I am a Czechoslovakian-born artist, living and working in Australia, with a passion for clay and creating. My work is functional by nature, because I want to add beauty to our daily lives through ceramics. My main aim is to create a simple but intimate relationship between a bowl and its user. Through my art practice I want to express the human need for nourishment and fulfilment, which can be experienced gently through contact with ceramics. My bowls are sculptural pieces in themselves. They are inspired by the nature of the ocean and sky. In their simplicity, the hand-built coiled pieces, with finger marks left on the pot, symbolise the importance of every step in life we make being significant. The pots are earthenware and stoneware clay bodies, fired to 1100?C with application of oxides, stains and clear glaze. Coastal blue and green colours in the pots reflect my passion for the ocean sky. The process of creating ceramics brings me peace. It has been a central part of my life for the last eight years. Through being with clay I am learning to be in the moment and to appreciate each moment, because every stage of the process of creating a ceramic piece is a new birth. Through my study and extended research at SCA I am learning more about the whole world of ceramic art, from its ancient history to its many contemporary developments, and am learning to open my mind to new possibilities.