The rugged land and seascapes of County Kerry, Ireland, evoke a powerful sense of wildness and motion, from the untamed mountains to the crashing waves along its coast. Using clay to represent these landscapes offers a unique way to capture the organic and dynamic forces that shape the environment.

Clay, with its raw, earthy texture and pliability, mirrors the ever-changing landscape of Kerry; from the jagged cliffs of the Skellig Islands to the sweeping curves of the Dingle Peninsula, or the ever-moving tides of the Atlantic Ocean. It allows me to explore the fluidity and unpredictability of nature, translating the energy of wind, water, and rock into a tactile medium.

The tactile nature of clay also imposes the need to engage with the material intimately, using hands to shape, press, and knead the form—just as the land itself has been shaped by millennia of natural forces. This process mirrors the erosion of cliffs by wind and rain, the push and pull of the sea, and the movement of time itself.

The color palette of the clay can also serve as a reflection of Kerry’s distinctive landscapes. Dark, earthy tones might reflect the peat bogs, while lighter shades could evoke the foam of crashing waves. Textured surfaces recall the roughness of the coastal terrain, while smoother, polished finishes capture the gentler, flowing forms of the land or sea.

Clay, being a natural material, adds another layer of connection to the land it represents. Its earthy origins in the ground align with the very soil and stone of Kerry. The tactile experience of handling the clay enhances the connection to the landscape, creating a visceral representation of the natural world. In this way, it becomes a dialogue between myself and the land, expressing the wildness, motion, and timeless beauty of Kerry’s land and seascapes.