Natalie Ward

Elemental 2024-25

41 parts: Ceramic, wild clay, mid-fire clay, drill core pulp, and ash
50 x 567 x 7 cm (various sizes)

About the Work

In Elemental, Natalie Ward uses the waste materials and byproducts from mining and geological exploration to create ceramic vases. The pieces in the installation are glazed using excess pulverised drill core extracted during geological exploration by local company Sunshine Metals. Each vase is glazed with a sequential metred sample, with the variation in colour and tone reflective of the differing elemental composition of the rocks.

As with North Queensland’s long history with mining, so too is ceramics deeply intertwined with mining for the materials used for glazes and the sourcing of clay. This piece represents a collaboration between the arts and mining sectors, and looks at how the waste products from the latter could be used by the former, and how both practices could be conducted more sustainably.

About the Artist

Natalie Ward is an emerging ceramic artist currently residing in Townsville. Working primarily with wheel-thrown ceramics, her practice explores the intersection between functional forms and sculptural pieces.

Born in Geelong, she made the move up north in 2022 and draws inspiration from the diverse landscape of North Queensland, particularly the rocks and the earth. Natalie’s current practice explores the local region through foraged materials, wild clays, and stains to evoke this geology. In 2024, she expanded on her interest in geology as visual inspiration and channelled this into a material inspiration. With the support of RAF and RADF grants, she commenced exploring and utilising the waste product of mining and geological exploration in her ceramics.