Statement and CV

Statement

My practice sits between painting and ceramics. Taking the concept of the ceramic studio test tile, (a traditional small clay tile used to test glazes), I makessculptural slabs of clay creating an expansive surface onto which I apply multiple layers of glazes, slips, oxides, studio waste, rocks, and sand. The pieces are fired in the kiln where the materials interact creating unpredictable and unexpected results. The process can be repeated several times enriching the surface with colour, texture and form until there is what he refers to as an intuitive resolution in the work.

He draws parallels between geological processes and the alchemical reactions in the kiln. It is the continuous investigation of studio materials and their alchemical interactions that is the driver in my work, I see my studio as a place to simulate geological process, a laboratory of geological materials.

Dean Coates holds a BSc in Geology and a MA Ceramics from Cardiff Metropolitan University. He lives and works in Bristol in the UK.

CV