This is one of our continuing series of Nelson/Tasman regions’ leading ceramic artists’ survey exhibitions. Darryl is regarded as an expert in anagama firing in Australasia. This exhibition marks his 100th anagama kiln firing (in his big anagama kiln).

Darryl’s work can be understood and appreciated for its sheer physicality – clay dug from the earth, pushed out of an extruder, torn and bent into forms that test the limits of the material. That they survive the firing is a miracle made possible through Darryl’s will, experience, and ingenuity. Darryl’s fingerprints are etched into the surface of each piece, fused with the clay as he has wrestled it into existence, along with the literal blood, sweat, and tears he has shed in their creation. Using his body to make, and make a living, or over 30 years he has, at times, pushed his physical and mental health to the point of destruction, but the joy has always outweighed the pain. Anyone who spends any time with Darryl in conversation about his work will hear that phrase often – “to the point of destruction”.

It encompasses his ethos when it comes to clay – he wants to push its boundaries, take it to the edge of function and beauty, and keep it there on the precipice. The resulting work is raw and emotional – refinement is not a virtue he pursues – he wants the clay embody the landscape from which it was born. The scale, shape, and energy of his work suggest the emotions Darryl explores with each piece – he feels and thinks very deeply about these very physical objects.

Watch Darryll Frost firing in his anagama kiln here.