving. I may see it in a different way to how I first imagined.

I use social media as a way of publishing my work. It is a unique

platform for communicating ideas, an immediate way to receive

feedback and share ideas. I have developed relationships with artists in other parts of the world and it is exciting to be building a creative network with an international art community. Photographing and posting about my work every day has become part of my diary, a way or recording the evolution of my work.

I have been experimenting with ideas for presentation of my work in addition to social media including framing. This removes the

sculptures from their functional possibilities and takes them into the art gallery context, to be looked at as objects on walls rather than utensils laid out on a table. Issues of attachment then need to be considered and solutions may involve sewing or binding the ceramic forms to the paper surface. My practice is evolving and I look forward to exploring the different avenues that are opening up before me.

Often a poetic line plays hand in hand with the life and energy I am trying to imbue in the clay. There are a few lines from Dogs and

Wolves by the Scottish poet Sorley MacLean that whisper in my ear while I work:

Across eternity, across its snows I see my unwritten poems,

I see the spoor of their paws dappling the untroubled whiteness of the snow

The mild mad dogs of poetry, wolves in chase of beauty.

Making art is about creating beauty.