Lots of Little Uns

Lots of Little Uns from my recent firing. I got a bit carried away photographing these pieces - stacking and unstacking, rearranging and playing with colour combinations... 

                                

Most of these are making their way down to Victoria for an exhibition with Kenji Uranishi and Shannon Garson at the very beautiful Pomme. The show is called (funnily enough) Little Uns - small pots for a small space, and runs from April 4th to 24th. 


So if you're lucky enough to be in the Mornington Peninsula around then please drop by!  And if you haven't already, have a browse around Pomme's website.  The home page alone will make you want to pack your bags and head on down!  A beautiful gallery full of beautiful objects. 

Lots of good ideas

As part of Brisbane's super fantastic upcoming Ideas Festival (a veritable smorgasboard of lectures, discussions, debates and events on all things inventive and innovative in science, art, culture, ethics and the environment) Artisan is hosting a studio tour to give the curious an insight into the workings of some of Brisbane's best studios. Its not everyday you get to have a peek at jeweller Barbara Heath doing her thing, or stick your nose into the work spaces of those super ceramicists Pru Morrison, Virginia Jones and Sharon Muir, or gawk at the intriguing processes and public art-works-in-progress at Urban Art Projects. The best bit is that you apparently get to drink champagne while you're doing it (careful in the ceramics studio). Details on where, when and why here.

And while you're at it you may as well check out the rest of the program for the Ideas Festival. Even if you're not in Brisbane there's all kinds of links to lots of interesting people and podcasts. It's well worth a scout around. One of this year's speakers is (well, was...they got him in early) Australian philosopher Peter Singer. Man of the moment. And with good reason. Really worth listening to his lecture. You gotta love Radio National. No really, you do. 

Patience

I am very impatiently waiting for my kiln to cool. I'm not very good at this and mostly end up juggling steaming hot pots in my gloved hands, so impatient am I to see them. I never get over the excitement and anticipation (and anxiety) of opening up a kiln, no matter how many times I do it. But this firing I am forcing myself to wait until its stone cold - and its killing me!! I've been having a curious problem with one of my trusty glazes and this is an experiment to try and narrow down the cause. I've been prowling around the house and studio like a restless tiger all day, sitting on my hands, gardening like a woman possessed as I try to distract myself from the unbearable temptation of taking a peek! Just one quick peek!! But as torturous as it is, I'm kind of enjoying the challenge!

Bad Blogger...

Aaaaah well it seems I've lost my blogging mojo of late! I've been roused on by a few of you the last couple of weeks for my long lapse! But it's been a hectic start to the year as I try to juggle making work for some upcoming shows with chasing around after a crawling and curious 11 month old. Faster than a speeding bullet she is too! So I'm afraid blogging just slipped down the list of priorities. But its been two posts in two weeks now, so lets see how we go. I might just be back on the wagon! 

I've just finished packing my kiln, Big Red. I love the process of packing, the journey from a messy studio full of pots to a neatly stacked, shiny and humming red box!  This firing is jam packed with goodies so there was a lot of packing and unpacking, rearranging, and packing again, trying to squeeze it all in. Oh but such a feeling of satisfaction when I finally got the last pot to fit snuggly into the last little bit of remaining space! 

So its simmering away now, doing its thing. I've always wished there was such a thing as a see-through kiln. Imagine a kiln with transparent heat-resistant walls that would enable you to watch as the pots got hotter and redder and glowing and molten! Alas for now I can only peek through the spy hole and watch as my cones slowly bend and the little glittering dots sparkle on the rims of my bowls. So purty.

Ann Linnemann

If you're in Sydney I highly recommend getting along to see Danish Ceramicist Ann Linnemann's work at Helen Stephens Gallery. I first came across Ann's work at a Gulgong Woodfire Conference many moons ago and have been kicking myself ever since for not snapping up her exquisite pieces at the time. Fortunately for me Virginia Jones did, so I at least get to oooh and aaah over them now and then!

 

My second attempt at getting a piece of her work was foiled when I begged a friend who was traveling in Europe to drop by her beautiful gallery and studio in Copenhagen. She got very lost, and I ended up with a Hella Jongerius piece instead - which I certainly am not complaining about!

I'm particularly enamoured by her delicate functional works and tableware (images above), but she also works sculpturally and has done some beautiful collaborative works with Paul Scott (images below).

You can see more of Ann's work and what she is up to here.  The show opens tonight and runs until March 15th. Third time lucky perhaps? 

Quack Quack

Quacking is big in our house right now. There's a whole lot of quacking going on. So I made these little fellas... to help me get in touch with my inner duck. 

Guess I better get started on the cows. 

Making the cut

I haven't been spending a whole lot of time making in the studio over the last few months, but I have been working on a few things using the waterjet cutting process I used for the work in my last show. It's been an interesting experience for me, handing over a large part of my process to someone else. I'm used to being very hands on with my work, and really enjoy the making process and the problem solving and experimentation that goes with it. But i've also really enjoyed the process of working with industry- as frustrating and nerve-wracking as it has been at times, it's been a great learning curve and the process has opened up a whole new world of ideas and possibilities. 

It's been a rocky road between me and the cutters, but after a lot of trial and error I am so grateful for their perseverance and commitment to what were very small but very complicated jobs for them, and after muddling our way through a few failures and misunderstandings it's reassuring to know that they are still up for the challenge and willing to work with me on whatever takes my fancy. Bless em!! 

They have now perfected the very tricky art of cutting tiny pigeon feet from my little nana plates. There's a few legless pigeons hobbling around my studio, but mostly they're all now in good working order. All the ones above are roosting in the newly refurbished Rialto Hotel in Sydney, and the little fellas below have just been acquired by the Redland Art Gallery. 

And here's a close-up...a lovely bit o crazing don't you think? 

New works still in progress. Stay tuned.

Salon 08

My gallery here in Brisvegas are holding what promises to be a really beautiful christmas show of small works by some of their artists including Joachim Froese, Carl Warner, Kim DeMuth, Juan Ford, Judith Wright, Samuel Tupou, Daniel Mafe, Tony Albert, Jennie Jackson, Janet Laurence, Jonathan Kimberley, Stephen Hart and moi.  A pretty sweet line up. It opens Saturday December 13th. And you can check out all these artists work here. Go on! 

On the move

Image Left: Pru Morrison, Rodney, slipcast porcelain, Image Right: Immbolised, slipcast porcelain

If you're in the area don't miss Pru Morrison's exhibition at Marks and Gardner gallery up on Mt Tambourine opening this weekend. Guaranteed to be a corker of a show. Opening event is this Saturday November 29th from 3pm, and the show runs until December 31st.  

The sound of one plate smashing

The other night I was jolted awake at about 3 o'clock in the morning by an almighty crashing and smashing from under my house...my studio. My heart sank as my head filled with visions of collapsed kiln shelves and months of work smashed to pieces. I'd only just packed the kiln the day before, ready for a long-awaited firing. After a fitful sleep full of dreams of broken pots and tiles I finally dragged myself out of bed and down to the studio to check out the carnage.  Oh the joy as I walked in and saw that a cute little second hand plate I'd hurriedly hung on the wall a few days before had slipped off its moorings and smashed to the floor! It must have been the quiet of 3am that made it sound more like twenty plates smashing! I checked the kiln just in case, and was still a little jumpy all day until the firing had finished! It all went swimmingly in the end. Here's a few pieces from it. A few new ranges of wall tiles (below) and some variations on an old range (above). Love a bird I do. 

Studio Visit

Yesterday Kenji, Li'l chubba and I paid a visit to Pru Morrison   and Virginia Jones' new studio. They've set up house at the (relatively) new Metro Arts studio, which is housed in a great old renovated substation. I love visiting people in their studios.  There is always so much to look at and so many intriguing objects lying around. The studio was piled high with half unpacked boxes of materials and tools and pots and paraphernalia and works in progress. And despite the fact that they'd scoffed most of the lamingtons by the time we got there (we were very late after getting stuck in a traffic jam) it was all forgiven when we got a sneak peak at Pru's new work for her upcoming show at Marks and Gardner. Pretty spiffy stuff. Way better than a lamington. 

 

The Colonisers

Well if two major ceramics exhibitions aren't enough for those of you in Brisbane, then get thee back to Artisan to check out the latest Ivory Street Window exhibition, a collaborative work called The Colonisers by Lismore diva's Liz Stops and Laura McEwan.  Laura and Liz are both interested in aspects of the colonisation of Australia by Europeans and its impact on both the land and the people.  

Stops' work Fenceline, Defining a (white) Landscape is an undulating series of vessels that have been cast from old fence posts and represent the horizon line viewed from the windows of her house. It refers to the way "the landscape has been carved up and compartmentalised with little regard for sustainability or prior habitation".  McEwan's work is made up of stylised porcelain flowers cast from a decorative iron cornice found in the 120 year old house in which she lives.  The works are set on a backdrop of a hand drawn "wallpaper" pattern derived from an insidious creeper called mile-a-minute which McEwan says "is an apt metaphor for colonisation in its prolific growth and tendency to smother everything in its path". Thought provoking AND beautiful. Definitely worth a look. It's up until December 1st (and I'll post more pics shortly).

Blue n White

Gerry Wedd and I will be having a chat about our work and all things blue and white this Thursday night at Artisan from 5:30pm - 7pm. So if you find yourself sitting around twiddling your thumbs, come and have a chat and a drink with us! 

I'm still here....!!

Well my word its a been a while between posts! I've been a little blogged out and a little pre-occupied of late!! But i find myself sitting here with a rare few spare hours, and instead of flying down to the studio and madly trying to get some work done, I am going to put my feet up, drink a cup of tea and tell you about a few upcoming ceramicky things. 

Firstly, the ceramic world is all a-buzz here in Brisvegas right now.  It's been a while in the coming, and a lot of dedicated people have worked many long hours over many long years to make this happen.  The long-awaited shiny new Fusions gallery is finally opening this Friday night. Fusions (formerly known as the QLD Potters Association) has been advocating for ceramic artists in QLD, and now nationally, for over 40 years and the opening exhibition, SALUTE, is a celebration of that milestone and the launch of the new facility.  Curated by  Janet Mansfield (doyenne of the international ceramics world and founder and editor of the journal Ceramics Art and Perception) it showcases work by 100 Australian ceramic artists (including yours truly)...so it should provide an amazingly comprehensive cross-section of ceramics in this country (just don't make any sudden moves while you're in there)!! The opening event is this Friday night (corner of Brunswick and Malt St, Fortitude Valley) from 6-9pm and the exhibition runs until November 22nd. Should be a good shindig and a good opportunity to check out the redevelopment. 

And just to top off those heady ceramic vibes, "A Secret History of Blue and White" has just opened at Artisan.  I have been anticipating the arrival of this show for months and am chomping at the bit to get in there and see it! The show has been curated by Stephen Bowers and includes works by Stephen Benwell, Robin Best, Bronwyn Kemp, Vipoo Srivilasa and Gerry Wedd. Bound to be a goody! Exhibition runs until November 8th. 

And in case you were wondering why I haven't been regaling you with pictures and details of my trip to Hungary....it has unfortunately been postponed. So instead of swanning about eating goulash I have been playing in my garden (I have lettuce coming out of my ears right now!), pottering about in the studio and catching up on some much needed sleep! Which isn't such a bad alternative! 

Bird Watching

There's flocks of pigeons flying in and out of my studio at the moment. One little flock is heading off to this show at Redlands Art Gallery. Curated by Emma Bain it is a selection of works by QLD artists who find inspiration in the bird motif. I had a sneak peak at the show today and it is looking pretty spectacular- paintings, prints, jewellery, paper cutting, sculpture, ceramics...some very beautiful work by the other exhibiting artists including Nick Ashby, Madeleine Brown, Meryn Jones, Tiffany Shafran, Glen Skien and Pamela Mei-Leng See. The show opens this Sunday 21st September at 11:30am and runs until October 26th. 

Virginia Jones (was) at Metro Arts

I've been trying to get to this post for the last week but alas time eluded me and the show finishes today! So instead of urging you to go and check out the work of Virginia Jones at Metro Arts, I'm just going to show you the photos and tell you how great it was!! The show is a part of Ginny's PhD research into art and nature and was made up of various installations as well as photographs and other documentation of some of her ephemeral works. The gallery itself is one of my favourites, a huge space full of character smack bang in the middle of the city.  It was all a bit impressive really!

You can read a little more about Ginny and her work here. 

Yoshihiro Suda

I was taking a stroll along the river the other day and stopped to have a drink from a bubbler. As I leaned over to drink I saw these little fellas (above) creeping up through the cracks in the boardwalk. I was instantly reminded of the work of Yoshihiro Suda (below) who I recently came across in a publication called Spectacular Craft. This guy has some serious patience! Each tiny piece is carved by hand from magnolia wood and they are so incredibly executed that it's almost impossible to distinguish them from the real thing. Craftsmanship like this just leaves me speechless. You can find out more about him and the exhibition Spectacular Craft here.

And speaking of fine craftsmanship...don't miss this one. Kirsten Coelho (image below) at Helen Stephens Gallery. September 17th -October 12th. (Where IS that damn tardis!!!!)

Collaboration

I mentioned a little while back that Andrea Higgins and I were working on some collaborative pieces with my cut glass guns and her photogram process. Well here's the first prints. The three guns were cut from glass platters (using my new favourite water jet process) and then placed on to photosensitive paper and exposed.  I love the way the process highlights the variations and faults and bubbles and scratches in the glass. A bit like an x-ray.

Gore in the garden

I spent the morning in my sunny back garden sitting under the poinciana tree with bumcrane and Li'l chubba. As we drank tea and scoffed Shingle Inn cupcakes (mmmm) bumcrane regaled us with gory stories of Brisbane's early history that she had recently unearthed - gold diggers chopped to bits, murderous butchers, wrongly hanged cooks and dark family secrets of the well-to-do! Lovely!!

six hundred degrees

Another blogger on the block! Sophie Milne is a Melbourne-based ceramicist based at the Northcote Pottery studios in Melbourne. She makes lovely functional and decorative vessels that you can now read more about at her new blog six hundred degrees. Sophie has also taken on the challenge of developing and managing the sparkly new Pan ceramics gallery housed in the pottery complex that opened with what sounds like a fine shindig the other night. Check out her blog and her website, and if you're in Melbourne check out the gallery!

Wedd at Waverley

Sometimes I wish I had a little blue telephone box like Doctor Who so that I could just nip down to see all these shows in Sydney, Melbourne and beyond. The next one I’m going to miss out on is Gerry Wedd’s show at Helen Stephens new gallery this month. Gerry has just posted some interesting background info on his work on his blog which you can check out here. Another ripper I reckon. Opening night Wednesday 13th August and the show runs till September 7th . Catch it if you can.