This show of recent work is in general the result of many years of consistent research in the use of local materials. Specifically, it is a show of wood fired porcelain and proto porcelains made from the native porcelain stone (pai-tun-ze) of the old Mittagong Shire.

The nature of these pieces is such that they represent the geology of the Southern Highlands. They are not the most translucent or the whitest of porcelains. However they are entirely local and the product of the interaction of my intellect with my locality.

During the development of this work it has been my intention to make a 100% local product. In this regard I have to admit that I have failed, as one of the clay bodies contains 3% of bentonite sourced from outside of the Mittagong shire, but I can live with that.

In a time when international cultural boundaries are being smudged or collapsed by free trade agreements and globalisation, one result is that simple consumer items such as ceramics are conceived in a design studio in Europe or the US and produced in a factory in China, then shipped to every first world country in the developed world. The result is less choice,less individuality. This work is my attempt to produce a fully local product. With all its limitations and faults, and all its local character. The French have a word, 'terroir' that expresses some of this quality.

Excellent porcelain clays can be bought from the local art supply shop. However, they are made from mostly imported ingredients from all over the world; New Zealand, USA, Europe, Canada and China. The result is that everyone's work has a sameness about it.

For all their faults, and I'm sure that there are many, this work has a character imposed on it by my intellect and the local geology. At this point in time this is the best I can do with what I have discovered. I have used and developed some of the faults, such as the impurities in the raw material, to give an exquisite surface flash that is enhanced by the wood firing process. Usually rich red flashing and translucency are mutually exclusive qualities. However, in this case I have managed to coax both from my materials. All the fuel is collected off my land or a neighbour's. I made the firebricks for the kiln by hand, from a local refractory clay. Glazes are made from local igneous rocks, all processed and milled in my workshop.

From one point of view this work can be seen as an intellectual exercise, a strike against globalisation, and that might be true and all that there is to it, until you see and handle the pieces. This work is special, it has the most wonderful quality, a juicy beauty that elevates the soul. The play of light off the glaze or clay surfaces and through the translucent clay bodies is inspiring. There is a very pleasant interaction between the orange flash on the clay surface caused by the wood firing technique and the subtle blue/grey of the proto celadon-like glaze surface. Some of these pots are so translucent that you can not only see through them, but you can even see the colour of the flashing through the bowl.

In some cases there is only 15% difference between the clay body and the glaze, the one material making both clay and glaze. I have taken to calling this material 'Australian Pai-tun-ze'. As pai-tun-ze is the name that the ancient Chinese potters gave to the 'porcelain stone' which they used to produce their native porcelain and like those early potters, I have made pots that have a slight tendency to warp and even show the odd iron spot. This work is closer to the Song than the Ming. I have consciously avoided firing these bowls on the rims to keep them flat and symmetrical, rather, I have allowed and even encourage some warping, which I believe expresses some of the simple natural beauty of this ancient technique.

Steve Harrison 2004