Down in the Studio

I've been down in the studio working towards Christmas shows. It's hard to keep focused on the integrity of the drawing on the pots at this time of year.




When I look at the orders and see large numbers of one design I'm tempted to do a production line, but over the years I've found this approach just doesn't work for me. Every time I sit down at the wheel to throw or the desk to decorate I try to focus my mind on what I want the pot to communicate to the user- the curve of the belly and the foot standing perkily "like a woman in high heels" as an older wiser potter once said to me. Every pot is decorated with a drawing which is pretty much completed from start to finish as one drawing rather than brocken up into stages such as "all the orange bits now, all the green slashes now." When I'm drawing I try to keep in my mind the essence of what I'm conveying in marks- the grassiness of grass, how it grows, why thicker, big twigs look different, less flexible than the thin springy twigs used in the inside of the nest. Instead of thinking of these pieces as 20 paddock pots or 15 nest bowls I think of them as 20 drawings of paddocks and 15 separate drawings of nests.

the mystery of judging

Last week I went to the Gold Coast International Ceramic Awards. I had some work in the exhibition of finalists and this is a really good opportunity to see a slice of Australia's (only a couple of international entries) contemporary ceramics scene. The judge, Noel Frankham had created a beautiful exhibition in which you could clearly see his interest in porcelain. I also love porcelain and found the exhibition very inspiring. Some people have found this award to be too idiosyncratic because the prizes are awarded by only one judge not a panel. I quite like this, it is idiosyncratic but having one judge throws up really unusual choices at times and reflects personal preferences. In this world of panels and "unbiased" judgments I like the reflection of the personal in the Gold Coast Award, the judge is not forced to abandon their favorite in favour of the majority view. It makes a weird collection which, when we finally get to view the acquisitions from over the years may appear to be slightly uneven but I think the greatest collections in the world reflect the biases of the collectors rather than the majority view which can at times be a bit bland.

So... If I was judge this is what I would have chosen.
Julie Sheperd's wonderful work "City Dwellers"


(approx 50cm wide by 60cm high)


Julie says
"“There is no solitude in the world like that of the big city.” Quote from Kathleen Norris.

Although we live in close proximity to others who share the same physical structure, no one can share exactly what another person experiences, consequently we are ultimately alone in the world."

The juxtaposition of the screen printed illustrations from 19th century medical encylopaedia with the expressionistic brushstrokes create a dynamic movement across the piece which is illuminated and displayed on the wall. The grid like pattern of the boxes reference apartments or the compartmentalization of modern life. When we look in, we don't see the mundane but the mystery beneath the surface of reproduction, families , living together and the human condition.

Avital Sheffer (who's work heads this post) would have also been one of my winners. The work in the exhibition was not this particular piece but it was similar. Avital's work was so self-contained yet the earthenware body, decorative surface and low firing lent it a warmth and tactile appeal that contrasted to much of the other work in the show. Avital's work reminds me simultaneously of the human body, with it's soft skin-like texture and pages of old books so worn from the flicking of fingers that they have taken on a soft, almost slightly furry feel and a sepia colour. Both these works seem to contain the mystery of being human in an object.

windows

I've just discovered the work of American jeweller Judy Geib. (thanks to "Dear Ada" blog)

Her jewellery is a journey into the natural world. Abstractions of geographic and botanical phenomena made with jewels and metal, these pieces are presented in knitted boxes.




This is a such an inventive use of craft. I love it when crafted wares tap into wider concerns and cross over in their intentions and integrity into art. For me, the best crafted items are actually as thought-provoking and strong in their intentions as the best piece of art. Great craft is exposed to the rough and tumble of the real world and still takes the viewer out of themselves, through a little jewellery, ceramic, textile window giving a glimpse of a world beyond the mundane.

what holds us together

I discovered these great things at Origin Craft Fair in London. Unfortunately I did not go there but they have such an exciting website I felt like I was browsing stalls from my very own home in my pyjamas and cardigan.

Julie Haslam creates Domestic Bliss with her range of tea towels aprons and other linen things. I love the recipes







...but thought I'd also include the shopping list for a very special collector I know ...







Claire Coles stitches things. Wallpaper, cups and saucers and tables. Her art is fun and suprising but also makes me contemplate the world we live in, what holds us together. Somehow I don't find a stitched table incongruous but tender and touching.

beads, babychinos and blood oranges

f
The Queen Victoria Markets, Melbourne. Boreks, fresh, flopppy yeast pastry wrapped around a sour, salty feta, parsley and spinach filling. Sausages, goats cheese and blood oranges.



Craft Victoria. A warm welcome from the staff for an out- of-towner. Counter, the retail space is stuffed with treasures from Sandra Bowketts wonderfully spotty wares.




..to Hammer and Daisy owls and Dani M beads so matt and tactile I feel like eating them- hmmm back to the Queen Vic Markets....


Books For Cooks. Two huge rooms of cookbooks and food writing, big wooden tables make it easy to pull out a dozen flick through deliscious pictures. Next door Enoteca is really a wine shop with a bar in the front- their hot chocolate took me back to Les Deux Maggots in Paris, an experience I am always chasing. Fizzy D approved thouroughly of the Babychino and even though I half feel it's unbearably prententious she has so much fun eating them I can't stop sharing the coffee shop experience with her.

When I first moved to Brisbane from my small country town at the age of 17 I remember thinking "If I have to live in the city I'm going to be right in the middle of it and gulp up all it has to offer." It was a hard but great experience and developed my lifelong love of bookshops, movies, and meeting friends at cafes.