Happy New Year 2013

Here's hoping for a wonderful happy healthy and fun with clay New Year

I've already entered this piece in the Sydney Royal Easter Show and hope to have lots more good enough for other events during the year....

"Revenue Lineup 2012"  Stoneware clay gas reduction glaze firing

Merry Christmas to all, especially Adriana and the Mud Colony

Well it has been great to be a part of the Mud Colony group this year - wonderful to see the highs and lows of others works and feel just a little part of the ceramics world. And even broke my shyness factor and took part in a Profile on Mud Colony ...

As this is our last post together this year I have decided to repost some images as a review:

VISITING FAMILY

Like many my family are spread out around the state and overseas so someone has to travel... from the mountains to the sea.

Mountain Snow Gum - Snowy Mtns NSW

Eastern Water Dragon - Kempsey riverside NSW

Pandanas Palm, near Noosa Qld

MEETING NEW FRIENDS

After following each others blogs and meeting up on Facebook, Adriana came to Sydney and we met in person, what fun :^)

A trip to Noosa allowed an in person meeting and great 'tour' around with Ellen Appleby, again we had followed each others blogs and Facebook pages

Sadhana came to the 47th National Competition hosted by the Port Hacking Potters at Hazelhurst.

and then I attended her exhibition in the city

I met up with Mrs Peterson of Mrs Peterson's Pottery at a market in the Shire

and then a few Mud Colony bloggers and Facebookers surprised Katy Mitchell at the Eveleigh Markets in Sydney, oh that was great! Click for proof here

Many will know that I am the current President of the Port Hacking Potters Group and this was a
COMPETITION  year for us...

It was the 47th National Pottery Competition and Exhibition and a small committee group worked extremely hard  to organise the whole affair.

The best part was getting to listen to Greg Daly as he told us why he had made the choices he made... what a talented, knowledgeable, and generous person...

I also entered a few competitions myself:

I sent a teapot off to Victoria to The Studio @ Flinders Teapot exhibition

and put some in the Inner City clayworkers Teapot Show in Sydney

some woodfired pots at the Port Hacking Potters Competition along with some pigs

and some bowls to Newcastle to the Bowled Over Again exhibition with Newcastle Potters and Back to Back Galleries

I also took part in some markets at Stanwell Park, Como and Cronulla

made some jewellery (and sold a little)

and during the year I enjoyed playing with clay and the banter and friendship of others who love to work with clay -

 Hope you have a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year what ever the challenges it may bring 

Missing your clay fix over the holidays? Have a troll through past posts of mine here or others over at Mud Colony

Check out my other blog - Anna's Ceramic Portfolio

or see my   Facebook page, Anna's Ceramics:  Here

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

last stall for the year

Today myself and 4 other potters from the Port Hacking Potters Group had a stall in Cronulla Mall.

It went well.

Here is another Mud Colony blogger, Rhonda of Clay Obsession who is also part of the PHPG

We also sold tickets for a Christmas Hamper to help our local charity - check the Port Hacking Potters blog for the winning entry.

I'm ready for a rest now - as are all the other potters who have been selling their work around the country - see more over at the Mud Colony blog.

Hot & Humid Saturday

Well December 1st and summer is HERE - storms, showers, sun and Humidity!  Still can't complain, I can put the Air Con on if it gets unbearable.
I remember when all we had was a small electric fan....

I tried to take a snap of our resident Water Dragon but he took off just as I snapped - see his tail on the path just behind that centre red Kangaroo Paw flower?  They come up from the nearby creek this time of year to eat the berries off the palm trees and what ever else they can find:

I am making some brooches at the moment - I'll be selling them at a market stall at Cronulla Mall on Saturday 8th December if you'd like to drop over..

I have put the clip on the back and will put them on card...

This is my Saturday post for Artists in Blogland so pop over and see who's there this week..

Hanging in there

Gosh I'm ready for a break.. it has been a full on year but I have to hang in there a bit longer...

Two meetings with the community pottery group PLUS an all day stall in Cronulla Mall at the end of next week!

So...

These (above) have all had their backs sanded and last night in front of the TV (watching 'Castle") they now sport their hanging ribbons...

These buttons have also been sanded on the back and now I need to sew them onto card ready for the market
which will be in Cronulla Mall on Saturday 8th December 2012 - 9.30am to 4pm near the flag pole.


















I did take time to appreciate a little beauty in my local town...

the Jacaranda trees are in bloom all around Sydney






this one is opposite our local library and trying to cover up the ugly concrete with its pretty flowers...









there are two trees, one either side of these steps and a nice feature wall up the top....

Jacaranda and Star Jasmine

I have also updated my online Portfolio - here:

AnnasCeramicPortfolio

 

This is my post for Mud Colony this week and you can also check out my Facebook page

Chilling out

It's a hot one here in Sydney (Oz) today - over 28 deg C at 11am..
So after a few chores its time to chill out for a while..

An icey drink, and what I'm reading - a science fiction and the latest edition of the Australian Ceramics magazine :^) (alternatively :) )

Don't forget to check out Mud Colony this week for other posts from busy potters studios or you can check Facebook - my page: Anna's Ceramics or my Fb group - Anna's Aussie Ceramics - think go top up my Lime Cordial...
Chill ....

Mis-catalogued

My latest pig sculpture is in the foreground on the lower plinth.

The previous post showed works by graduating students of the Ceramic Design Studio at Gymea TAFE.

I left out my own work so here are some that were there.

Unfortunately I had to be out of town when the show went up and my pigs were marked on the catalogue as NFS when really I would have happily have sold them.

The bracelet and necklace were for sale but it will be a few days before I find out if they found a new home.

Have you checked out the group blog, Artists in Blogland yet?  Worth a visit :^)  You might have to scroll down to see this weeks additions.

A great show - do hope they can continue

A recent decision by the NSW State government to cut funding to all Arts programs in our technical colleges has been devastating news.
On Monday night I attended the Student Award Presentations and Exhibition opening of the Ceramic Design Studio (Gymea TAFE college) at the Muse Gallery, Ultimo, Sydney.

The work is just outstanding!  I so hope that the protest rally held today and the petitions presented will do some good to reverse the decision.

You can see some of the prize winners on the Port Hacking Potters blog but I thought I would add a few more images here.

work by several students

new works by Tracey Mitchell - see her website for more: Here

Just love this one by Tracey Mitchell

Graduating students, Rosemary Backhouse and Dorothy Shaw

Graduating Students, Mei Ling Wong and Youngme Ohn

several students

interesting slipcast pieces

Slipcast vessels by Ellin Pooley

These following works by Diploma student Nicky Parras are my favourite this year:

October Seater Woman

May Girl Dreaming

Winged Flight

and more by Nicky Parras

Nesting

White Nesting

Best of luck to all the students for their future be it producing more art or ongoing studies.

I'll be linking this post to Mud Colony and its already linked to my Facebook page.

Look familiar?

Today I came across this clip on a Facebook site:

http://the189.com/film/colour-in-clay-1941-short-film/

it dates back to 1941 and is of workers at the Wedgwood factory back then.  The opening images reminded me of our trip to the UK in 2010 when we visited the Wedgwood museum.

Have a look at the clip and see if you agree:

the blue bells were amazing and right on the road side next to the museum.

while in the visitors centre I threw this little pot using their Jasperware - I think perhaps the blue bells inspired Josiah way back then!
think I'll send this post over to Mud Colony and my Facebook page..