Ceramicist Virginia Leonard Speaks Through the Language of Clay

Committed to showcasing works of scale and significance, Melbourne Art Fair spoke with ceramics artist Virginia Leonard about her process, the language of clay and communicating her life with chronic pain through her art. At the Fair this February, Martin Browne Contemporary (Gadigal Country/Sydney) will showcase a series of works by the artist alongside works by painters Ildiko Kovacs and Bronte Leighton-Dore.

You have previously spoken about your work as a form of self-portraiture and your shift from abstract painting to working with clay in 2013 was driven by the need to give a voice to physical trauma. How has this transition impacted your creative process, and what unique qualities does clay offer in conveying your personal narrative?

I was in a serious road accident when I was 20. This accident has ruled my life, especially as I get older. When I was a painter, I did my master’s degree and researched Frida Kahlo and her continued dialogue to her broken body and chronic pain. But it wasn’t until I picked up a bag of clay that I understood how to translate my chronic pain and broken body into the work. Clay is visceral and temperamental; it breaks and sometimes explodes in the kiln. I could mold the clay and push it to look broken and wobbly, sharp, and pointy, ugly, and scarred and the conversation about my body naturally entered the work. As my body is getting worse the work evolves alongside. I use the language of chronic pain and bodily scarring to counter what is going on with my body. The work is often adorned with gold lustres and sometimes can look quite beautiful. I am naturally a very optimistic person, so the work reflects that.

Virginia Leonard, Legs and Lovers II, 2023, clay, lustre, resin, 61 x 34 cm.

As you physically engage with materials like clay and resin, how does your ongoing experience with chronic pain influence your process of sculpting and moulding? Are there specific challenges or adaptations you’ve made to accommodate your physical condition in the act of creation?

I should behave better in my studio…as I write this, I have just gotten back from sitting on my stool for three hours, I forgot to get up and stretch, move around, anything, so by the time I stand up my legs have stiffened up and it takes me a while to be able to walk again. So basically, I ignore my body as much as possible when I am working. I feel happy that I get to go to work every day and do something very physical, for that time I get to ignore the pain and work hard-out. It’s purposeful and intense to work like I do, and I love it. Bugger the repercussions later in the day. I go to the studio knowing that I am well, I work hard, and I get the work done, I consider myself to be a well person. At nighttime I pay the price, but it’s worth it every time.

Could you provide insights into the firing process of your works and the deliberate choices made in this aspect of your art? How does this firing process contribute to the overall meaning and aesthetic impact of your pieces?

I am a haphazard worker, having trained as a painter not as a ceramicist. I taught myself how to coil and fire work watching YouTube videos. I do love that I don’t know what I am going to get when I open the kiln door, I value ‘not knowing’, it doesn’t get boring or repetitive. I will take the temperature of the kiln up higher than the clay likes, so I melt part of the work, it often creates collapsed works which have slumped to the side and creates big cracks in the work. These are the bits that I respond too, the broken bits, the mistakes, that’s where the gems are. That’s where my scarred body is.

Virginia Leonard, Fi Fi, 2023, clay, lustre, resin, water pump, PVC piping, fiberglass, steel, concrete, sand, water, 175 x 110 cm.

The work you are developing for Melbourne Art Fair is one of your most ambitious projects to date. Can you offer a glimpse into the themes it explores and how it relates to your broader body of work?

I have made a fountain…I can’t tell you how hard it is to work with water, it finds the easiest way to escape and never where you want it to go; it misbehaves! It’s been a challenge, but I got there in the end and now I’m obsessed! I can’t wait to share all the conversations my work has with water.

Explore and collect Virginia Leonard’s works at Melbourne Art Fair, 22-25 February 2024 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Click here to secure tickets.