19KAREN

I am very proud (and downright freaking excited) to announce that a small selection of my work is now on display at 19KAREN Contemporary Artspace in Mermaid Beach!
You can find my bio & work on their website from today!

The gallery director, Terri Lew, has an amazing energy in supporting her artists, and I feel very privilaged to have my work in such a wonderful space. The two new solo shows (Abigael Whittaker & James Reka) open tomorrow night...do come say hello!

Now, excuse me whilst I run around like a kid on Christmas Eve...

(With thanks to photographer Carmel Dunne)

my creative space

I've been painting those porcelain feathers from a few weeks back...
I'm so paranoid about snapping the 'quills'! I'm dreaming of wearing these as earrings :)

More clever creative spaces with Miss Kirsty of Kootoyoo.

p.s. Thank you all for your lovely congrats messages from last week, you make me feel very special x

lorikeet

It's official - my pots are successful. They have the rainbow lorikeet stamp of approval!

Ahhh I just want ALL their feathers. In a non-creepy way...

grass

I'm playing with cute ways to photograph my work...attempt number one - dew tipped grass in the park :) comments are most welcome. And hello to you nice new followers/readers, its a pleasure to know you're out there.

square

olive

Katy = happy.
Hello olive dishes!

my (published!) creative space

Oh today is a happy creative space day. A photo of my work was published in The Journal of Australian Ceramics!
(how nice is that pot on the cover?! I believe it is the work of Neville French. Clever man!)

Look, look, up there in the top right hand corner of page 44! Hello Willow Bird Dishes!

I feel very lucky, especially as I was included in this feature last year too. Big thank you to The Australian Ceramics Association. You guys rock!

More creative spaces can be found over here!

sketch

I love looking back through my sketch books. I've managed to stick to just one over the last 6 months (usually I could be doodling in any one of six!).

Rainbow lorikeet feathers in watercolour paint and pencils, January 2010
Rainbow lorikeet feathers in watercolour paint and pencils, January 2010

waiting

The kiln fired overnight, and is at 296C right now.

my creative space

This week I've been working on some new designs for my rainbow lorikeet range;
Another olive and pit bowl, but the 2 pieces will be glazed separately so the glaze will bond them together in the kiln firing. I attached the 2 pieces at greenware stage for my first attempt only to realise that glazing with 2 - 3 different colours will be a nightmare!

And some folded ramekins. Do let me know what you think, suggestions are most welcome...I'm very excited to see these glazed. College classes start again today so I'll be taking ALL my pots in to start filling the kiln.

Now go see Kootoyoo to find other crafty creative types!

daughter

I like finding lovely new blogs. I especially like meeting the people who own these lovely blogs.
Go see my new friend at daughter.

Q&A

I've been doing a spot of work to help out at this lovely gallery recently. Working around pieces by some of my favourite contemporary artists is a bit special. The gallery director sent a set of questions to all our artists last week, and we received some great answers that make so much more sense than silly artist statements. Of course, reading all of their answers make me wonder what I would say...so I had a go!

girl cup complete with 24ct gold lustre

1. At what age did you begin creating art?

I remember drawing Disney characters during a thunderstorm when I was about 4 years old. I think my Mum was distracting me from being scared. I was 14 when I started working with ceramics, but I loved playing with plasticine and clay as a kid.

2. Why do you make art?

Because I'm good at it! Most days. I haven't yet found anything else that can hold my attention like ceramics.

3. Who do you make it for?

First it was for me, to fill my kitchen cupboards, then family and friends wanted pieces, and now there are nice strangers out there that buy my work!

4. Do you plan out a piece or do you wing it?

It depends on what I want to make. If its a new design I will usually sketch out ideas on paper, but it can be really hard to imagine a 3D form on paper, so it can be easier to start off with a clay prototype then go back to the drawings later.

5. Do you have heroes?

Clarice Cliff in particular has inspired me for years. She was the first female ceramic designer in the Staffordshire Potteries in the 1930s. For a woman of that era she was revoluntionary. I also love the work of Gustav Klimt, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and my own teacher, Michaela Kloeckner.

6. How do you decide when a piece is finished?

When it gets too dry to work with! There is a certain timeframe to respect when working with ceramics. I try to keep my work simple yet unusual. Not knowing how the work is going to look after the glaze firing can be very difficult, so a lot of it is guess work.

7. Do you have your own cure for artist's block?

Beach walks are good, especially at sunrise. Talking to people helps too, asking their opinions of my work. People who don't have the facilities to make their own pots usually have some great ideas and don't mind sharing. In fact they get very excited that I've made something that they inspired!

8. Do you think having an art education is important in order to be successful?

I believe that primary and secondary schools should provide a solid arts education. Sadly its the first department to go when money is tight and is considered a 'soft' subject. That needs to change. I'm skeptical about arts at university. I've met too many arts graduates who can't balance their books. There is a lot that uni doesn't and can't teach. I believe in apprenticeships, learning on the job and respecting those people who have perfected their craft over a lifetime.

my (mug) creative space

Seeing as mug production has been so dominant in my posts of late, I thought I would share a little more about what happens before/after making the basic form.
My feather mugs started life as this tiny teeny drawing in my sketch book after fiddling around with handles and realising that I could make both right and left handed mugs,

I made a slightly snazzier sketch (partly as concept drawings are compulsory at college, partly cos I like them!)I throw the basic form on the wheel, then trim and stamp my initials on the base, and attach the handle,Leave to firm up overnight, then do the real fun stuff that first got me hooked on ceramics - painting.I'm getting pretty speedy with my feathers. I use Duncan EZ Strokes as they give great colours in the first coat - most ceramic colours require at least 3 good coats to get a strong colour. I only hope they don't drive me crazy with boredom too soon.After a bisque firing, I roll glaze the inside of the mug with cobalt gloss glaze, then the outside with clear gloss glaze and fire them to 1280C.And they come out looking beautiful like these! After today's work I should have about 14 mugs ready to bisque fire - yay!

(Can you tell that I'm missing college production reports?! Old habits, huh.)

See more creative spaces over at Kootoyoo's blog :)

throw

A very successful morning of throwing I think...12 pots done without being distracted by emails or biscuits.
This is my view of the wheel, complete with curtain tied back with an elastic band and red plastic tablecloth 'tarp' to protect the wall...!

mail

The postman made me happy yesterday. He brought me some earrings from clever jewellery maker Kellie Christie! I spotted them in her last my creative space and had to own them.
Thank you Kellie, they're beautiful :) x

smug

I'm feeling a bit smug about my throwing. Yesterday was surprisingly successful.
6 pots to become mugs, a decent sized bowl (never made one that big) and...

...the smallest pot I've ever done. Intentionally! There was a time when I could curse my unskilled hands for not being able to make something much bigger than this.
This is the first prototype of an 'olive and pit' bowl that a friend has been pestering me to make for some time and I'm quite pleased so far. Glazing it will be a bitch though.