Artist of the Week

Artist: Shivashtie Poonwassie
Artform: Artist

What do you do and what are your main focuses?
I create; sculptures, paintings, drawings, objects, vessels, photographs, mostly without intention or purpose and sometimes with, albeit rarely. I have no main focus but consistently return to heads. Heads are where our reality is created and sustained and although I stray into other areas ‘Heads' are the one thing that have returned again and again. Texture, colour, form, truth to materials and a process which is heavily intuitive also figure repeatedly in my work. I consider myself a contemporary artist - I don’t know why, maybe because I work intuitively and in abstract ways allowing a piece to find it’s own path and develop it’s own personality rather than following a predetermined message or purpose - is that contemporary I don’t know?

​​Where have you studied?
Chronologically: I gained a B.Sc (Hons) Psychology from Hull University, a PG.Dip in Personnel Management at Slough College, then an M.Sc in Occupational Psychology at University of Hertfordshire. After having children and whilst they were still young I studied Art & Design at Uxbridge College, followed by a degree in Ceramics & Glass at Buckinghamshire New University. Subsequently I qualified as an NLP Master Practitioner and Hypnotherapist. Throughout my life I have studied people, nature and my environment; I notice how light changes both externally and internally, how colours change, how sounds exist and change, how people/things move and interact, how shadows appear and disappear and much more…looking/thinking/questioning is an integral part of being an artist and is beyond any level of study.

Please tell us a bit about your piece 'unfinished'.
I have chosen an unfinished series of work as an example of what I do, primarily because it a reflection of my current work.

They are a series of three ceramic heads, abstract, faceless, with no surface decoration apart from holes (which can be argued to be an absence of surface). The heads’ abstract nature allows them to become whatever you want them to be - female/male, old/young, complex/simple… It is up to the viewer to create an identity, this process initiates a relationship with the piece which becomes more intricate and more complex - it forces the viewer to become more involved. What are the holes for? Why are they there? and so on - it is not as straightforward as the simple form implies.

'Unfinished' - A new series of work, 2018

Each head is linked from the very start of the process, being made in the same manner, using the same material, being fired in the kiln  and yet at the same time the process enhances the differences between them including the holes (how many holes, their positions, whether they go all the way through, what you can see inside and so on) - did they all come from the same bag of clay? Did the clay come from the same place? Are they all the same thickness? As they couldn’t all be in the same position in the kiln they were exposed to different heat-work in terms of directness and distribution so from the very beginning each is similar yet different.

'Unfinished' - A new series of work, 2018

Why are they unfinished? For me it takes time to make the decisions about how they are finished, what do I want to achieve? What are they saying to me? Each has acquired it’s own presence already and it is important to me to heed this.

Metaphor features a lot in my work and the complexity and number of  levels of metaphor is met through the making process and then left to the viewer to discover. How the viewer interacts with the form/art/object and how an understanding is reached relies on how much information I provide and how invested the viewer is in wanting to understand them. Having said that, I am a reluctant provider of information in terms of intended meaning because I want people to interact with a piece at their own level. Much of our understanding of art is directed and I completely understand that in some cases this is necessary but it has become an expectation from both creators and audience alike. This, for me, restricts the endless possibilities of understanding that come with the freedom of deciding for yourself -  a possible thesis - how explanation and narrative affect levels of understanding and the relationship between a piece and onlooker/observer/listener. Discuss.

Perspective VI (Brick) 2008

Why do you create?
​What a question! To create is something that fulfils a part of me - I have no great message to give to the world. I have my own observations and feelings which become manifest in some way in my work. It is an expression of self where the process encompasses everything from thinking to making. It is fulfilling, critical, joyous, tiring, it stretches me both mentally and physically it is all these things and more…

​​Who are you influenced by?
​I am influenced by my environment, my thoughts and feelings. I observe. I tend not to follow individuals or genres and am not a frequent visitor of galleries or exhibitions. I use my intuition and feelings, I find this gives me a freedom in the creative process which allows me to take paths that others may not. It also allows me to relate to my work or the process in a more intimate way, it is more direct, less tainted by outside influences and more sinuous with me.

​It is impossible to accurately express what my work is about as sometimes I do not know myself and sometimes when I think I know - I find that later - days/months/years later - my understanding of a piece changes. For me this is natural, time changes you and your relationship with much around you.

Whispering (Photo) 2017

Heart. Vessel I (Bone China) 2017

Mask (Raku Obvara)

​What is the most exciting thing you have done to date?
The most interesting is realising that I enjoy what I do, that I am not in competition with anyone else and that I have the freedom to create what I want. I have found that many artists or creators find themselves stressed in today’s competitive world striving for something but when you decide to stop dancing to everyone else’s tune or criteria and make your own it is both refreshing and freeing.

What are you future ambitions?
To remain faithful to who I am and have integrity in all my work.
​
Why do you like contemporary art and why do you think contemporary art is important?
Contemporary art is a multitude of voices all expressing themselves in different ways - I like that! It means you can find something that appeals to you, something that resonates with how you are feeling, your understanding of things, a confirmation that you are not the only one who feels a particular way about something. At the same time contemporary art challenges you, your way of thinking, doing, seeing. You can engage with contemporary art at whatever level you please, from concept and thinking critically to enjoying the use of materials, colour, form and its aesthetic. Contemporary art is a messenger, it is important for freedom of expression and its ability to communicate with many people. Contemporary art raises questions and in so doing raises a consciousness and an awareness of what is around you - and in a society that is fashioned and influenced by large companies and institutions driven by money and other motivations it is a way of seeing, being and speaking differently.

Head (Ceramic) 2016

What motivates you?
Something inside me, which I cannot name, is my motivator. If I did not have the capacity to create I have no idea how I would fare. I like to think that I would find some way to be creative either physically or mentally. 

What challenges have you set for yourself?
To update my website! ​

What is more important, talent or hard work?
​Talent is something we all have, it is the ability to be consistent and persevere, know what you want, absorb, practise and be present. There is nobody on this earth who has become successful without working consistently towards something - the people you consider talented are the ones that didn’t give up. There is no gene for talent. We can all achieve, you simply have to be determined, hone your skills over time and be patience. Be kind to yourself and open your mind.

​Have you ever failed at something and what happened as a result? What advice would you give to people as a result of that experience?
​I don’t believe in failure as a concept - everything that happens is valuable. You learn something from everything - even if it is that you would not do it again, or that you are not ready for something, or that you have to do more practise, or learn a different way, or that you are not going to let others decide for you etc. My personal opinion is that if you believe you learn from everything you do, you can only move forward. It is a very constructive way of seeing the world and your place in it. It is a forgiving notion and allows you to follow paths and gain from them, it allows you to free yourself from constraints, whatever form they may take. My advice would be to be nice to yourself, to allow yourself the freedom to learn from things that happen and if you can do that your world will change. Believe in yourself and realise that your approach is truly unique, others may not understand what you do or your intentions and it is YOUR decision how you deal with that. Realising that each of us understands the world in our own way because of our experiences and knowledge allows you an objective perspective, which in turn frees you from  expectation.

Do you have a favourite medium to create with?
​I have no favourite medium, each material has it’s own properties which offers something that others may not. It is the skill of the maker to use them to their true potential and as appropriate to whatever the subject calls for. When you create you are essentially experimenting  to find the best way of expressing yourself; this exploration reveals the potential of a material(s) as you find elements that may or may not work, each of these elements increases your knowledge about that material/ technique  and can be added to your dictionary/palette/repertoire - things that perhaps may not be useful now are discovered for future use. This applies universally whether composing, sculpting, choreographing, painting and so on.

To contact Shivashtie and hear more about her work, email: Shivashtie@btinternet.com

or visit: http://www.shivashtie-art.co.uk/

Mask (Ceramic) 2016