Made OF Australia - Anna-Marie Wallace

I visited the lovely Logan Art gallery for the first time last week. Upon entering the primary coloured building, one steps foot in to a gift shop showcasing the work of local artisans, before heading left or right, to peruse the varying spaces hung with canvas and board. Toward the back of the gallery was a lovely space housing a ceramic exhibition, to which I was of course drawn. Those who have been reading for awhile will know I have a growing collection of handmade contemporary Australian pottery. Here I discovered the beautiful work of the Northern Rivers based artist and designer, Anna-Marie Wallace, and was introduced to the saggar firing process which makes all of her pieces so unique.

"Each piece, each object, whether large or small, be it either functional or simply beautiful in its form, imparts a sense of connection with the earth when it is held in the observer’s hand. Works of art in clay are tangible, tactile & so somehow often more engaging than two dimensional works. It is almost impossible not to gravitate toward a beautifully sculpted vessel & caress it, feel the satisfying mass of it, the refreshing coolness of it & appreciate its unyielding form as a solid, all the while aware that it was once a shapeless, malleable & indistinct morsel of earth & water & that through the careful manipulation of a skilled hand this small piece of our planet now has form, purpose even; not only is it beautiful, but in the case of a vessel or adornment, it is also useful & practical…” 

Anna-Marie Wallace 

Don't you just want to pick up these cups and feel them in your hands?

I love Anna-Marie's words above, and I did indeed want to touch her work. To weigh it in my hands, navigate the textures of each piece and examine the patterns that spill across the surfaces. I restrained myself and resorted to taking photos to share with you instead. But I bet there have been many that couldn't resist gently running a finger tip across one of these pieces when the gallery staff weren't looking!

And oh, the nature table of found and foraged treasures above presented the same tactile allure. Feather, shell, drift wood, seeds. Just the things we were collecting on our beach holiday the week before, and to which my inner magpie is drawn.

The exhibition closes on the 16th of January, so if you are in the area, pop in and try to resist touching the pieces. Or else you can see and purchase more of Anna-Marie's work on her website.

Australian Ceramics Open Studio

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.

'North Coast Mud Trail' Collecting

Images 1, 2, 4, 5 Pinky and Maurice's studio. Image 3 Pebuku Pottery pieces. Image 6 in Lucy Vanstone's studio and gallery.

There's a mountain of laundry from our weekend away and a sink full of dishes waiting for attention, but the kettle has just boiled and the children are occupied, so I'm taking this moment to write. 

This past year I have noticed my fascination and appreciation for pottery has grown and grown. I remember seeing a gorgeous photo in Bridget Bodenham's Instagram feed a few months ago, of Kylie's pottery collection, and it made my heart sing. Practical and beautiful. I had a sudden urge to fill my shelves and cupboards with pottery and swear off mass produced serving ware. Oh, the allure of beautifully handmade, useful everyday items. 

While I love 'stuff' - vintage sewing baskets, antique teapots, and interesting bric-a-brac - there is only so much 'stuff' I can handle before it feels like clutter. My chaotic mind needs several clear surfaces in my home in order to feel at rest. I can't handle a table or kitchen bench covered in 'stuff', but I adore a set of shelves filled with items chosen one at a time for their individual beauty and merit. And so has begun my collection.

This past weekend we called a cabin home as we explored the north coast - in particular the Mud Trail, where potters generously open their studios to the public. I visited Catherine Lane, Pinky and Maurice, Pebuku Pottery and Lucy Vanstone. It was wonderful to peek in to the artists spaces, chat with the makers and even see them in action.

And add a few more items to my collection... 

'Designing Craft/ Crafting Design'

The Moon, 2012
Peter Walker

Midnight and Midday and Midnight Neckpieces, 2012
Midnight and Midday and Midnight brooches, 2013
Leslie Matthews

Flotsam and Jetsam, 2012
Lisa Farrant

Still Life with Bosc and Strange Fruit, 2012
Nick Mount

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining, 2012
Honor Freeman

Oil Can and Tea Can, 2012
Kirsten Coelho

De Qi - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, 2012
Belinda Newick

Holey light 1 and 2, 2012
Illumini

Gwyn Hanssen Pigott

Tools from the studio of Gwyn Hanssen Pigott

Still life with two cups, 2005
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott

'Still life with 2 cups, is an example of the style of work for which Hanssen Pigott has now been acclaimed for decades. Simple, but in a refined modernist rather than rustic sense, the beautifully executed wood-fired vessels pay homage to the sensory domestic pleasures offered by the perfect teapot or cup.'

Bright Shadow, 2011
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott

My little artists, pleased as can be to be playing with clay.

I've often heard mention of The Jam Factory in books and magazines, however yesterday was my first opportunity to see a collection of work from an institution which has spanned forty years. The Ipswich Art Gallery hosts a diverse array of exhibitions, events and children's workshops, and while I wandered slowly from plinth to plinth on the lower level, my dear husband took the children to Create with Clay on the upper level.

I am always drawn to exhibitions that delve in to the world and skill of craft, while crossing the divide usually noticeable between craft and art. Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, a renowned ceramicist, is known for bridging this gap with her work. But I felt the same could be said of any of the artists in the exhibition. I found the exhibitions title apt at addressing the dual nature of such skilled crafters and artists. From glass to metal, ceramics to wood, lighting to furniture, the diversity was as wide as it was inspiring; as you can see by the images I have shared above.

I was quite taken with the work of Gwyn Hanssen Pigott. Her elegant pieces, behind their glass boxes, made me want to touch them all the more. That last line from the didactic panel alongside Still life with two cups lingered with me all afternoon - 'pay homage to the sensory domestic pleasures offered by the perfect teapot or cup.' The sensory domestic pleasures offered by the perfect teapot or cup. So simple, so poetic, so profound. Do we not all have a tea cup that we always reach for first? Do we not appreciate the beauty in, say, a hand cut crystal candle holder as opposed to a variety store $2 version of the same. Do not beautiful objects bring beauty to our day and to our lives?

I took my musings with me as I joined my husband and watched my children so perfectly engaged with their own creative pursuits. A Picasso quote came back to me, 'Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.'

Pinterest-ing

Things of interest with inspiring design, skill, texture, tones and of course, beauty.

1. Maria Kristofersson, 2. Platonic Solids by Benja Harney, 3. Prue Venerables,

4. Ford Forlando, 5. tinctory, 6. Peter Hoogeboom,

7. Cal Lane, 8. Simone Giesen, 9. Marie Chantelot