acquired

One of the many special moments from Ebb Tide: the Gold Coast Potters Association purchased this piece to add to their Historical Collection. 

Wow ~ thank you.

[photo: Kylie Cox]

[photos: Kylie Cox]

[I've seen it in the flight of birds V, Wheel thrown + hand painted porcelain, 9 x 6.5 cm, photo: MJB Photography]

ebb tide | invitation

This is it:

:: download the invitation here

(or click the images above to enlarge)

(oh my GOODNESS, this is REAL!)

potters market

Yesterday we (the Gold Coast Potters' Association) celebrated the closing of our Annual Members Exhibition with a Christmas Market! 50 stalls, including ceramics, wood turning, weaving, jewellery and demonstrations, along with gorgeous cakes and a wicked band, made for an excellent day in the sunshine! 

[hello!]

[flowers from Joanne's garden!]

Big love to my stall buddy, Joanne McFaul - she kept us laughing all day.

annual members' exhibition

The Gold Coast Potters' Association Annual Members' Exhibition opened at Clay Art Benowa on Saturday 10 November. My work is exhibited along with 25+ members of the Association until the closing day of Sunday 25 November, which we are celebrating with a market!

'Heart Lines'

'Earth Lines' ~ themed section, 'Earthly Footprints'

[I'm especially pleased with the invitation, as I helped design it!]

post tea party.

It's creeping up to 2 weeks since our tea party at Clay Art Benowa; here are some sweet Instagram shots from the day.

[beautiful fresh flowers from Joanne's garden]

[tea cups!]

[spoons (!)]

[Lynette Rogers' marvellous teapots]

[Maurice Heim's top hat tea cups]

[Joan Smith's Spring Rain cups]

[my chocolate brownies!]

tea party

This weekend! We invite you to wear your finest party hat and join us for a Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea Party at Clay Art Benowa on Sunday 9 September, 1 - 4pm!

See previews of my work here and here!

megan puls

Megan Puls is, in the eyes of many, one of the best ceramicists in Australia. She pushes her materials and so often wins; the technical challenges that she sets herself astound me. We're privileged to call her a local Gold Coast artist and very fortunate indeed to have her as a dedicated member of and teacher at the Gold Coast Potters Association. Currently she is throwing Southern Ice porcelain and red raku clay together and piercing the porcelain, to create works like this:

 Megan is also developing this gorgeous range of soup bowls, plates and spoons (look at those spoons!)

[*jaw drop*]

pierced forms waiting to be sanded

Her range of work is certainly diverse - these exquisite sculptural porcelain arrangements blow my mind. Parts of this must be 50 cm long and no more than half a centimetre thick!

My excuse for stalking Megan's studio today: we're planning an exhibition together. I thought she was joking at first, but Megan seems to have complete faith in me to produce a new body of work suitable to exhibit alongside hers. Her absolute confidence in me actually makes me shake a little. Quite seriously, I could barely write notes this afternoon!
Apart from this being a huge honour - how many young ceramicists get such an opportunity? - I'm excited to have a reason and the motivation to produce a whole new body of work; and in porcelain too.
Stay tuned for 'Ebb Tide' in March 2013.

I recommend:
Megan's lovely website and very active Pinterest.

hello there minnie

I'd like to introduce you to a special lady in my life. Minnie is the new test kiln at the Gold Coast Potters' Association and subsequently my new best friend. She's been freshly built by Tetlow and we all have quite the crush on her.

The last 6 months have been frustrating in regards to firing my work. Minnie is my beacon of hope that I can complete work in a shorter time frame and with a lower loss rate.

Dear Minnie, you are so, so welcome.

Thursday means it's time for Mud Colony!

awards

Last month I entered this nesting dish set into the Gold Coast Potters Association's Annual Members' exhibition. I was lucky enough to be commended with the Ruth Lyons' Encouragement Award. 

Judge Di Peach, had this to say about my work;
"When nested I could see how well this set was proportioned, equally stepped in both height and diameter. They were precisely thrown, with a slit-and-crossover feature, and very neatly turned. Small colourful feathers so realistically hand painted I thought at first they were decals were positioned around the feature split and with a flawless glaze made altogether a very visually satisfying and functional set."
Considering this is my first year to exhibit with the Potters', I am so thankful to receive such an award and these positive comments about my work.

The Overall Winner of the exhibition was Anne Mossman, with a piece from her set 'Still Life II'. Di Peach said "The small dimpled bottle amongst Anne Mossman’s “Still Life II” was an exquisite wee thing. Slip cast and the surface then minutely gouged and refined its translucency was an additional quality."
I was so happy to see Anne win this award, I have been a fan of her work for years and it is so reassuring to see small works given such great credit.

potters' market

Last Sunday; Gold Coast Potters' market day, sunshine, lovely pots, cupcakes, brownies, lavender + kumquat marmalade. 

[rainbow-spewing bear in bottom right hand corner is part of these very exciting solo shows opening next month at 19 KAREN]

gc potters exhibition 2011

My entry for the Gold Coast Potters' Association Annual Members Exhibition 2011;

Lorikeet Feather Nesting Dishes

Wheel thrown + altered stoneware, hand painted underglaze, clear + cobalt gloss glazes, fired to 1275C oxidation in an electric kiln

The show opens at 3pm on Saturday 13 August at The Clay Art Benowa Gallery, Corner Ashmore Rd + Carrara St, Benowa, Gold Coast.

*photography: Carmel Dunne

painting days

My Sunday;

welcome

We had a lovely little welcome party for myself and Joanne McFaul at Clay Art Benowa last Sunday afternoon :)

[slightly embarrassed photo, taken by Michaela]

shiny birds

My first glaze firing in the Gold Coast Potter Assoc. baby kiln (affectionately known as Minnie) was a complete success! Hurrah!

['scuse the dull kiln picture, artificial light]

Folded ramekins with a new feather
Lovely lori cups!
My clear glaze was perfect, despite long months of neglect! The cobalt gloss is gorgeous as ever and I managed to be pedantic enough to remove all traces of cobalt from the outside of the cups. The yellow gloss looks good, but could use some more pigment and I certainly shouldn't be watering it down any more for roll glazing.
I owe a gratitude to the lovely ladies of the GC Potters - everyone is so supportive and helpful as I develop my ceramics practice :)

nice words

The ever lovely Gold Coast Potters Association have been kind enough to publish an article about me and my work in their March 2011 newsletter! Warning: beautiful comments, odd facts and embarrassing photos abound! Look for page 6.

[feeding lorikeets, March 2011]

Clay Art Benowa

My pots have another new home; a beautiful little gallery run by a few members of the Gold Coast Potters Association.