Mandy Bonnett

I work mostly in oils and ceramics. I prefer to use materials that are derived from natural sources. Having studied environmental issues I've always been concerned about the ecological impact of my work and I'm increasingly using paper and found materials to try to reduce my footprint. I have been exploring collage and assemblage to this end.

My work falls into two quite distinct categories, the purely aesthetic - where I languish in the dodgy end of the fine art hierarchy with landscapes of my beloved East Anglia and still lifes of domestic objects. The second category is political where I try to convey my deep unease at the injustice to women and the cavalier attitude of mankind to the planet.

When I sculpt in clay I want to be able to feel life in the finished piece. With clay, I feel a connection to deep time and the very first artists who painted the animals of their environment or made models of them to garner success in their hunts, or to worship them - who knows? But the process of forming an animal from clay for me is an act of worship.