ADAM BUICK
INCLUSIONS
Adam Buick, Llanferran, North Wales
ADAM BUICK Adam Buick studied Archaeology and Anthropology at Lampeter University before enrolling in Art School in 2003 and undertaking a Ceramics and Design course in 2004. His studio is situated at Llanferran on the north coast of the St.Davids peninsula, Wales. “My work uses a single pure jar form as a canvas to map my observations from an ongoing study of my surroundings. I incorporate stone and locally dug clay into my work to create a narrative, one that conveys a unique sense of place. The unpredictable nature of each jar comes from the inclusions and their metamorphosis during firing. This individuality and tension between materials speaks of the human condition and how the landscape shapes us as individuals. Landscapes have inspired artists for generations but for me a landscape has to be felt. To depict it is always going to fall short. I was inspired by archaeological theories that the Menhirs of prehistory are a veneration of the landscapes that surrounds them. With my site-specific work I too am venerating the landscape. By placing a Jar at a particular location within the landscape I hope that it will make us look beyond the object to its surroundings.� Adam Buick
A History of Moon Jars “Moon Jars (dal hang-ari) are a Korean form from the Choson dynasty (1392-1910) originally made from plain white porcelain. At the time they represented the epitome of the austere Confucian virtues of purity, honesty and modesty. Because of their form they were also thought to represent the embracing, gentle qualities of woman and fertility. Park Youngsook, the only modern exponent of Korean Moon Jars, points out the difficult and exact skills needed in throwing the two halves that make up the completed Jar. Furthermore a careful firing schedule is needed at high temperatures to fuse them successfully. This simple form revered by the Korean people for hundreds of years still resonates today, admired by all who see them. Housed in the British Museum is a Moon Jar that Bernard Leach brought back from Seoul, one of only ten originals in existence. Leach and his contemporaries in Japan admired it for its lack of self-consciousness, and the beauty of its slight imperfections. I was also struck by these qualities, its serenity and simplicity. I was so inspired by that Moon Jar that for the past four years I have made nothing else, not to replicate it exactly but more to capture the ephemeral qualities that the form resonated. Keeping the Confucian virtues in mind I now use this pure form as the composition for my work.” Adam Buick Shino Jar, 2016 stoneware with shino glaze H38 x W33 cms £1,600
Intertidal Jar, 2016 stoneware with Waun Llodi clay slip H38 x W33 cms £1,600
Large Moon Jar, 2016 stoneware with landscape inclusions H40 x W33 cms £1,600
Miniature Moon Jars, 2016 clay, pigment and glaze H9 x W9 cms ÂŁ95 each
“My work is about change, about natural cycles and the transience of human endeavor. Paths are a motif I use to represent my actual and metaphoric journeys through a place. To understand a landscape is to move through it, to give it context. Paths are like common routes of experience, guiding us through the landscape. They are connections through time, to others and to the land. Ultimately my work is about being present within a landscape." Adam Buick
Journey Jar, 2016 coloured stoneware with porcelain path inlaid H38 x W33 cms ÂŁ1,600
Stoneware Medium Moon Jar, 2014 stoneware with seaweed ash glaze H30 x W25 cms £850
Abereiddi Medium Moon Jar I, 2016 porcelain with Abereiddi stone inclusions H27 x W23 cms ÂŁ850
Miniature Moon Jars, 2016 clay, pigment and glaze H9 x W9 cms ÂŁ95 each
Celadon Glaze Medium Moon Jar, 2014 porcelain with celadon glaze and iron ore inclusion H27 x W23 cms ÂŁ850
“The collection and use of local materials is integral to my work. I intentionally source my own local materials, using them unrefined to show my personal relationship with the landscape, the materials within it and my past experiences from where they were collected. My research into local materials is ongoing. I have tested a number of local clays dug from the nearby moor-land, which I either blend with other clays or apply to the surface of a pot as a slip. The beach aggregate I use is a coarse black sand from the coast behind the studio, where I also collect seaweed.” Adam Buick
Abereiddi Medium Moon Jar II, 2016 porcelain with Abereiddi stone inclusions H27 x W23 cms £850
Small Moon Jars, 2016 clay, pigment and glaze H15 x W15 cms £280 each
Adam Buick’s studio in Llanferran, North Wales
Small Moon Jar, 2016 clay, pigment and glaze H15 x W15 cms £280
Miniature Moon Jars, 2016 clay, pigment and glaze H9 x W9 cms ÂŁ95 each
Miniature Moon Jars, 2016 clay, pigment and glaze H9 x W9 cms ÂŁ95 each
ADAM BUICK EDUCATION: 2004-2006 2002-2003 1998-2001
Crafts Council of Ireland Ceramics Design and Skills Course West Wales School of Art, Carmarthen BA (joint hons.) Archaeology and Anthropology, Lampeter University
COLLECTIONS: 2015 2014 2013 2012
Crafts Council UK Chatsworth House Oriental Museum, Durham National Museum Cardiff
Jerwood Maker Open Ceramic Review Award Arts Council of Wales research grant Invited Professional Member of the Craft Potters Association Arts Council of Wales project grant to exhibit at Origin
AWARDS: 2013 2013 2011 2010 2009
Published by The Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibition INCLUSIONS - ADAM BUICK 2 - 26 November 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this catalogue may be reproduced in any form by print, photocopy or by any other means, without the permission of the copyright holders and of the publishers.