The Giving Trees (collection of two)

Inspired by tree trunks that have been either cut down or destroyed, this pair of vessels displays the cost that nature pays for humans, leaving only a portion of its beauty behind in a hollow form.

Both vessels are purely ceramic with no glaze inside or out, and are therefore sculptural vessels and not recommended for functional use such as holding liquid (however dried flowers are an exception). The tall vessel has small intentional holes throughout the walls of the piece from previously being exhibited with sprigs of new growth growing out of the tree stump.

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Nicola Sutcliffe is an emerging South Australian based artist working in Tarntanya (Adelaide) who creates functional and sculptural forms.

At the core of Nicola’s practice are themes of mental health, the human connection with nature, and the organic material of clay. Form and function are the foundation of her work, with tactility and material featuring in each piece. Her forms function as tactile therapy in the hope to encourage growing, learning, and mending for maker and audience alike.

Nicola’s creations are responsive works. Responsive to experiences, tactility, thoughts, emotions, and the natural world. In 2018, her final year of her undergraduate degree drew her to plants’ self-support systems, especially in times of hardship, and representations of new growth in lighter colours, smaller forms, and softer textures. Currently taking inspiration from the Fibonacci sequence, a series of mathematical numbers representing growth patterns in nature, she explores in parallel with human experience.