More play

Kenji and I were talking earlier this year about wanting to become a little more playful with our work. It’s so easy to take it all too seriously. It all becomes about meeting deadlines and rushing things through kilns, and all the other million things we have to do to keep afloat, that sometimes you can forget about the importance of just playing with a material and playing with ideas. So we decided that this year we would try to make sure we get a bit more play in there, a bit of experimentation, without it having to be FOR anything other than our own indulgence. Often this is where the best new ideas come from anyway. This Little People Project has become an outcome of that discussion.

We worry a little that we are too easily amused, as we roll about laughing at a miniature porcelain figure trapped under a slab of butter (see below), but it’s surprising the number of offshoot ideas we have had as a result of these (seemingly frivolous and immature) exercises, and the number of interesting conversations that have arisen about perception and interpretation and scale and everyday objects. This week we took them to our local supermarket. Things got a bit hairy in the dairy aisle, but after a panadol and a quick lie down he was feeling much better.

Image Transfer on Clay

I got a nice surprise in the mail yesterday! Although this book came out months ago, my copy seems to have been circling the earth for a while, but has finally landed on my doorstep. I felt a bit fancy as I flicked through its glossy pages and found my shiny little image!! (that's me on the bottom right). It’s called Image Transfer on Clay (sexy huh), and has all kinds of cool techniques for – you guessed it – transferring imagery onto clay.

Speaking of which, I’m knee deep in decals today – designing and cutting and pasting and sticking. Every now and then my dear sweet computer gets a bit tuckered out, a bit weary, and decides to kick back and take its sweet time….it’s sweet sweeeeeeeeeeet time….and it always seems to happen just after I’ve had my morning coffee and am wired and ready to go! Grrrr. It’s like a little orchestra here in my office, a soundtrack of impatience and frustration as I groan and whine, drumming my fingers on the desk, while the computer hums and huffs and puffs and creaks and beeps its way along. But I shouldn’t complain – there’s days when I feel like that too.

Human Wonderland

Kenji has just posted the latest adventures of our little people. You can check it out here.

Blue Bird Bowl

Another little experiment. While I was kiln-less and unable to fire any new work, I dragged out a few old pieces that were packed away in boxes or half finished, and played around with them - slip sliding decals, cutting and pasting, just experimenting really. I've been working with decals for a few years now, and so have quite a stash of them, lots of little snippets and leftover bits and bobs crammed and stuffed into folders and envelopes in a big disorganised mess! Sometimes I like to get all those snippets out and just play around with them to find a way to use them up. Waste not want not I always say.
(slipcast porcelain bowl with decals, 7cm x 9cm)


OOOPS!! Damn!! About 15 minutes after posting that blue bowl, the photographic backdrop it was sitting on came unstuck from the wall, slid to the ground and took my little blue bowl with it! Bummer...I liked that little piece! Oh well, something you just gotta get used to in this business! I learnt that very early on! Onwards and upwards!

All Handmade

All Handmade Gallery is a beautiful little space in Waverley, Sydney. Helen Stephens, the gallery owner, has created a lovely ambience, where the sunlight streams in through the front window onto tables and shelves lined with handmade ceramics, and sometimes painting and textiles too. There are little drawers that hold a treasure trove of tiny works, and a wonderful and ever-changing selection of objects by Australian and international ceramicists. I'm part of an exhibition of jugs by 15 Australian based makers - Pru Venables, Patsy Hely, Gerry Wedd, Kenji Uranishi, Tony Warburton, Penny Smith and Louise Boscacci, to name a few - opening there next week. The show runs from April 24th until May 22nd, and the exhibition is being opened by architect Phillip Cox at 6pm April 24th. I won't be able to make it unfortunately, but hope some of you can!
(The image is one of the little jugs I made for this show, about 10cm tall, slipcast porcelain with decals).

I'm a machine

What a day. I’m feeling a bit dazed after hours and hours of sanding and glazing jug after jug after jug after wall tile after wall tile after plate after cup!! Aaaagh!!! I enjoy most of the processes of making, but some of them can be quite tedious and you really have to be in the mood!! Because I haven’t had a kiln for a while I’ve got mountains of work that needs firing, and I’ve had 2 whole uninterrupted days in the studio to tackle it! It’s been a bit daunting (I normally work with much smaller amounts!) but I went in gung ho today, on a mission to get it all done. Down into the dungeon I went, a bucket of water, wet and dry sandpaper, hairdryer (keeps things moving!), glaze and brushes, radio national, pot of tea and a stash of snacks to keep me going.

It can be quite meditative sometimes, repeating the process over and over again, concentrating for such long periods of time, getting lost in the motions. When I finish these kinds of days it feels like I’ve been underwater and have just come up for air. I get that slightly dazed and disoriented feeling you get when you go to the movies during the day and come out of the dark enveloping cinema into the unexpected daylight. Anyway, big firing tomorrow and I’m excited because I’ve gone from a micro-kiln shared between 3 people, to a huge spaceship all to myself. I can fire so much work ALL IN ONE GO!!! Seems like such a luxury! Makes me a bit nervous too…so much in one kiln. Fingers crossed all goes to plan….

Pins and Stitches

Two exhibitions, Object and Action: the mantra of the stitch and 50 Brooches have just opened at Craft QLD (on until 1st week of May). Loani Lee’s textile work (below) is just incredible – that woman has some serious patience – and the brooch show is full of beautiful and witty little creations by some very talented Australian jewellers. One of these talented folk is Anna Davern (aka the Davernator) who’s Lizzie and Phillip brooches (above) were the highlight of the show for me!

And while I’m on the topic of exhibitions, just a little reminder to anyone in Brisbane that the 20/20 exhibition opening is this Thursday night at the Museum of Brisbane from 6pm. Hope to see some of you there!

Tweet tweedly tweet

Is it any wonder I’m experimenting with colour lately when these little fellas chirp away in the tree outside my window all day? There’s a whole gang of them that flit around. I’ve named them Mike, Carol, Marcia, Greg, Jan… I’m a big fan of the Brady Bunch. Actually someone told me I looked like Carol Brady over the weekend. I wasn’t quite sure how to take that. My hair is very Carol Brady right now though I will admit. Hmmm…I’ve had too many coffees this morning. How did this bird and my hairstyle end up in the same post? Time to go do something else.

Learning to Drive

Well my kilns are finally connected and up and running after what seems like a never-ending series of mishaps and mix-ups. But it was worth the wait! They are little rippers!! I’m still finding my way around them, but so far so good. They fire fast….real fast…but being the impatient bunny that I am I think I’m ok about that! And even better….they cool fast! Now THAT’S what I like in a kiln! Anything to reduce the hours of waiting and nail biting! I feel like I’m learning to drive all over again (and anyone who was around when that happened might have good reason to be a little concerned….at least I can’t drive a kiln over a roundabout!). Each kiln has its own little way about it, and these two have so many unfamiliar switches and mechanisms that are new to me, but like driving a car, it all becomes second nature after a while. So as I’m firing I’m watching closely, taking notes, timing things, drawing little diagrams, monitoring cones….not. That’s probably what I should be doing but I’m afraid it’s more a case of turning it on, giving it a little pat on the side as I spin around and nip off to do five other things at once and hope for the best! It’ll aaaaaaaaalll be allright!

Change the colour of your day

When I was a kid there was a commercial on TV for a very yummy chocolate covered bar of honeycomb that just melted in your mouth. The commercial started off in black and white, grey and drab, but when the hip young things in seriously bad 80s outfits, with dubious dance moves and even worse hairstyles bit into the chocolate bar, everything turned bright and colourful, life was good…"change the color of your day" was the catchy jingle they sang. When Kenji’s little folk (pictured above, and about 5cm tall) came out of the kiln, this commercial from the eighties started playing in my head (a little worrying) and I was overcome by an incredible urge to change the colour of THEIR day. Kenji was very obliging so I whisked them away, pulled out my pile of decal scraps and dressed em up! They now sit next to my computer, and freak me out a little bit. They just seem totally confused in a blank robotic kind of way. We have a few adventures planned for them however...so stay tuned!

Mapmania

I have a long standing love (obsession?) of maps, whether they are street directories or old geographical maps, mud maps or hastily scribbled directions on how to get somewhere. Maps can tell us so much more than simply where something is or how to get there. I first started using them in my work as part of the narrative, a way of placing the work or setting the scene. Over time I started to become really fascinated by the many other subtle associations and insights maps hold within their squiggly lines.

Maps can speak of the passing of time. Obviously, looking at maps of the same area over a long period of time will show you the physical development of an area. But the style and look of the map, the graphic qualities, the way it has been drawn and designed, the text used, the paper it is printed on, also gives you a sense of time passing. In subtle ways they can speak of technological developments, design and fashion, growth and destruction, and identity.

At exhibitions I’ve often seen people craning their necks and contorting themselves into strange positions to find their street on one of my map pieces. They get so excited when they find it, or when they recognise the area. It instantly gives them a different connection to the piece. Most of us identify with a place somewhere, sometime. They are deeply embedded in our sense of who we are, our individual and collective identities and stories.

Viva la map I say.

(6 maps of inner city Brisbane from 1863 until present)

Feeling Blue

Well, I’m not really. In fact, I've spent the last few days rediscovering the nice things about where I live. I feel like I've been looking at Brisbane with new eyes this week! After the come down from the heady delights of Paris, Brisbane was seeming decidedly dull and well….small really. But the other morning I woke up and there was a slight chill in the air, the first sign that the long hot summer (which I hate!) was coming to an end. The sky has turned a darker shade of blue – always a giveaway that summer is over – and despite the drought things seem to be looking fresh and green. Working from home I now also have a whole host of feathered studio buddies who chirp away in the tree outside the window. So it was nice to open the kiln to the sunny yellows of my last post, and the fresh blues of this one. More explorations into colour.

Yellow Fever

Well the yellow theme continues...these little jugs have been a while in the coming as I haven’t had access to a kiln for a little while now. It feels like I’m missing a limb being without a kiln! I’m begging, borrowing and stealing for the moment, but should be back in action with my very own shiny new kilns next week! I’ve never owned my own kilns before. I’ve always worked from studios that came with kilns. So I’m feeling like a grown up now, a real ceramic artist, now that I have my own! They're red and silver and gleaming....

Just a quickie

The 20/20 exhibition is now open at the Museum of Brisbane. The opening event isn't until April 19th but the show is open to the public as of now! It's on until July 15th.

And some exciting news....Kenji Uranishi has started a blog! Check it out here.

Rule Brittania!

On Friday I went to the lifeline superstore! Now I’m not usually a superstore kind of girl (except for the occasional IKEA fix), but when it’s a LIFELINE superstore, well, that’s a whole different matter! I am there with bells on! I could have spent the whole day and a whole lot o money on STUFF, but I restrained myself and came away with a small but awesome selection of old picture frames, and the piece de resistance (yeah, see how good my french is now) this gold framed photograph (complete with hyper red and gold touch ups) of the coronation of Queen Lizzie!! It’s been a little while since I indulged my (strange and inexplicable) fascination and obsession with royalty! It is now hanging proudly and unapologetically in my loungeroom and cracks me up everytime I walk past it! The whole concept of royalty is just so bizarre and fascinating to me. Ooh, I can feel some new work coming on....

Juan Munoz

While I was away I saw an exhibition of Juan Munoz’s work at the (beautiful) Musee de Grenoble (left). One huge room was filled with his work Many Times (1999), 100 ceramic sculptures of male figures, all with the same laughing face. They were placed all around the room in groups, differing only in their gestures or postures. They looked like they were chatting amongst themselves, and some seemed to be laughing and smiling at others across the room. They are all grey, a little smaller than life size and have no feet! When I first walked into the room I was totally blown away by the sheer number and the size of the pieces. You can actually walk around them, amongst them, get right up close to them. It was kind of amusing, a room full of smiling little men. But after a while standing in there it started to feel quite strange. It was a little disquieting. It almost felt like they were all sharing a joke that you weren’t part of, or that you were the butt of even! A very strange feeling. It made me feel very isolated, as if they all knew something I didn’t, as though despite the fact that I was the one watching them, they were actually the ones observing me.

Unlike Antony Gormley’s Field, where the thousands of little eyes turned towards you seem friendly or needy, vulnerable or adoring, Munoz’s work seems almost to be mocking you, making you feel self conscious and uncertain, different and separate.

Luckily there was a patisserie right around the corner where I could run and recover with the help of a café au lait and a big chocolate croissant! In no time at all I was feeling the love again!

A momentary lapse of blogging

...but I have a good excuse! I went to France! A very spontaneous trip! D had some work over there, and it just didn't seem right that he go without me (!!) so a few hours before his flight we bought me a ticket and before you could say lickety split I was winging my way to Paris too! I spent most of the time pinching myself that I was actually there! Five days in the South in a lovely city called Grenoble (above), and four days in Paris! What bliss! Wandering the cobblestone streets, drinking lots of coffee, soaking up the art and the atmosphere, gushing over the amazing architecture, stuffing our faces with pastries and all kinds of sweet treats, reading novels in warm sunny 500 year old plazas and town squares, bread, cheese, wine....aaaaaahhh! Yep, pretty unhappy about being home!

Canada Oh Canada!

Canadians seem to feature large in my life. They pop up everywhere! Family, friends, colleagues. Which is ok by me. Cause they’re nice those Canadians. And some of them make really nice ceramics too! Here’s a little selection of some of my favs.
Coe & Waito... Jasna Sokolovic...

And Carole Epp

Pin Hole Man

The last semester of my undergraduate degree was spent as an exchange student at Utah State University in the United States. While I was there I shared a house with a guy called Mark Dungan, who taught in the photography department. He takes the most fantastic photos using old pin-hole cameras, and goes on road trips all across the country photographing roadside America and all its weird and wonderful incarnations. We’ve done lots of swapping and so now I have a whole cache of his prints, although the poor fella has been waiting for me to deliver on our latest swap for almost a year! Oops! It’s coming Mark! Recently I used one of his prints on one of my wall pieces (left). It fit in so perfectly with the themes and imagery of my work. It was just begging to be used! So now on top of our swaps we also have our first collaboration! Here’s a few of his prints.

Convergence

Anyone who happens to be in Louisville, Kentucky over the next month (!!) can check out some of my work (left) in an exhibition called Convergence: A North/South Discourse at the Ogle Community and Cultural Centre as part of the 41st annual NCECA Conference. There’s 9 of us in the show, all of whom have at some point lived and worked in Canberra at the ANU School of Art. Over the years we’ve shared studios, ideas, technical information, many bottles of wine (we find that sometimes helps with the ideas thing) and have spent many hours in fiery and fiesty debates over the state of the ceramic arts (the wine helps with this too). We’re now spread out all over Australia and all over the world, from here to Canada and Scotland, but (thanks to modern technology and aeroplanes) we still manage to keep up the connections. Between them they keep me sane, they keep me inspired and they keep me on my toes.

This is the first time we’ve all exhibited together, thanks to the enduring patience and energy of Carole Hanson Epp (what a champ!). The exhibition (as Carol so eloquently says in the exhibition blurb) “demonstrates the unique diverging practices of each artist which has evolved from the convergence of the collective.” It runs from March 1-30, and the artists involved are Emilka Radlinska-Brown, Avi Amesbury, Anna Giannakis, Maiju Altpere-Woodhead, Mel Robson, Sarah Rice, Joanne Searle, Lia Tajcnar and Carole Hanson Epp.

toy land

Michael Doolan is a Melbourne-based ceramic artist. At first glance his work just seems so cute and fuzzy…cuddly bright little toys! But there is something unsettling and a bit disconcerting about them. Some of them are larger than life, which he does deliberately to make you feel like your childhood toys have grown in proportion to yourself - a frightening thought, particularly if you ever had a barbie!

I like art that unsettles me. I particularly like ceramic art that unsettles me.

I also like art that makes me laugh.

And I like the fact that Michael's work does both.

Double whammy.

the times they are a changin'

3 years ago I was working away in my studio at Fusions Gallery when a Japanese fella with great hair wandered in. His name was Kenji Uranishi, and we’ve been sharing a studio ever since! He’d just moved over from Nara, Japan, where he ran his own ceramics studio, and now he is here to stay - which is lucky for me, because I can’t imagine working with anyone else!

It’s been a nomadic existence for us. One studio was demolished, another was relocated (without us!), and residency after residency has lapsed. We've gone from old churches, to old aircraft hangers to old museums! And sadly, this week our 1 year residency at the Sculptors Society is up. And until our next studio is ready (hopefully just a few months away!) we are going to join the many other artists and craftspeople in Brisvegas who work under their Queenslander houses. I have blisters on my hands after cleaning out the underneath of my house, painting floors and walls and dragging shelving and kilns and moulds and boxes all over the place trying to make it a workable space! It’s getting there!

We’re a little bit anxious! We’re so used to working together, to having company, to bouncing ideas off each other, working through technical hiccups, getting feedback and advice, having other artists drop in for a cuppa, or just hanging out and working in companionable silence. It will be very strange indeed working on my own!

Working from home does have its advantages and I’m excited about some aspects of it. It’s just that I like being part of a community, I like the energy and the dialogue and the collaboration and the exchange that comes with a shared studio. I know these things don’t have to centre only around studios, and can still happen in lots of other ways, but sometimes it can be difficult to maintain when everyone is so busy trying to eek a living out of what they do. In shared spaces it just happens!

We’ve received an incredible amount of support from so many people and organisations over the last few years, and I really don’t know how we could have continued working without them. So I just want to thank all those folks who have helped us out – Stephanie and Fusions, The QLD Sculptors Society and Mark, everyone at Southbank and Gateway Tafe, Rod, Joe, Scott, Ronelle, Jill, Darren, Ray….and of course, Kenji san! Thanking you all muchly!

In the meantime I will just enjoy the fact that I can work in my pyjamas now if I want, that I can run upstairs and have a quick nap while waiting for my moulds to dry if I feel like it, or that I can nip outside for a quick spot of gardening if the urge takes me!
Here's some pics of Kenji and his damn fine work!

(you can read more about him here and see more pics here). Kenji and I are also about to embark on a collaborative project that we’re very excited about! Details coming!

little miss sunshine

I’ve got this yellow thing going on lately. I keep making yellow things. It all started when Craft Victoria had their Yellow Christmas. I’d never made anything yellow in my life. Never wanted to. Never really liked yellow. But I thought I’d give it a go. Just out of curiosity. And now look at me. Yellow yellow yellow. I’ve even mixed up a big bucket of yellow slip. Now that’s a commitment to yellow. I looked up the psychological meaning of the colour yellow, and it seems it means everything from warmth, earthiness, happiness, cowardice, peace, death, danger, cheerfulness, trouble and strife and joy! Geez. I’m in for a big few months if this keeps up.

A few of my favourite things...

Hella Jongerius embroidered tablecloth (above), and Lynda Draper ceramics (below)