Very happy that this show is still going ahead during these strange COVID 19 times when so many exhibitions have been postponed or cancelled due to lockdown restrictions. I am really pleased to be a finalist in this award with my work ‘The Distance Between’. The show is on at the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in Townsville from 31 July - 20 September 2020.
Shigaraki residency postponed
In early March I flew to Japan to take up a residency at the renowned Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park. I had envisaged spending the first half of 2020 researching and experimenting with colour development. I planned to take advantage of the extensive facilities and knowledgeable staff at Shigaraki as well as immerse myself in the forests that surround the centre. I was very excited about this opportunity to deepen my craft. This view is from my hotel room in Osaka - the streets were eerily quiet as Covid 19 had already begun to take hold in Japan. SCCP decided it was prudent to close the centre and I came home to Australia. Fingers crossed I will be back there next year.
Clay for Australia on until January 31
Forest Ghost series 2018
Porcelain, ceramic pencil, internal clear glaze
H 28cm W 13cm D 13cm
Clay for Australia, 2020 is a global fundraising project to help those directly impacted by the horrific Australian bushfires this summer. Conceived by ceramic artist, Vipoo Srivilasa, over $30,000 has been raised so far.
I am donating this vessel to Wildlife Victoria. While my work has sold there are still many beautiful works on offer until January 31 - please visit https://www.facebook.com/ClayForAustralia
TACA Board Appointment
I am thrilled and delighted to be joining The Australian Ceramics Association Board as a director. For me, the Australian Ceramics Association has provided a really vital way to be part of the broader ceramics community through its newsletter, magazine, workshops, talks, triennales and open studios. . In each instance I have been enriched and challenged by new ways of thinking and making, forging new connections and expanding my horizons far beyond my studio. In my new role I look forward to supporting potters around the country and raising the profile of ceramics.
Clunes Ceramic Award 2019
Pitted papery surfaces, forest silhouettes captured in dense pencil, protruding branches – these elements distil my memories of a summer spent in the forests of Finland. These hand built porcelain vessels with their graphic, cartoon-like imagery is a tangible expression of my time there and I am very happy they have been selected for this years Clunes Ceramic Award.
Dinner Set Commission
For part of this year I have been busy making a commission for a dinner set for a private client. We collaborated on the design - discussing the look and feel of the pieces and how each piece would work individually and as a set. The result was a mix of carved textured surfaces exploiting the qualities of different clays and different glazes. The commission is now finished - shown here is a selection of pieces.
Landscape, Narek Gallery, Nov 17 - Dec 15 2018
I am one of four artists exhibiting in 'Landscape' - a show exploring the synergy between the creative process and the natural world. I am very happy to be showing alongside @simonefraserceramics @merran_esson and @gailnichols53
Feature Journal of Australian Ceramics
Writer and artist Roisin O'Dwyer has written an illuminating piece about the impact of 'place' on my ceramic practice, focussing on the changes to my work following my residency in Finland. The article is featured in the Journal of Australian Ceramics, July 2018.
Finding Places
I'm excited to be giving a talk about my residency in Finland tonight at the launch of the July issue of the Australian Journal of Ceramics. The issue is about 'exploring place' and there is a feature about my residency and the exhibition 'Into the woods' that arose out of it. There will also be a panel discussion with fellow ceramicists Kate Jones and Andrei Davidoff. Looking forward to it!
Now stocking at Koskela!
Very happy to have my retail work now available from iconic Sydney design store Koskela. They sell Australia’s largest range of Australian made and ethically produced homewares, furniture, lighting and art. I am pleased to be a part of it.
Winner, Klytie Pate Ceramic Award
I am thrilled to have won the Klytie Pate Ceramic Award for 2018 for my work, Midnight Sun, Fiskars. Director of Geelong Art Gallery, Jason Smith, awarded the main prize making the following comments:
"The evocation of the Finnish forests is potent in two quite differently worked and glazed surfaces. The scale of the vessels seems to echo the trunk or main branch of a tree, so for me there was a strong resolution between the formal and conceptual integrity of these works. They have great presence and kept drawing me back."
Midnight Sun, Fiskars
'Into the woods', Mr Kitly
Into the woods arises out of a summer residency spent deep in the forests of Finland. Pattern, line and texture embedded themselves in how I saw this very different northern hemisphere forest. I did drawings and took many photos as my way of connecting to this unfamiliar landscape. The memories of this time slowly made their way into these works.
Klytie Pate Ceramics Award 2018
This work is a finalist in the upcoming Klytie Pate Award - opening March 6 and on until March 14 - in Mansfield, Victoria. These hand built porcelain vessels reference a particular place and time; a forest in Fiskars, in Finland, in June, when the sun never really sets.
Midnight Sun, Finland