My work is influenced by my experience with pottery in Japan, China and my home landscape in Australia. In particular the ritual nature of pottery, in tea ceremonies in Japan and large communal meals in China and at home in Australia.
Clay is such a process driven material. I enjoy being able to demonstrate the nature of clay at its various stages. The makers ‘spiral’ mark on the inside of the pots, and the facets on the outside. The undulating rims reminiscent of the rolling hills of the Orange region.
I use a range of clays including white, dark and iron rich stoneware. Most of my works start as wheel thrown vessels, which I then facet at the leather hard stage. I enjoy using satin and matt glazes adding to the tactile nature of the work.
]]>Miro’s approach and output are constantly evolving as he hones his personal style. He approaches each project with complete enthusiasm and total dedication.
]]>Hilary, like so many Australian potters today, began her love affair with clay after attending a night school class in ceramics in 1991. On completing the course she decided to further her studies in ceramics and attended several TAFE courses, achieving her Diploma in Ceramics before working in a small studio pottery as a production potter.
In 2005 she moved to the United Kingdom to join a trainee program with the world renowned Dartington Pottery in Devon which has produced hand crafted reduction ceramics for many years and has been the training ground for a large number of well known potters over the decades. As a trainee she was exposed to all methods of ceramic production including wheel throwing and kiln packing as well as the more commercial areas of slip casting, ram pressing, jigger and jolly work. In addition to its commercial work Dartington produces a range of one-off art pieces and is world renowned for glaze on glaze decoration - so she was training with the best.
She returned to Australia in 2012 to take up a 2 year associate post with the Jam Factory in Adelaide. The Jam Factory is a multidisciplinary arts centre promoting and producing hand crafted objects. Whilst at the Jam Factory she worked on studio commissions in the ceramics department and prototyped her own tableware range.
Following her time in Adelaide she returned to Sydney where she decided to continue her ceramic studies, completing her Advanced Diploma in Ceramics in 2014.
She is now making and developing her own range of tableware specialising in teapots, cups, saucers and mugs. Hilary has a wonderful eye for shape and colour and has developed an expertise in one of the more difficult pottery skills – making teapots. Her production training in Australia and the United Kingdom has honed her skills as a potter and her eye for good design was enhanced during her time at the Jam Factory.
After completing a Diploma of Art (Ceramics) at Holmesglen TAFE, Melbourne in 1997, Denise went to England where she completed the famous Dartington Pottery Traineeship in 1999, staying on at the pottery afterwards to further develop as a potter.
Over the years, Denise has worked in various production potteries in Sydney and Melbourne as well as an assistant to ceramic artist Louise Gilbert-Scott inBristol, England. These experiences have given Denise an appreciation for consistency and high quality in her work as well as a sense of the great tradition of ceramics.
Denise is currently best known for her “Flannel Flower” range which incorporates a 100-year-old Flannel Flower pattern sourced from an Australian Federation window panel in her home (which has been in her family for 5 generations). She is also producing a line of work made up of simple thrown forms which has evolved from a series of cafe and restaurant commissions. She has been operating her business DM Pottery from her Randwick studio since 2010.
]]>Louise started her ceramic journey over 10 years ago after falling in love with the medium whilst at university. With a desire to experiment and play with technique, push design possibilities and make pieces unlike anything she was seeing, she started her own business.
Each piece is made lovingly by hand in Louise’s inner-west studio using the slip-casting technique, and embellished with individual pressings, carvings and colouring. We accept and embrace individual differences in our pieces, believing it inspires a greater connection to the work. They are pieces that are designed and made to be used everyday, because your favourite wares should be the ones you use regularly, making each day beautiful.
]]>She is a graduate from the National Art School (painting major) and has a Diploma in ceramics from East Sydney Technical Collage where she studied under Sandy Lockwood , Diogenes Farri, Cameron Williams and Ivan Gluch.
Her paintings and ceramics are in private collections in Australia, Hong Kong, England and the USA.
Lesley has exhibited ceramics at the Platform Gallery Katoomba, the Back to Back Gallery Newcastle, the Potters Gallery Newtown Sydney, and has an annual exhibition at the Dianne Currie yoga studio space in Wentworth Falls.
In 2019 Lesley was the feature artist at The Blue Mountains Art Festival where she has exhibited since 2013.
“ The enduring company I enjoy through my life is art. My materials are demanding and my co-workers delightful. "
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Her specialist interest is in atmospheric firings - which was sparked originally by a raku firing workshop in Morpeth, NSW with the Sydney Ceramic Study group. This interest was continued with a beautiful time learning from David Roberts from the United Kingdom who conducted workshops at the Mansfield Ceramics conference at Gulgong many years ago. She followed up on the Gulgong experience by attending a week’s masterclass in Naked Raku with David Roberts in Comano, Italy. It is absolutely amazing how a patchwork of experiences with wonderful mentors and teachers have come together to help in her work and love of Naked Raku.
Ingrid now lives on acreage on the Central Coast where she can specialize in Naked Raku and Atmospheric firings and enjoy, as David Roberts suggests, “painting with smoke”.
Ingrid will bring a selection of her Raku work to the Claymaker’s expo to display and sell and looks forward to meeting you there.
]]>His ceramics span a number of different styles. Premier among them is wheel-thrown pottery in the Japanese tradition including unique tableware, such as bowls, plates and cups in earthy muted tones.
However, his versatility extends to other forms such as colourful, hand-painted porcelain pieces, and slab-built cups and vases in a more contemporary style. In addition, he is also experimenting with more sculptural forms, such as balancing stones and columns.
Roy graduated with a Diploma in Ceramics from TAFE Northern Beaches in 2019 but has been practising and working with clay since 2014. He has been selected twice as a finalist for Craft NSW, Emerging artist, and held several group exhibitions at Claypool, Willoughby Art Centre and TAFE, Northern Beaches.
He has also been teaching pottery since 2017 until now at Parramatta Clay, North Sydney Community College, Gallery Lane Cove and several art and craft studios.
He has always been interested in production pottery and worked closely with 2 of Sydney's leading potters Malcolm Greenwood and Katherine Mahoney to learn more about the nitty gritty of running a production pottery in Sydney.
]]>Time spent in the park (especially over the last year) with the incredible textures of redgum and eucalyptus trees and exposed volcanic rock has influenced the surfaces and choice of materials in her work. All works are layered with slips (liquid clay) and glazes that combine to create matt, glossy, opaque and transparent surfaces in the finished work.
Glazes often have a stone or marble like quality and are tactile. They can be smooth and silky or dry and reflect the material qualities of ceramics and the raw materials that make up the glaze. Some work includes ash from (sustainably sourced) redgum trees.
Rosemary's current work in functional bowls, beakers, cups, platters and plates has been created from her interest and delight in getting together with groups of people over shared dishes of food. This interest grew during her time living in the middle east where large platters of food were associated with many types of celebrations enjoyed by new friends and acquaintances from all over the world.
Some of the forms Rosemary has created are linked to Arabic style cooking vessels and often highlight edges and angles, with a focus on rims to frame the food and beverages they are designed to hold. It has been exciting to see this work embraced by local and international chefs, food stylists and valued customers. Many of the pieces are designed to work together enabling the collector to express their own creativity by combining the unique pieces they collect together in their own home.
]]>Graduating from The University of Technology Sydney with a degree in Industrial/Product Design in 2019 Sarah has since been working full time as an Industrial Designer. Her experience allows her to approach pottery with design thinking techniques and methodologies and gave her a solid understanding of form and process. Whilst mostly self-taught in ceramics, she completed two short courses at the National Art School. The first was in wheel throwing, to hone skills she had taught herself over the past years. The second was a glazing course which opened the door to a whole other area of learning and exploration with a more scientific focus.
Sarah draws inspiration for ceramics from design trends and by challenging and pushing her skills in wheel throwing and glazing. Whilst it’s still early days as a potter, she is looking forward to pursuing design and ceramics as lifelong passions.
]]>Sheridan taught ceramics and sculpture at the Bryanston School, Dorset, from 1986 to 1998 and during these years held solo exhibitions of his work at the Hambledon Gallery, Blandford (1988), Alpha House Gallery, Sherborne (1992 and 2006), and Bryanston Arts Centre, Blandford (1998). Returning to Australia he was Co-ordinator, Creative and Expressive Arts, St Paul’s Catholic College, Greystanes from 1999 to 2000 and since then he has taught part time at Bede Polding College, South Windsor. In 2001 Sheridan set up the Wentworth Falls Pottery gallery in the Blue Mountains where he displays his work. Sheridan held a solo exhibition of his ceramics at All Hand Made Gallery, Sydney, in 2003 and at The Tunnel Gallery, Tonbridge, UK in 2007. He has also been included in numerous group exhibitions in this time.
Steve Sheridan's work is an extension of the tradition of Bernard Leach, which acknowledges the forms, glazes and histories of Asian ceramics. This approach, the acknowledgement that the potter's work continues and expands a distinguished tradition, is at variance with much contemporary art practice.
His work has remained surprisingly consistent throughout his career. The simple, elegant and beautifully glazed forms of his early work are remarkably similar to his contemporary stoneware and porcelain pieces, except that Sheridan now uses 'sang de boeuf’ and celadon glazes.
Sheridan’s work is functional and timeless – the appeal of such work is that it introduces a note of stability and continuity in a changing world.
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