It's not very often you get to wander around an artist's workshop, peer in to their collections of tools, discuss their gallery of work, while also making and decorating your very own clay plate. But so was my day yesterday. In a picturesque Brisbane street, with trees yawning over the road, a cat languidly crossed from one side to another as I walked up to a tall Queenslander. One might not expect the hive of creative activity on it's ground floor.
Five kilns line up at attention in Stephanie Outridge Field's Studio. A gallery ringed with white plinths supports work from learned hands. While the work space features work concerned with motifs of home, leaves and texture. Amid the blocks of clay, pots of colour and works of art, one is invited to try their hand at smoothing, cutting, soothing and decorating their very own plate, under the guidance of Rachel Cramer. And what a joy that was! The cold soft clay. The tips and techniques. The act of making. I was reminded that I am more at home working with metal than I am with clay! But I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My lovely, wonky plate supported a painted and pricked out doily inspired design - of course - which I am so excited to see dried and fired. I could not resist Rachel's scallop textured cups and a faceted sculpture/bowl created by Stephanie. They will be well loved additions to my collection. Indeed, I hope one day to have a few more pieces of my own making fired in those very kilns...
Many thanks again to Stephanie and Rachel, and to Australian Ceramics for organising the Open Studio weekend. If you are local to Clayfield, Brisbane, pop in today (Sunday, 16/2/15), or else check out the other open studio's being hosted all around Australia today.
