Although Nola Barron has been interested in conventional pottery making, since 1967 most of her work has been sculptural in style. Many of her pieces look as if they have been carved in stone, even though she might have thrown them on a wheel, as she has done with Candlestick. Barron has said, ‘Ceramics is a fascinating field which confers great freedom to experiment, although your briefly held theories may be confounded with the next firing. Just occasionally, with a little luck, you are rewarded with a piece that pleases you, but don't for a minute think you have mastered it'. Born in Christchurch, Barron began potting in 1963. She studied at both the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts and the Technical Institute of Printmaking. She also studied painting and pottery under the renowned New Zealand potter and artist Yvonne Rust (1922-2002). Barron was a member of the Canterbury Society of Potters and exhibited regularly with The Group. She was Director of the Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery from 1977 to 1986. (Essential forms, 2003)