Soul of the Soil

"Soul of the Soil"

- a showcase of ceramics and drawings by Kerry Negus -

will be on view at the Serpentine Community Gallery

from the 1st to the 20th of November 2017.

You are welcome to join us for a combined opening celebration

together with Robyn Staines' solo show

"Forgotten Names"

on Friday the 3rd of November at 6pm.

The exhibition, "Soul of the Soil", is the culmination

of 4 years of work for Kerry Negus as she finishes her

Advanced Diploma of Visual arts at Lismore TAFE.

The exhibition contains both figurative ceramic sculpture

and symbolic, narrative drawings.

Kerry’s art speaks of connection and awareness of the sacred and essential relationships between ourselves and the planet.

Rather than consuming blindly, with little awareness

of where the things we use actually come from,

"Soul of the Soil" promotes a small example

of what can be created when

we listen to and respect the land around us.

Kerry creates artworks using the earth.

She collects materials from her immediate environment

and transforms these into artist’s tools.

She makes paint, pencils, brushes, charcoal, inks and glazes.

'Future Dirt'

From these materials and tools,

Kerry then creates drawings on recycled paper

and finishes her clay sculptures with glazes.

She can tell you exactly

where each element has come from.

To start with dirt and sticks,

connect with these materials

and the land where they have come from,

and then to be inspired to create artworks

is an elemental part of Kerry's process.

Her work is a collaboration with the earth.

'Possum'

Kerry's process diary, and samples of her tools, colours and glaze tests

'Offering Bowls'

These are examples of what different raw materials create when fired to 1300 degrees Celsius.

As it is all experimental, these are not food safe but can be used as offering bowls,

or for holding your treasures ... or just to admire.

'Ancient Wisdom'

charcoal, ewingar blue rock, crofton creek pigments, driveway mud,

Evans Head purple rock, winton red soil, Mt Nardi soil, Billen dirt on recycled rag paper

'Lonely Tree'

ochre and

charcoal

on recycled rag paper

'Fungi'

crofton coal, elderberry ink, fushite, driveway mud and crofton creek pigment on recycled rag paper

'Landing'

charcoal, crofton coal, Drake termite mound and crofton creek pigment

on recycled rag paper

'Coventina*'

Clay 1300 degrees Celsius

Glazes made from: fire pit, paper, mugwort,

acacia, mandarin leaf and incense ashes, Ewingar kaolin, rust, copper vinegar, car oil filter, Winton yellow soil, crofton caol, crofton creek pigment, Ewingar blue rock, fushite and glass.

Gold leaf

(*Coventina was a Romano-British goddess of wells and springs, and represented abundance, inspiration and prophecy.)

'Nantosuelta*'

Paper porcelain 1300 degrees celsius

Glazes made from: Mugwort ash, paper ash and ewingar blue rock.

Gold leaf & Horse hair

(*In Celtic mythology, Nantosuelta is the goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertility.)

'Cracks'

crofton creek pigment and charcoal

on recycled rag paper

'Rose Eye'

charcoal, ewingar kaolin, crofton creek pigment

and bar mt dirt on recycled rag paper

'Orangutan Memoir'

charcoal, crofton coal, ewingar kaolin, crofton creek pigment and coffee

on recycled rag paper

'Eye See'

clay 1300 degrees C

Glazes made from: paper ash, sump oil, ewingar kaolin, rust and glass

'Inner Dreams'

clay 1300 degrees C

Glazes made from: paper ash, acacia ash, ewingar blue rock, ewingar kaolin (white & ochre) and rust

'Unfurling'

clay 1300 degrees C

Glazes made from: paper ash, car oil filter, copper vinegar and glass.

Gold leaf

'Wise Ones'

charcoal, crofton coal, crofton creek pigment, fushite, ewingar kaolin, winton red and yellow soils,

and driveway mud on recycled rag paper

'Skull'

crofton coal and crofton creek pigment

on recycled rag paper

'Sleeping Sun Bear'

charcoal, driveway mud, crofton coal and

waterfall creek pigment on recycled rag paper

'Ponderings'

clay 1300 degrees Celsius

Glazes made from: paper ash, fire pit ash and glass

Horse hair & Galah feather

'Grounded'

clay 1300 degrees C, iron oxide glaze

untitled

'Moonweb'

ochre, dirt, malachite, fushite and charcoal

on recycled rag paper

'Storm Owl'

charcoal, ochre, dirt, fushite and elderberry ink

on recycled rag paper

'Self Portrait with Friend'

dirt and ochre

on recycled rag paper

'Adam'

clay 1300 degrees celsius

Glazes made from: fire pit, rubbish

pit and mulberry mold ashes, Crofon

coal, car oil filter, drake white dirt,

driveway mud, crystal hill mud, rust,

Drake termite mound rock.

Home produced and spun silk.

'Eve'

clay 1300 degrees celsius

Glazes made from: fire pit

and mulberry mold ashes

Glass, sticks, snakeskin

and feathers

Home produced and spun,

natural-dyed silk.

The opening celebration

Art-lovers of the Northern Rivers gather, and are welcomed to the gallery

by Serpentine management committee president Fiona McConnachie.

"Soul of Soil" exhibition opening speech by Steven Giese.

A little time to appreciate the art, to chat with the exhibiting artists and fellow art-lovers,

to enjoy the musical background provided by violinist Isaac Vincent and to purchase a favourite artwork or two.

For more about Kerry and her art

click on the image below.