Scott Elk
Glimpsing Stars Through Clouds, 2022.
Stoneware ceramic, gold lustre
16cm x 20cm approx.

This small artwork I wanted to try using underglaze pencils on clay in much the same way I use charcoal on paper when drawing. This was drawn from a life drawing session with a model. The gold lustre addition came after the first bisque firing, and second clear glaze fire, and inspired the text below, providing a narrative, helping to complete the artwork.

Sometimes when I get depressed, I can have these moments of clarity where it feels like glimpsing the stars through the clouds. It’s this sense of witnessing a way forward, but tinged with sadness, and futility, because the stars are so far away. It’s the realisation of how deep in the dark clouds you are, and how unattainable a dream can be. Only through hard work and perseverance can you make these dream-like visions a tangible reality, and talking to people about these ideas makes you sound delusional, because after all, you are this black scribble of dark cloud heavy on earth, thousands of kilometres away from the brightest star. It’s the melancholic dreamer looking to Saturn riddled with black bile. You know this story. 

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