NOT MADE FOR A CAGE, 2026

Finalist in the 2026 North Queensland Ceramic Awards.

Not Made for a Cage reflects on the courage required to live beyond inherited expectations and limiting narratives. Hand-built in midfire mahogany clay and white raku clay, the amphora form holds an intended tension between confinement and release. Within the vessel, gentle lines carved through slip suggest an interior world of reflection, understanding and forgiveness. On the exterior energetic mark-making describes a more robust relationship with the external world. Coloured slip, oxide washes, glazes and flashes of gold lustre create a richly layered surface, while two finches (with lustred beaks from speaking their truths) weave leather cord and golden thread around the cinched neck of the vessel. Their quiet, determined labour transforms this symbol of containment into one of connection, agency and possibility. Not Made For A Cage celebrates a life shaped by passion, purpose, courage and self-awareness.

31 × 17 × 18cm

Mahogany midfire clay mixed with white raku clay, oxide washes, gold lustre and leather cord