The history of children’s literature is underscored by the many dark undertones hidden beneath the innocent facade of familiar bedside stories. Early tellings of stories by authors such as the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson feature disturbing themes, moral cautions and grisly deaths occasionally culminating in unhappy endings. Passed down through generations, we have become accustomed to thinking of fairy tales as wholesome enjoyment and light reading for young children. The vibrant illustrations and colourful imagery in contemporary interpretations further distract from the real meanings behind these stories. My work utilises these elements to look at contemporary themes. Told from the perspective of an anthropomorphic fox, this story looks at the concepts of depression, loneliness and isolation. Combining hand illustrated ceramics, installation and an accompanying artist book, the viewer is taken on a journey over the course of a single day in the life of the fox and a group of other animals. This story echoes the dark undertones and hidden meanings that were prevalent in classic fairy tales and ponders the question: do the characters in these stories always live happily ever after?My ceramic practice involves working with narrative in an illustrative style. Illustration is a big part of my identity as an artist and I find clay the most interesting material to work with in this way. I use bisque fired porcelain as a canvas and underglaze as paint to communicate visual narratives through my work. The purity of the snow white porcelain accentuates the vibrancy of the colours allowing me to achieve the qualities of a finished painting. Ever since first discovering the concept of being able to draw and paint onto clay, I haven't been able to stop. I love the tangibility of the clay and how it enables me to form and determine the shape of my canvas that the illustrations will lay upon. . Using illustration skills, I hand paint and sketch on to 3D ceramic surfaces to create one of a kind, whimsical ceramic objects that I assemble together as a form of visual storytelling. I experiment with book art to make artists books to accompany my ceramic displays and assist in communicating the narrative. My work takes inspiration from nostalgia and illustrated children's books.
