For almost 20 years I have been an illustrator, ceramist, painter and electronic media artist. Working in contrasting mediums helps to keep my approach fresh and I tend to alternate between working with the sensual, expressionistic qualities of clay or paint and the more cerebral, conceptual qualities of the computer. Although they are diametrically opposed in many ways, strangely they flow together and mesh suprisingly well, each enriching the other in a weird sort of unexpected synergy.

Since I first encountered it, I've been fascinated with clay. I love the way it feels and the way you can form it into allsorts of magical objects. I also love the alchemy of the kiln which transmutes base clay into treasures which can last an eternity. Clay is elemental and timeless.

There is an amazingly rich ceramic tradition throughout the world which stretches back 1000's of years and I draw deeply from the artists who came before and produced all sorts of marvellous expressive objects. Often they worked in the context of ritual, magic and religion rather than art. The sculptures or vessels they made are filled with a spiritual, timeless feeling which I strive to match in my own work. I also greatly admire the direct self confident touch of these ancient ceramists - an approach that some would describe as naive but which I believe reveals their cultural confidence and maturity as artists.

Although on the surface there may seem little to connect it to this ancient tradition, another great influence on my work is contemporary visual pop culture, especially those aspects that are considered "low brow" … things like tattoos, graffiti and comics. These art forms share the intensity and self-confidence of historical folk art and the only real difference between them is the subject matter - not the emotional feeling and expressive qualities.

They both share a direct visceral appeal to our senses which is always accompanied in the best work by an underlying appeal to our subconscious mind. This often takes the form of archetypical imagery such as skulls, entoptic patterns, human/animal hybrids, angels, devils and other supernatural beings ... imagery that is ambiguous because it's meaning varies wildly from culture to culture and across time ... but which still resonates with something deep inside us.

I love this sense of ambiguity and try to include it in my own work by using archetypical imagery and sometimes obscure symbology. This leaves it open to the viewer to experience their own meaning when they are in contact with my art ... which doesn't mean I don't have my own meanings for my work but they are often complex and ambiguous even to me as I am trying to tap into my own subconscious depths. Often it is only much later that I realise where a certain idea came from or what it means to me.

A good example are my robots, they appeared from nowhere and only later did I realise that they relate to our position in the modern world. If you look at them closely you will see they are archaic steam driven creatures out of step with modern technology, they are obsolete in this world but they struggle to continue. Despite apparently being mass produced machines ... they are all individuals, each with it's own personality, problems and worries ... no two are the same.

For me, this relates to the fact that our brains haven't changed that much in 100,000 years but in that time we have moved from living in caves to living in super complex cities. We too are obsolete in our own world but struggle to make sense of the situation and we too are individuals despite the pressure of the capitalist world to conform and become identikit mass consumers of whatever is served up to us by the corporations and by government. So paradoxically my little robots are a cry for freedom and the human condition ... each one is handmade using simple tools and comes complete with the slight imperfections of the makers hands. I could make moulds and mass produce them but then the meaning would be lost.

Human influences are one thing, but nature is also a constant teacher. Everything in nature is complex and beautiful. It abounds with amazing structures, lines, textures, patterns, colours and rhythms. You could spend many lifetimes observing nature trying to recapture a fraction of it's brilliance ... but I do try in my own small way. My vases in particular draw directly from nature. I've tried to capture the drama of the Yorkshire landscape in each one… the wildness of the windswept moors and the lashing rain over the red brick terraces of Leeds.

It's not that simple though because clay has it's own voice. As you work with it, things suggest themselves, ideas develop. This makes clay the ideal medium for those like me who wish to tap into and explore their deepest unformed thoughts and feelings. Your influences and plans are re-mixed and re-formed through it's touch and qualities. In many ways building with clay is a form of editing where new ideas present themselves directly from the way the clay is handling at that very moment in combination with your subconscious mind.

And it's great fun too!

Drew Caines.

Click above to see my gallery of images