Andrew Yohn

In my practice, I am forever a student. The clay moulds me as I mould it. From where in myself I have denied my voice, the work I create authors words unsaid. I wish to orchestrate beauty, tangibility, and material, creating works that are for use in the home: humanitarian, utilitarian, and visually pleasing, assisting in everyday life in a handsome manner.  

I create meticulous, functional porcelain. The forms reference organic figures, cinched, tethered, and akin to mankind, a connection to humanity. The freshly gessoed canvas the porcelain provides, is matched accordingly with the use of colorants. Within the expanse of white resides organized shaped blue gems that weep, like rust referencing time and emotion, beneath the stress of the clear gloss glaze above. This is then met by a separation, found in the opposition of colour and texture as the pieces metaphorically rest upon the centre of dissimilarly colorful abstractions of flower-like motifs; cradling a cup in their petals. The sum comes together to offer not just beauty but a rendition of consolation. Somehow in that gooey embrace and the crying of colorants, I have found sweet melancholy. 

Despite any underlying emotional motivations within the process, the objects remain bright. Working from within the boundaries and possibilities of craft, I communicate. As makers, the work we create frequently takes hold of closely held thoughts and emotions and gives them shape. In this case, the work is acting as both a confession and catharsis. And, it is an offering.  

I create this offering as a testament to my peers and myself, in a time of societal and generational division. I make from within a self-imposed obligation to avoid the ingenuine and elevate conversations that will engage empathy and thought and do so from the intimacy found in the palm of one’s hand. 

In consequence, “Accompaniment” is an essential ambition I have for the cups, bowls and pitchers I design and fabricate. Despite their emotional levity, these wares inspire optimism and encouragement. I see my work as capable not only of standing in complement to one another, but entering the home space, and becoming an accompaniment for their owner and their everyday life. My work is intended to communicate consolation, acting as a comfort in the face of difficulty or joy in celebration. As it would be my honour to be a part of someone’s uplifting surrounding.