Fiona Hiscock’s oversized ceramic vessels exist within a broader concept of functionalism, as a means to examine her interest in early colonial domestic objects such as water pitchers, basins and bowls. Taking these ideas as a starting point for her practice, her works have evolved to create their own language of decorated utilitarian objects which express her interest in native flora and fauna.
Hiscock’s works are hand-built using the coiling technique, then painted, glazed and fired. The painted images are derived from watercolour studies on paper, developed during intense periods in different landscape environments, most recently around Bundanon in NSW. Other works in this series look at the coastal banksia forests in far eastern Gippsland. Each work then considers the biodiversity of these environments. The result is a series of pitchers, vases, cassoulets and plates which together form an open-ended narrative of Australia’s unique biodiversity.