“Story Pots” is a series of hand built and wheel thrown ceramic vessels that create narratives exploring family mythologies, personal stories, memory, relationships, and identity.
The pots have a classical form with a naïve, rebellious, contemporary folk-art twist. My designs are mostly improvisational, but I keep coming back to a visual vocabulary that is heavily influenced by surf culture, B-grade westerns, 60’s psychedelic rock posters, street art and tattoo artists. I have a lot of fun playing with the tension that comes with challenging the established classical ceramic shapes and disrupting their beauty by decorating them with raw, vibrant, contemporary imagery.
The process of layering hand painted coloured slips, mono printing and sgraffito leaves each piece highly textured and boldly decorated. However, they go beyond being merely ornamental, their function is storytelling, they invite the viewer to approach, read the pot and engage with the narrative.
Seamus Mullen is a ceramic artist living in Sydney. He is currently completing his Diploma of Ceramics at Northern Beaches TAFE. Seamus established Megafauna Studio in 2020 with fellow artists, Mandy and Tessa Mullen, where they produce contemporary ceramic art and domestic ware.
