Each MNO piece is handmade, start to finish. Hand-built, hand-thrown and hand-glazed by the artist, no two are the same.
A serial tinkerer with a wide DIY streak, Darren is obsessed with glaze experimentation, pioneering thousands of techniques and finishes. Along with imported minerals, MNO has used local potash, silica, shale and granite in his vast repertoire of glaze recipes. No purist, he also plays with non-traditional surface treatments like silicone, spray paint and metal. HIs work includes the Whimsical line and the Japonesque line.
ARTIST STATEMENT
With a trained eye for traditional vessel forms, I am attracted to the Zen Buddhist philosophy of wabi-sabi, which sees beauty in imperfection. I like things that are unique, authentic and irregular. I love tinkering with familiar shapes and reconfiguring them into contemporary forms. Fascinated by how we relate to the outer surface of a vessel, yet drawn into the interior, my work has also expanded to abstract forms, which imbue nature’s essence, with little reference to known vessels.
