PRESERVED

Preserved is an installation of wall mounted porcelain works that present (and preserve) Australian eucalypt trees, and is presented in the beautiful heritage Ancher House Gallery. .

Tom Strachan - Artist Statement
Preserved is part of an ongoing preoccupation - in my functional work and Fine Arts practice - with the ceramic representation (and preservation) of Australian eucalypt tress. What draws me to this is not only elegant form and structure, but metaphorical and symbolic significance and context.

Recently I have been experimenting with the process of dipping botanical specimens into a paper clay slip. I love the elegant forms of eucalypt trees and wanted to develop a process of preserving the plant material in order to show the beauty and delicacy and extraordinary shapes of this flora. The nature of this process articulates the gracefulness of the plant itself. The multiple layers of clay, rather than simply reproducing the shape, simplify the detail and define the nature of the specimen. The process allows the design elements of the plant itself to be seen.

To begin this process I gather specimens of flowering eucalypt. I am quite particular about the scale of the pieces; as for the process to succeed the specimens need to be relatively compact. The pieces I collect are then cleaned and while still green, are dipped into a clay slip and then laid flat on a plastic-coated board. This process is repeated twice. The dipping process uses a clay body called Southern Ice Porcelain, which was developed by Les Blakeborough. In addition I add Long Cellulose Fibre paper to the clay mix for better adhesion and to minimise shrinkage.

The pieces are then dipped four more times over a period of a week and hung to dry. The process is delicate and time-consuming as the pieces are extremely fragile. They are then bisque fired, glazed and fired again to Cone 6 (1220 degrees Celsius) in a gas kiln. During the firing process the plant material carbonises inside the clay leaving the finished pieces hollow and as delicate as the original eucalypt specimen.

Tom Strachan
2010

Tom Strachan - Curriculum Vitae
Tom Strachan received a Bachelor of Education at Melbourne State College (1982) and completed his Post Graduate Diploma at Sydney College of the Arts (1985).

Working from his own studio in Albury in southern New South Wales (and previously from a studio in Newtown, Sydney) Tom Strachan’s ceramics involve the processes of slip casting, press moulding and hand building, with a particular focus on colour and design. His works are usually functional; however the current innovation in his work is to preserve botanical specimens within a paper clay porcelain slip.

Since 1987 Tom Strachan has held numerous solo shows, both regionally and nationally, including Albury (annually), Melbourne, Sydney and Alice Springs. His works are in national and international collections in Ireland, the United States, Japan, Spain and Europe. Many group exhibitions in Albury, Wodonga, Wagga, Shepparton, Melbourne and Sydney have also featured Strachan’s ceramics. His works have been profiled in The Age and The Australian newspapers and Crafts Arts International.

Commissions include working as Project Artist Outhouse to Arthouse, at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (1995) - a Community Art Project funded by the NSW Ministry for the Arts; and as Artist in Residence at Myrtleford Secondary College on the Artists in Schools Program (1996. He has also received a 1997 grant from Festivals Australia to work within his own local community.

Tom Strachan has retailed his work from various outlets, including the Jam Factory, Australian Trends and Gallery Handmade in Melbourne and the Albury Regional Gallery. Tom Strachan currently works as a ceramics tutor at Riverina Institute of TAFE, Albury Campus. His previous professional experience includes working within the NSW and Victorian Education Departments as teacher for ten years, as well as working within various Adult Education Programs.