"We all stem from pattern, it hums within us even on a cellular level; that perfect symmetry blows my mind. I often look at seeds under a microscope, or leaves or insects or flowers. Nature is constantly creating patterns it has this mind-bending intelligence," says artist Caitlin Moloney.
She sees the world in pattern and colour and through her interaction with the natural world finds inspiration for her intricately decorated clay vessels, giant sculptural beads and ceramic jewellery.
“The other day I was walking and noticed a flame tree against the clear blue sky and I wondered how I could combine that vermilion flower into my work. I also find inspiration in the colours and patterns of birds and insects.”
Caitlin’s latest collaboration with Dutch-born, veteran ceramic artist Anneke Borren who was recently awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit has seen her decorate a selection of Anneke’s striking ceramic forms in a clay slurry tinted with intense cobalt blues, cadmium yellows and graphic black and white.
Each pot takes up to two weeks to paint, with intricate geometric motifs echoing the marks of myriad cultures, subliminally resonating with Caitlin.
“People often say to me, my work looks like it comes from somewhere it was a question posed so often, I had my DNA tested, as I felt this pattern had been with me forever, it was so authentic to my creative impulse, and yet I didn’t want to be misleading or insensitive to the cultural stories of others.”
Turns out Australian-born Caitlin has Celtic, Iberian and Northern and Western European ancestry.
“I am so curious to research my ancestry more and continue learning how where I’m from influences my work. Inevitably, we are shaped by our environment the land, the cultural stories we live alongside. I have a responsibility to hear my own story within all that.”
She can also see how her childhood in Brisbane has influenced her work specifically, her exposure to a range of cultures.
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Advertise with NZME.“I grew up in West End, an inner suburb of Brisbane, before it became gentrified. It was very multicultural, very poor and full of immigrants Lebanese, Greek, Italian, Vietnamese. I remember walking to town and looking at all the houses on the way, and I’d try to guess what culture lived in each house. I noticed the symbology in each environment was different. When I look back, I can see I’ve been interested in anthropology from a young age.”
Her father was also involved in various Aboriginal communities and she grew up in a home surrounded by Aboriginal artefacts and stories.
This exposure, says Caitlin, provided insight into the importance and beauty of our connection to the land.
Mark-making is also an important part of Caitlin’s artistic practice.
“I’m very aware of the marks I make and how precious this process is humans have made marks forever it’s deeply rooted in all cultures.”
Caitlin’s process often begins with sketches of shapes and patterns she will eventually form into clay.
“I have books of work that need to be made,” some of which wait until she has mastered the process by which she can turn the idea into reality.
A vital part of her success comes from learning from, and collaborating with, other artists many of whom, including Anneke, she has met at the mecca of New Zealand pottery: Driving Creek Pottery.
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Advertise with NZME.It was here Caitlin honed her craft 18 years ago when she arrived from Australia on a work exchange programme.
“Before moving to New Zealand I was in survival mode. Sensitivity shattered me as a kid. When I found clay, it was like a rhythm that cooled the parts of me that were traumatised… the way society is structured is not ideal for creatives; we need quiet and space, and often artistic ventures can be seen as indulgent that can be really demoralising if you are trying to make a living from art. I’ve had to fight to protect my creativity and luckily I have had support from my family that feels like a privilege."
“Driving Creek is the ceramics pilgrimage of New Zealand; (the late) Barry Brickell, who created the studio, really grounded studio ceramics in New Zealand.”
Caitlin, who had already caught the clay bug, couldn’t stay away and eventually became a gallery assistant, then pottery manager, but when Covid hit, she happily left the centre, and began focusing on her own studio practice.
“I never imagined I’d be making giant necklaces,” she says of her recent work that has seen her create supersized sculptural ceramic beads, decorated with mesmerising patterns, designed to drape on walls.
Caitlin plans to make more of these larger sculptural works and would love to see them displayed in public areas where they have the space to sing, like her 2018-2021 installation, She is Regal, in the foyer of the Kami offices in Parnell, where her giant red and black patterned beads hang poetically on a white-painted brick wall, casting moody shadows.
Public art has always appealed to the artist, who has been involved in street art mural-making programmes, such as Boon Street Art in Hamilton and the Graffiato Street Art Festival in Taupō.
“It’s liberating to work in a grassroots street environment where people are walking by watching you create. It’s such an inclusive and immediate artistic environment. The giant heart I painted in Hamilton still makes so many people happy I still receive lovely messages.”
The hustle of the streets is a stark contrast to where Caitlin feels most content that’s in her Coromandel studio, next to the home she built with her husband, Matt, a sound engineer who also has a studio on the property.
“Building the house felt like making one giant sculpture,” she says of the home that has a generous veranda overlooking the bush. The quiet safety of her environment, she says, is key to her creativity.
“This place has nurtured me,” she says of her community and home.
Caitlin’s Coromandel
For coffee and great food: You can't go past Wharf Road Cafe, which is open seven days for all-day breakfast and lunch. On the menu is Cilbir eggs a Turkish-style breakfast with poached eggs in whipped yoghurt with hot chilli butter and sourdough; homemade waffles; and butternut and chevre galette. Coffee is Allpress, and there's a wine and beer list with some great local drops too.
For an art fix: The Coromandel Open Studio Arts Tour takes place the first two weekends of October and is a great way to get up close and personal with over 30 local artists in the area (including Caitlin). Start the journey from the Arts Tour Exhibition centre at the Hauraki House Gallery in Coromandel where you can pick up a guide with detailed information about the tour and the participating artists. Don't miss screen-printing artist Pete Sephton, painter Barbara von Seida, glass artist Kim Brett, and many more.
For a swim: Whangapoua on the east side of the peninsula is a beautiful white-sand beach stretching 1.5km and is the starting point for the walk to another great beach, New Chums (Wainuiototo Bay), which attracts visitors from all over for its striking blue waters and pohutukawa-covered shoreline. Just down the road from Coromandel town is Oamaru Bay, which is lovely at high tide and has a pontoon for jumping off.
For a walk: Coromandel is full of great walks and hiking trails. The Kauri Bush Walk at Long Bay is an easy one-hour-return walk that takes you past lush native bush, a 1200-year-old kauri tree and up above Tucks Bay for sea views.
For a fun activity: Head to Driving Creek for an unforgettable train ride through native bush, which winds its way up the hill, over bridges and through tunnels, past intricate pottery works to a summit with unsurpassed views out over the peninsula. Afterwards, check out local ceramics at the revered Driving Creek Pottery.
