The Negative Space

I have worked on the series I refer to as my 'Form Finding' pieces for some time now, the first one back in August 2013 (an explanation by clicking on 'Form Finding' under Series/Themes on the right of the page), and have, over time, become increasingly conscious of the negative space I create during the process of making. Some of these negative spaces that come about have not been fully to my satisfaction, sometimes being unsettlingly wide or deep, or uncomfortably tight, too narrow.
I feel, therefore, that there is still much work to do. I want to understand this negative space better and hope to achieve that by finding ways of exploring it.

The negative space informs the positive space - by 'positive space' I mean the positive form, the clay form, the clay substance.
My awareness of the negative space (I'm not very fond on this term 'negative' so will need to find an alternative in due course ...) has been somewhat haphazard to date, the outcome around 70% conscious, 30% coincidental. 
Increasing my focus on this negative space should deepen my consciousness of it and therefore, I think, not only improve that negative space but, because the negative informs the positive space, should bring about a different dynamic in the overall sculpture.  

Below are some images of two pieces I have been working on recently. The first a very simple one - I shall explain the reasons for this simplicity in the next post - and the second with a slightly more complex positive/negative dynamic.

I 

II