Pie Barberis – Vessels from the Rocky Valley Series inspired by the Bogong High Plains where Pie spent much of her childhood.

I learnt with and from Pie while studying at Holmesglen.
A warm, loyal and kind hearted lady who works hard and produces wonderful pieces.

Pie, I’m loving this new series!
My heart is happy seeing your painterly aesthetic on these hand-built vessels.
Can’t wait to see more new work from you!!

Speaking of new work, this is my very first post linking in with the MudColony community
Hello MudColony *waving*

]]> http://servantceramics.com.au/2013/06/07/while-the-internet-is-still-down/ Fri, 07 Jun 2013 07:03:00 +0000 servantceramics http://servantceramics.com.au/2013/06/07/while-the-internet-is-still-down/ I’d like to make an official statement so it’s on the record…

No internet = greater productivity.

There I said it.

I suspected this was the case and this past week without internet has definitely confirmed it.
Since the interwebs went down last Thursday, Masterchef has come back on the telly so while that has been a distraction, I have been able to get some very pretty things made and use the new, official stamp quite a lot!

Have a look….

Commissioned teapot

Base of a saucer with the official stamp

Rim of the saucer

Commissioned teacup

I’m looking forward to completing this teaset with a platter and that’s the goal for the weekend!

It hasnt been all making with clay either… on tuesday, I made my first ever proper chicken stock (boiling up an actual chicken with veges), to make a very yummy ginger chicken and asian greens soup with fresh made knots rolls as well! Oh, the kitchen smelt magnificent all Tuesday long!
Here’s the super quick  photo of dinner…

Ginger chicken and asian greens soup with fresh bread, served up on and in handmade vessels

Yum! That photo’s got me feeling really hungry haha. Thinking I’ll head home now… did I mention at the start that I was posting this from the local library – gotta love the Brisbane City Council’s free wifi connections.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love the internet to be returned at home but I’m thankful for this provision!

Been busy working away in the studio – adding the oxides this afternoon.
These little beakers are perfect for afternoon tea, freshly squeezed juice, a sneaky serve of ice-cream, entree of soup, small portion of fruit salad and for holding trail mix or even m&ms.
They’ll be bisqued soon, I promise!

Okay, so it wasn’t a surprise as such.
I knew it was coming but still – look what arrived…

Our stamp!

Complete with free, residue testing ink

Thanks John for making a wonderful stamp!

If you’re looking for a stamp, check out Laser Write Promotions!!

]]> http://servantceramics.com.au/2013/05/25/i-thought-it-might-not-happen-but/ Sat, 25 May 2013 10:23:13 +0000 servantceramics http://servantceramics.com.au/2013/05/25/i-thought-it-might-not-happen-but/ We’re off to the kiln!!

It happened later than I wanted/thought but I walked these down to the kiln this morning!

Got a good mix of vessels, gifts and glaze tests.
Anticipation levels are high. Expectations are low.
This is a new kiln to me and how I wish I was using the old student kiln back at tafe.
We had a good thing going

Looking forward to sharing the results as soon as they’re out!!

Introducing the very first Servant Ceramics bisque firing!!

I measured out the kiln dimensions on my desk and tried arranging the vessels to give me an idea what would fit into the kiln. And surprisingly, everything (bar one really awful mug, which is now in the reclaim bucket, where it should have been put straight away) made it into this first bisque firing!
Talk about a perfect quantity.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how my handles came through – hoping there won’t be too many (if any) cracks in their joins. Oh, and the teapots. It has been over a year since I actually made a teapot… these two will show me how well I recalled the process. Plus, I was experimenting with a new clay body for the majority of these pieces so it’s a matter of playing around and finding out the specific strengths and weaknesses.

Hopefully, before Thursday rolls around, I will be pulling on the plastic gloves and glazing most of these items!!
I’ve been doing some glaze research and can’t wait to get testing up some new glazes as well as finalising the range. With this first kiln load, I was focusing more on what sizes I could confidently and quickly throw from different weights of clay, rather than on designing specific shapes and forms or throwing repetitively/consistently.

I’m hoping to work on product sketching and product prototyping, as well as having enough glazing for a small kiln firing come Friday. Those are the goals. Let’s see if I get them

‘Stoneware’ lights by Adam Cornish. Soon to be released through Corporate Culture, these LED pendant lights are individually hand thrown by potter Jane Sawyer.

From Cornish himself: “It’s hand thrown form could be moulded and slip cast in the thousands but it was the slight irregularities of making each one individually and by hand that really made the product stand out from the competition.”

My heart dances. I love a good bit of praise for handmade products! Especially Australian ceramic work!!

The actual article from d*hub shares how Australian design and manufacturing industries have changed and why many projects are now intentionally undertaken for niche markets and ‘small cottage industries.’ While landing that contract with the big international brands is still sought after by many Australian designers, the writer David Harrison highlights several who have found great satisfaction in working with local artisans and manufacturers. Personally, I love limited product runs. I like the honesty they have…mmmh, maybe honesty, isn’t the right word. Let me tease this out….

With a small run, I feel that the objects are authentic, not over worked.
The exclusivity factor plays a part to be sure,
but there’s also the sentiment enveloping uniqueness:
‘if it were to break, I simply couldn’t replace it.’

Maybe that’s what I’m drawn to limited runs - knowing that if the object was to break, it couldn’t be replaced. If you could simply pull out a spare – an exact identical – sure, that’s convenient, but feels somewhat hollow to me.

]]> http://servantceramics.com.au/2013/05/10/under-the-winter-sky-exhibition-opening/ Fri, 10 May 2013 13:30:21 +0000 servantceramics http://servantceramics.com.au/2013/05/10/under-the-winter-sky-exhibition-opening/

Erinswindow’s under the winter sky exhibition opened tonight at Paper Boat Press.
It was a lovely Brissy winter’s night with quite a crowd turning up to keep the cold away from PBP’s gallery space.

You may already know of Erin Tsubono’s illustrations, jewellery and figurines via her Esty store.

Offering a wide range with mugs, spoons, service vessels, mobiles, thrones/chairs, delicate figurines and some very cute dogs (…wish I got a photo of the dogs!), there were lots of smiling faces exploring the space, discovering Erin’s delicate, decorative aesthetic.

I saw a strong sense of home being explored in Erin’s work. The chairs, the animals, even the service vessels struck me as a presentation of items which portray comfort, safety and acceptance.

Any thoughts on Erin’s work? Like it? Love it?

I wasn’t able to stay too long at tonight’s opening, but I’ll be heading back before the exhibition closes (on May 26th) to have a closer look.

]]> http://ataoistjourneyofmagicfairy.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/transcending-the-ordinary-world-installing-sangeh-indonesia/ Wed, 27 Feb 2013 04:38:54 +0000 magicfairytao http://ataoistjourneyofmagicfairy.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/transcending-the-ordinary-world-installing-sangeh-indonesia/ http://ataoistjourneyofmagicfairy.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/self-conscious-self-in-an-unconscious-mind-thinking-about-not-thinking-about-thinking/ Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:14:50 +0000 magicfairytao http://ataoistjourneyofmagicfairy.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/self-conscious-self-in-an-unconscious-mind-thinking-about-not-thinking-about-thinking/ http://australianceramics.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/narek-galleries-gleanings-contemporary-ceramics-by-shannon-garson/ Mon, 10 Sep 2012 03:33:06 +0000 australianceramics http://australianceramics.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/narek-galleries-gleanings-contemporary-ceramics-by-shannon-garson/ Come one – come all to Shannon Garson’s exhibition at Narek Galleries on the NSW south coast at Tanja from 28 September – 12 November, 2012.

This is what Karen O’Clery, Director of Narek Galleries had to say about her work:

Shannon Garson has developed her unique approach to porcelain, combining draftsmanship with the ceramic making processes, over the past decade. In 2005 she received a Churchill Fellowship and spent 3 months traveling in Europe studying the art of the medieval and Renaissance periods.”I want the surface of the pot to be part of the drawing, not just a surface for the drawing to sit on. I want the whole pot to be experienced, from the weight of it as you pick it up, the texture, the drawing, colour, smoothness of the glaze, all the elements draw the viewer into experiencing the vessel.”

Shannon Garson’s latest work articulates landscape using domestic pots as vessels for drawings about the strange beauty and wonder to be found in the marginalized eco-systems of the littoral zone. Details of shorelines, rock pools and coastal wallum scrub are revealed in the sgraffito and oxide drawings that crawl over the surface of these delicately thrown porcelain vessels. The act of beach-combing, gleaning and collecting is analogous to the process used in making these works. Images, bird-footprints, tiny flowers completely covered in white hairs, the myriad detail of the landscape has been collected into marks. A visual language mapping the experience of being in the landscape, creating a dialogue between domestic life and nature.

The gallery is open Friday to Monday, 10.30am – 5.30pm.

Narek Galleries
Old Tanja Church
1140 Tathra Bermagui Rd, Tanja
NSW 2550
T: 02 6494 0112
www.narekgalleries.com;

Time is running out for all members who sent back an EOI to get your vase made, glazed, fired and ready for the The 50th Anniversary Vase Show which will be a part of Subversive Clay, Australian Triennale 2012. The display of over 100 vases will take place at the Kaurna Building, Uni of SA, 28 September – 1 October 2012. Open 9am – 5pm. I know it can be subversive to leave it to the last minute but you don’t don’t want to miss out on being a part of this national exhibition. For more information on the Triennale  go here

For all you lucky folk attending this clay extravaganza the Journal of Australian Ceramics will be celebrating it’s 50th Anniversary at 5.15pm in the Allan Scott Auditorium. It will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this milestone with members from all around Australia so come and raise a glass in celebration of this achievement.

Get your diaries out, because this Friday 20 July comes the opening night of the 2012 Annual Woodfire exhibition at Kerrie Lowe Gallery, 6 – 8 pm.

As you step inside Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Newtown, you will find the work of 21 various woodfire potters from all over Australia.

Featured, will be a variety of unique pieces from Judy Boydell, Barbara Campbell-Allen, Kwi Rak Choung, Geoff Crispin, Rowley Drysdale, Su Hanna, Steve Harrison, Jann Kesby, Janine King, Daniel Lafferty, Janet Mansfield, Susie McMeekin, Chester Nealie, Cath O’Gorman, Joshua Rowell, Owen Rye, Geoff Thomas, Yuri Wiedenhofer, Steve Wiliams, Kirk Winter and Roswitha Wulff.

The Gallery will be open 6 – 8 pm on Friday, and 10:30am – 5:30pm (7pm on Thursdays) from Monday to Saturday. If you can’t make the opening night, make sure you get down to the exhibition before it closes on the 14 August 2012.

Kerrie Lowe Gallery:

49-51 King Street, Newtown

NSW 2042

For more information

E: lowekerrie@gmail.com

T: 02 9550 4433

F: 02 9550 1996

Or visit: http://www.kerrielowe.com/