Always visit a potter if you can..

I've been away from home for a couple of weeks visiting The Great Ocean Road in Victoria and the '12 Apostles' as they are known.
It is a big tourist draw and its not hard to see why... very unusual landscape and the road was built by returned soldiers to give them work and help them to return to civilian life after WW1.

Further along the road is this outcrop aptly named "London Bridge" which fell down in this case many ages ago... sorry I don't have the exact detail of which geographical time it was.  It shows how the Apostle formations came about with softer layers of rock being worn away by the sea and wind which rolls in directly from Antarctica.

Where we stayed was very close to a pottery called Angledean Pottery.  Here is a link about the studio:Angledean Pottery

I had a lovely time looking around his workshop and studio and learning about the history of their business which is a husband and wife team.  They have expanded their craft and now also do glass slumping and he is learning blacksmithing to be able to make metal sculptures.. well worth the visit and we came away with some nice mugs and a glass coaster to add to our collection.

Do call by if you are in the area.

Before we left the area we also visited the Qdos Arts Centre at Lorne.
Very interesting place with an anamaga kiln. Potter, Graeme Wilkie is in charge.

There are also many sculptures in the garden and a nice gallery and a cafe.  The kiln was in the process of being refurbished and the potter was taken up with that so not able to chat with us that day but we enjoyed our visit anyway. They run many arts events there and even have some accommodation.

a view of the gallery

 The beautiful and intricately decorated pots on display were by the Internationally recognised artist, Alexandra Copeland.  Here is a link for more about her : Alexandra Copeland

more of the gallery

one of the sculptures

the entrance driveway

So if you have been wondering why things have been quiet this is why.  Plus I've have been contemplating some new focus for my own designs... more in the weeks to come.

Replenished for Christmas

Today I met with the delightful Limelight Gallery manager, Danielle.

It so nice to be told its exciting to see your new work.

With Christmas not too far away artists were asked to supply some Christmas themed works so I took along some of my porcelain Reindeer Tree Ornaments..

plus some other shapes

A couple of other items as well, so drop by if you are in town - lots of other artists works that would make great gifts.

Thanks to Coraki

Just received the good news that both of my entries in the Coraki Art Prize have sold.

Thank you and I hope they enjoy their new home...

The one on the left is called "Spot and Miss Piggy @ The Breakfast Club Diaries" which is a reference to some real life pigs whose owner posts images of her pigs on the Facebook group by that name.  Click Here for the link.

The one on the right is titled "Free Range" and is a comment on my preference that animals have a good life even if bred for meat.

Facebook Saturday Shelfie

Many of you will know I also am the Administrator for the Facebook Group called Anna's Aussie Ceramics - click here to see.

A Dutch potter used the term 'Shelfie' to describe his image of a collection of pots.  Myself and others loved the term and are now using it as a weekly post we call Saturday Shelfies.

If you are on Facebook jump over and join in.  Your image can be of your collection, your bisque ware, tools, what every you like so long as it sits on a shelf and is pottery related.

Here is mine for this week:

my own wheel thrown bottle with stopper on the left and a sculpture by Ellen Appleby on the right.

Do pop on over and join in the fun..

Off to Coraki

It is a cold and wintery spring day in my suburb today.  Big storms last night with flooding and power outages in suburbs around us.  Fortunately we seemed to have missed the worst. I did put my winter clothes away too soon though.

I went to the post office this morning and sent off two packages to Coraki.

They are my sculptures for the Coraki Art Prize in northern NSW.

One is called Free Range and the other is called, Spot and Miss Piggy @ The Breakfast Club Diaries.

The Breakfast Club Diaries is a Facebook Group where the members post images from their morning walks and the owner of Spot and Miss Piggy often posts pictures of her pigs.

Here is a preview of  my interpretation...

"Free Range"  Handformed on wheel thrown base.  Stoneware clay, terrasiggalata, sawdust fired. 2015

"Spot and Miss Piggy @ The Breakfast Club Diaries"  Hand formed on wheel thrown base. Stoneware clay, underglaze, tissue prints and glazes.

Travel well little pigs.

in the gallery

Isn't it lovely how ones work is transformed when on display in a gallery?

"Cos all the trees have vanished" (acknowledges poem, Big Pigs Picnic by Mark Hopwood)

The Port Hacking Potters 48th National Competition once again attracted excellent ceramic works from across Australia and I'm very pleased to have been part of it again.

The work of packing up will be on Wednesday this week and then that will be it for another two years.

The work behind is called "Village 3" by Alison Tucker, a NSW artist.

UPDATE:  MY SCULPTURE WAS SOLD.  I'm very happy it has found a new home!

Pigs at Hazelhurst

You will know from my previous posts that I am involved in the Port Hacking Potters Group and its 48th National Pottery Competition which is on show right now at the Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre in Gymea NSW.

I have also entered a small sculpture and while I had no thought of being given any prizes I did think some might like the sculpture.

There are some amazing talented and skilful ceramic artists represented in this display...

I'll take some photos when I'm on desk duty later this week.

Here is a close up of "Cos All The Trees Have Vanished"  the title is a quote from a poem, Big Pigs Picnic by Mark Hopwood. 

detail - "Cos All The Trees Have Vanished" quote poem by Mark Hopwood.

behind the scenes

When we send our pieces off for exhibition we give little thought to the work involved in setting it all up, especially when the exhibition is run by a community group

today my husband came along to help myself and other members of the Port Hacking Potters Group prepare for their National Competition which opens this coming Saturday 20 September and runs to the 30 Sept with bump out on 1 October...

Smoking

very old metal garbage bin

 I am preparing to submit a small sculpture to the Port Hacking Potters National Competition...

Being winter and a very small fire in a container, I am finishing the piece by smoking it..

The piece was coated with Terrasigilata prior to being bisque fired.

I use clean sawdust, paper and some kindling.

Put the piece in the old garbage bin, light the fire, wait for the sawdust to catch and then place the lid on top.

Lid placed over to reduce the flame

Here is a sneak peak of the result

hand formed with stoneware clay, coated with terrasig and then bisque fired.

Teapot Show sales

I just found out my second teapot has sold at the Teapot Show, yay!

I've sold both that I submitted plus the tea-bowls that went with the Lilly Pilly Chartreuse pot. The image below exaggerates the size of the tea-bowls.. they are actually more in keeping with the teapot.

"Violets are Blue"  stoneware with underglaze decoration 2014

"Lilly Pilly Chartreuse" stoneware with underglaze decoration 2014

Excellent news and the Inner City Clayworkers Gallery are to be commended for the great show they organize each year.  If you go to their website you can see the stunning winning entries, HERE.