international pots

Ceramics can really take you places. This work has been selected for the International Ceramics Competition in Mino, Japan. Sending ceramics to Japan seems a bit like taking Spaghetti to the Italians so this is a great honour.



The Nest work has grown and developed over the years and is now working more dynamically in family groups in this one for Japan the "chicks" are all oval shaped pulling towards the mother. The idea of the nest encompasses home and comfort and family and it seemed natural to work with family dynamics when grouping this work. There is a slight sense of yearning as the chicks head longingly towards their mother.



The bowls that are going to Mino are a continuation of the "Magnolia Project" The bowls themselves reference a blossom shape and the interiors will range from the palest pink imaginable through to a deep blush. I think these pots may resonate in Japan as I had to draw them really fast before the flowers and leaves wilted, this sense of urgency is in the air every springtime as the flowers burst in bloom and for a few weeks frantically flaunt themselves trying to attract the pollinators

melbourne exhibtions....... and artists

I had such a great time meeting other artists in Melbourne. My friend Jane Sawyer convinced to me to go to Janet De Boos' exhibition at Skepsi on Swanston.

Skepsi on Swanston is a beautiful small gallery dedicated to the ceramic arts. Seeing a range of Australia's top ceramicists in a retail context where you are able to get up really close to the work and even....touch them is a great pleasure.


I was lucky enough to see Janet give an artists talk on the opening night of her exhibition. The concepts behind Janet's articulate, sensually thrown tableware are fascinating. This body of work is building on ideas about the juxtaposition of the handmade and the industrial. One set included a variety of work all with different aspects of the same industrial decal , a handthrown teapot, with hand applied decal, formed a set with cups from gift shops and bone china designed by Janet and made in a factory in China. Janet made the point that sometimes makers of artisan wares think of industry as their enemy when in reality "industrial" wares are also created by individual crafts persons albeit working within the factory context rather than the studio.



It is so important that artists talk about their work, hearing Janet's speech added an important dimension to the viewing of this exhibition for me, the ideas were so exciting and complex that the work really served as the tip of the iceberg in terms of the complete concept.


The owner of Skepsi on Swanston, Vipoo Srivilasa ceramcist extraordinaire (more on him next time!) and Janet De Boos

Modern Classics

I've been in Melbourne for the past 2 weeks. When you live in the country sometimes you just have to get out and see people you don't know and stuff you can buy. (Although my little country town has changed a lot since I grew up here and now it is a very civilized blend of bookshops, cafes and galleries.)

Gertrude St, Fitzroy is one of the most exciting streets in Melbourne for me. After a hot chocolate at Bridget Hafner's Enoteca I stumbled across Vixen Australia.



Vixen is an opulent brand of fashion, textiles and homewares created by Georgia Chapman. The shop is a textural wonderland ranging from the rich red wool of a rug created through a collaboration with Designer Rugs through to whispery, soft silk dresses and skirts.



Vixen Australia's clothes reference the past. This seasons range "Metro Oriental" puts me in mind of tea dances in 1930's Shanghai. The fabrics are beautifully designed with layers of subtle colour and amazing patterns with influences ranging from Hokusai prints through to paisley and tattoos.



Taking fashion out of the immediate trends and into the realm of the collectable is a wonderful goal and I think all craftspeople should be inspired by Chapman's uncompromising attitude to this aspect of a fickle industry. I also love how she balances retail design with artistic projects. This is a tightrope that all practitioners walk as they try to create sustainable businesses within an artistic practice.



Georgia Chapman makes all her fabrics and clothes in Australia and it takes 12-14 craftspeople to create each piece. The clothes are handmade, exquisite. Chapman says

"We want to create a collection that is a
considered response to a particular time and
place, with investment pieces that do not date.
Our concern is for craftsmanship - handmade,
timeless simplicity that is beautiful, to keep
forever."