Carys Davies

Artist's statement

"I throw pots on the wheel in porcelain. I like them to show the marks of their making – whorls and swirls, as well as my 'maker's mark', which for me is a reminder of Conwy Castle, where I grew up. I like the imperfections, they make me want to look closer and touch the pots, feel their glassy coolness, and hope that they encourage others to touch as well.

I write on the pots, scratching in the words by hand, then filling the dents with oxides which bleed into the glaze, making the words tactile too: words as objects. The words are chosen to reclaim the power of poetry – to add layers of resonance by using neglected or new words that open people up, send them back to the rest of the poem. I like the idea of people reading out the words – reclaiming the sense of the spoken word as handling pots reclaims the sense of touch.

I grew up by the sea, and love it, both literally and in literature. My 'sea-change' range is inspired by Ariel's song 'Full fathom five' in the Tempest. Many of Shakespeare's characters 'suffer a sea-change' – Viola, Hamlet – and come back renewed.

I've expanded this thought in 'On the Horizon' – initially shown at the Welsh Eisteddfod as 'Ar godre'r awyr'. Using words from the shipping forecast as well as poetry, I hope to invoke the feeling of looking out to that misty joining of sea and sky. "