Inspired Alchemy

GEORGINA COBURN examines the extraordinary work of Glenferness-based artist Daniel Kavanagh

ESTABLISHING a reputation for fine craftsmanship and inspired contemporary design, Daniel Kavanagh’s unique work in earthenware ceramics and limited edition bronze represents an exploration of nature and aesthetics. Understanding of form is a particular strength in Kavanagh’s work and an example of the fluid relationship between contemporary Fine Art and Craft practices.

A process of constant refinement, the labour intensive skills required to produce a work in bronze define the artist’s approach to his practice as a quest for perfection. Elegance of line, high contrast of materials, colour and texture are beautifully evident in works derived from the artist’s direct experience of the landscape.

The strength and delicacy of many of his pieces celebrate the unique qualities of the environment around the artist’s home on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park. Light is invoked by highly polished surfaces and the interplay of porous clay and hard metal. The combination of both bronze and ceramic in select pieces is unusual and part of the artist’s constant evolution of new forms and techniques. A member of Visual Arts Scotland and the Scottish Potters Association, Kavanagh has exhibited widely in the UK and in New York.

A foundation of study in 3D Design Ceramics at Loughborough College of Art & Design and three years work at Pangolin Editions (the UK’s leading foundry in Chalford, Gloustershire) have developed the artist’s technical skills. A further six years foundry experience and years of active experimentation in the studio have further evolved the artist’s understanding of form and technique.

Kavanagh cites his experience at Pangolin as a significant formative influence with the opportunity to work on the production of sculpture by Henry Moore, Steve Dilworth and Damien Hirst as a great source of inspiration. Working with other artists is an aspect of the foundry process which Kavanagh enjoys, currently working on commissioned pieces at Powderhall Bronze Foundry in Edinburgh.

The Pangolin ethos to “explore and expand new possibilities” is clearly evident in the Kavanagh’s attitude to his work. Innovation, craftsmanship and attention to detail are cornerstones of his practice which expand the physical process of working defects out of bronze into a creative imperative.

The integrity of each stage of the foundry process combines experience, instinct and development through hands-on work with raw materials. Bronze Chasing (the act of finishing a casting through beating, grinding and filing) brings out the original form and detail from the raw cast as the maker intended.

The ancient lost wax casting technique is one of transformation from the original sculpted clay form which will go through as series of complex and labour intensive processes before metalworking and patination can begin in the final stages. A bronze sculpture emerges from the work of many hands. Initially a master mould is created in rubber from the sculptor’s original form and then wax is painted onto the inner surface of the mould to preserve the detail.

The application of runners and risers ensure correct flow of molten metal, allowing the escape of heat and air. This is followed by “investing” the wax by covering it with layers of ceramic slip. The encased work is then kiln-fired to remove the wax and create a void into which the molten bronze can be poured. Once cooled, the finishing process can begin, repairing any casting defects, welding, buffing and polishing. Chemical colouring of the bronze through patination can also add amazing subtlety to solid form. Each stage of the craft of casting is an art in itself and crucial to realising the sculptor’s vision of the work.

When casting the artist favours silicon bronze, a hard material that enables a high degree of metalworking. A recently commissioned work, the ‘Roddy Stewart Memorial Award for Performing Arts’, reveals an entire world contained in its highly polished surface. Working collaboratively with the client, the artist distilled the idea of Infinity in abstract form, allowing the reflective metal and blue patination of the core to evoke the element of water.

‘Coire Liath Bronze’ inspired by the physical experience of walking into a corrie with the sunlight directly behind it, transforms this act of seeing into an exploration of the essential qualities of rock, stone and the delicacy of sunlight. The form itself contains this vision; drawn marks in metal, a reference to the texture of rock and stone and the circular rim of polished metal reflective of warmth and light. As a vessel and the distillation of an idea, Kavanagh’s ‘Coire Liath’ is form and function perfected.

The artist’s fascination with bronze casting is the perfect synthesis of controlled and random elements which also finds expression in works such as his ‘Cobblestone and Black’ ceramics. The pattern of separation of the white slip against the black glaze is impossible to predict, yet forms an integral part of the design. This combination of the accidental with highly refined form contributes to the unique nature of each work and the strength of the artistic statement.

The desire to produce one-offs is present in the artist’s sculptural works and in his distinct ceramic ranges through the use of crackle glazes and ongoing development of form. Kavanagh has developed his own inimitable style influenced by his travels in Asia, Japanese ceramics and ancient Roman designs. ‘Lidded Pot With Bronze Fan’ and ‘Ceramic Bowl With Bronze Spiked Legs’ are excellent examples of the interplay of different materials, colour and texture with bright contrasts of black, white and red. The sharper-edged quality and fineness of white earthenware is beautifully balanced by the opulent detail of the bronze.

‘Spiked Orb’ is a superb example of environmental inspiration and transformation of materials by nature’s elements. The highly finished bronze spikes and copper nitrate patination of the sculpture inspired by the action of wind forming icicles on rock is a signature work. The form itself is both strikingly modern and richly organic. The artist has also created earthenware versions in blue and earthy brownish green which unlike the crisp lines of the bronze, follow the undulating rhythm of sculpted clay contrasted with metallic lustre of the central pool.

Though relatively modest in scale, ‘Spiked Orb’ is an impressively strong form which could easily translate to a larger scale, taking on a different life altogether if experienced in the round. Kavanagh’s natural curiosity and skill has enormous potential to explore other sculptural materials such as granite or marble and this is an aspect of his practice that the artist is keen to develop.

The artist’s love of highly finished, polished surfaces and abstraction echo the early 20th-century sculptor Constantin Brancusi, but not simply in terms of external appearance. The “abstract” element in Kavanagh’s work is actually the “purest form of realism” in Brancusian terms. His ability to interpret the Highland landscape through ceramic and bronze is strikingly innovative and refreshing, producing work of individuality and distinction as a result.

© Georgina Coburn, 2008