Wednesday, November 11, 2009

By hand

Speaking of hands, this is what I’ve been using them for lately. These works are part of an exhibition coming up at Cudgegong Gallery in Gulgong. The show is called A New Look – Functional Ceramics and has been curated by Janet Mansfield. Forty ceramicists from across Australia were invited to show a piece from our current production, but also to create a second work that ‘presages a new look’, a new direction or extension of an idea for the future. And this is mine.

I've been off on a bit of a thread, which I’ve mentioned a little in earlier posts over the last year, about the idea of process and how we imbue the objects we make with our own marks and rythms. I’m enjoying stepping away from how I usually work and discovering (well actually, its more a case of re-discovering) some of these other processes/rythms/materials and ways of making. We’ll see where it takes me.


The text/images on the bowls are extracts from my sketchbook, where I hurriedly scribble and scrawl my ideas for work. This mostly consists of lots of text, lots of arrows, lots of asterix’s, and the occasional (bad) drawing – the first part of the process of making for me.

The show opens November 20th until January 25th.

15 comments:

Ceramic Vision/O.M.A. said...

Dear Mel,
your work is amazing as usual, delicate and essentially beautiful
thanks

Queen of the Tea Cosies said...

Beautiful hands, beautiful work.

Ange said...

Wish I could be home to see your show! Your work is beautiful, simple and just my style... I have to look over your blog to find a shop sign... Looking forward to coming back!

lily pottery said...

these are so amazing! love them. your work is so fabulous...love that you took little extracts from your sketch pad and shared...so inspiring! thanks!
lily

Anonymous said...

love love love those bowls... especially the bowl with the bowls drawn on it.

Mel Robson said...

aaaw thanks everyone!

reb said...

You're just so damn good at this clay stuff Mel! These little bowls are terribly fascinating- quite intellectual too, in a deconstructionist kind of way..if you know what I mean...and if I know what I mean..?

Anonymous said...

lovely mel, phew lucky with that police stop last night! hee

Mel Robson said...

i'm not sure i know what i mean Reb, so I'm glad you know what i mean...even if you don't know what you mean.

Prudence, you're a bad influence on me.

simone said...

ah love love love.... truly love.

tkceramics said...

These bowls look very clean and beautiful. Love them and I love you hand-writting too.

Rebecca Barfoot said...

I'm in love with all your work, Mel! thank you. so much skill, so delicate, so intimate. inspiring!!

Rebecca Barfoot said...

I'm in love with all your work, Mel! thank you. so much skill, so delicate, so intimate. inspiring!!

Rebecca Barfoot said...

I'm in love with all your work, Mel! thank you. so much skill, so delicate, so intimate. inspiring!!

Anonymous said...

Love your style! Simple and functional. I work with ceramic too (as hobby) and making things only by hand. You inspire me. Thanks.