OUR SCULPTORS

Dani Salvo

Clay has been at the centre of my creative life for many years, and I still get a thrill from what can happen when an idea, a lump of clay and a little patience come together.

I am drawn to the raw, tactile nature of ceramics and to the endless possibilities that exist within the material. I love the process of making — building, carving, drawing, layering and leaving traces of the hand behind. For me, the most interesting work is not necessarily perfect. It has a sense of itself; it carries the evidence of how it was made.

I am determined to create work that is authentic and not mass produced — pieces with character that are made to be kept, lived with and loved. Knowing that my work connects with people, and that someone seeks out a piece because it speaks to them, is one of the great privileges of being a practicing artist.

My current work is inspired by coastal walks and the landscape around me. I am fascinated by the changing light, the contrast between dark and pale surfaces, and the layers of the sea, cliffs and surrounding landscape.

I work with raw black and white clays, layering porcelain and black slip to explore colour, texture and contrast. I enjoy making marks and carving into the surface, particularly on large coil-built forms and smaller wheel-thrown pieces.

Some works feature the local Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, while others are more figurative, carrying fragments of stories, life and experience. I am interested in the way an image or mark can suggest a memory without having to explain it completely.

I love being a painter and a drawer on clay. There is a wonderful freedom in treating the ceramic surface as a canvas — drawing, scraping, carving and building up layers until the piece begins to find its own language.

Ultimately, I want my work to feel human. I want the hand of the maker to remain visible, and for each piece to hold something of the time, thought and touch that went into making it.

There is something magical about the final stage — the moment when clay, surface, fire and chance come together. Opening the kiln and discovering what has happened is still one of the great joys of making.

And that never gets old.

Dani Salvo

Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts — Ceramics Major

Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education