Collection: Daryl Austin - Foundlore

Now showing at Hahndorf Academy from June 20 – July 26.

The hand-built ceramic vessels are crafted in my backyard studio, inspired by Adelaide’s urban landscape observed during my dog walks. I am drawn to found and incidental objects, which often have irregular shapes and activate unconscious responses. I collect seed pods, Australian flora, and eucalyptus bark for reference, sometimes using them as stamps to decorate the clay surfaces.

I start with no fixed plan, allowing the clay to guide the process. The forms evolve intuitively through tactile handling, creating a dialogue between material, memory, and clay’s plasticity. Play is central, and I embrace imperfection, with uneven edges and traces of handling reflecting the natural world and vitality.

The finished pieces possess organic energy, suggesting growth and transformation. They appear animated, caught mid-gesture, which is an unintentional bonus. My practice focuses on uncertainty and responsiveness, emphasising attentiveness to place, material, and accumulated experiences. These vessels speak of persistence, observation, and the potential for new forms, embodying the law of chance and the unpredictability of creation.

All vessels are terracotta, porcelain slip, underglaze and oxides.

Works on paper are Chinese rice paper and ink, framed.