Poets of Pottery Exhibition 2024

Welcome to the POETS of POTTERY EXHIBITION & AWARD

Mansfield & District (MAD) Potters is proud to present the works of 35 artists exhibiting in our first Poets of Pottery exhibition. This exhibition is a showcase of ‘imagination & expression’ through pottery. As you view the exhibition you will see the diversity of what can be made from clay. In 2022 MAD Potters formed with the goals of establishing a Mansfield Pottery Festival and a Community Pottery Studio. We believe that everyone can enjoy working with clay and creating in their own style and we wanted to give our community the means to do this.

In 2023 the inaugural Mansfield Pottery Festival was born. The one day ‘Potters Market’ set up in the central median strip of Mansfield was a huge success with over 60 potters from all over Victoria. This year we decided to create an exhibition to showcase special works, to encourage even more potters to our Festival in 2024 and so we have it!

Why call it Poets of Pottery? A poet creates with imagination and expression and here we have an exhibition created by Poets of Pottery.

One artwork from the exhibition will be chosen as the winner of the Poets of Pottery Award 2024 and will be announced at the Opening Event.

Myburgh's skillful craftsmanship invites viewers on an imaginative journey, transcending conventional constraints to explore the harmonious intertwining of fantasy and reality.

MARLIZE MYBURGH

Ian comes to ceramics after a career in hairdressing - where shape, colour and texture were all important. On discovering ceramics, he was intrigued and excited at the potential clay had as a way of expressing abstract ideas of colour and form. Ian’s one-off, hand-built pieces are adorned with inscribed lines, marks and textured painterly effects –achieved through the application of colours, slips and engobes.

Ian’s vessels are equally beautiful when viewed from all sides. He draws on his love of nature and seasonal changes of colour, light and atmosphere of the open space and freedom of a country upbringing. For Ian, ceramics is a passion.

Jessica is a ceramic artist based in North East Victoria known as Alma Terra pottery. The pieces she is presenting are heavily inspired by the beauty and magic of the alpine forest during winter time. Utilizing playful organic shapes and textures created with drawings and carvings.

Jessica seeks to capture and curate a sense of connection to the landscapes she admires and feels more connected near her home, the mountains.

JESSICA RUIZ

Verdant Spirit by Margaret-Anne Milburn is a piece that conjures up a sense of the movement, sound and changing atmospheres in nature. The iconography of the heart represents both rhythm and emotion.

MARGARET-ANNE MILBURN

Wonki Kim (Wonki and J Ceramics) is based in Melbourne north, create functional ceramic pieces designed to be natural, simple and practical for your home to everyday life using locally supplied material that are chosen thoughtfully. Majority of my works are made of very rough and dark stoneware clay decorated with white slip.

Wonki particularly loved Dumbung 덤벙 (dipping directly in to white slip) method how it brings out magical contrasts and unintentional tonal shifts when fired.

These days my creative expression is born from a need to make something for my home.

Sometimes it might be a light fitting using porcelain clay for its transparency. Other times using earthenware clay because I like to decorate with colour

I create functional art that reflects my deep connection to the landscapes and rugged coastline of Victoria. I have experience in architecture and graphic design.

My ceramics are hand built using clays such as White Raku and BRT, employing various layering and glazing techniques to achieve tones and textures reminiscent of the natural environment

I am also inspired by Japanese aesthetics, in particular the acceptance of transience and imperfection.

HARRY KYRIAKOU

My Raku-fired pottery features a captivating black and white palette, showcasing a skillfully crafted image of a bird. The contrasting tones create a dynamic visual impact, highlighting the unique beauty of the Raku firing technique.

BERNADETTE SKINNER

I created this pot using a much-loved hand-blown glass bowl that was lovingly purchased by my late mum as the mould. We both shared a passion for the garden. We loved all the colour that a garden provides; the joy and peacefulness’ that a garden can bring and the love for beauty. This is reflected in this piece with roses. With love for ‘Jean’ x.

FIONA WAREHAM

Handbuilt and handpainted set of slab vases in dark stoneware and white underglaze. Here I am, embarking on a journey, stepping inside and outside of what’s accepted - or expected - through chaos and disorder, to hopefully leave a fingerprint on this world. Will you join me?

Travelling into the heartland of Australia, I feel immersed in colour and light. The desert beauty is revolutionary in comparison to the environments of civilisation.

The journey into this country is one of acceptance and humility.

I am captivated by the relationship between form, texture and colour.

Fluid and organic forms serve as a canvas for conveying the influence of the diverse and vivid colours found in the Australian environment creating a dynamic and visual dialogue between nature and art.

These textured vessels are inspired by the erosion of rocks and minerals in the harsh Australian landscape. The layered terra sigilatta tonal combinations and texture of the clay body draw inspiration from across mountain ranges that capture both physical and emotional responses. Wheel thrown from a mix of Toast and Granite and fired to 1220 oxidation.

GILLIAN MARTIN

Vessels often evolve without firm intention and come from an innate observation of the landscape, the beauty and form seen in the world around me. Reflecting on mountains, rocks, waves at the seaside, clouds in the distance, sun setting on the horizon or the tapestry of shapes and forms found in the countryside.

Not defined, my work is intended to evoke a memory or connection to the observer of something experienced or seen.

I have long had a fascination with rocks - their forms, the curves, angles, folds, shards, layers, grit, colour, sediment, robustness, solidity, and strength. I admire their ability to weather the storms and withstand the vagaries of time and a challenging climate, and then to finally nestle and adjust to their resting place.

Resilience Vessel is inspired by rocks’ geology and timelessness of our land, its presence and resilience, its wonder; its witness to so much beyond each of us.

WENDY JAGGER

While supporting my mother-in-law in her final stage of life, the ‘Platter of Grief' emerged as a place of solace. The slow, intricate process of carving the peaks and troughs was soothing, yet reflective of the difficult time. The gold, the final stage, reflects the love that was left behind.

Reclaimed stoneware. Triple fired Cone 10. Wheel thrown, carved, oxide wash, lustre.

The piece is hand formed with hand pinched feathers. Glazed and high fired.

This work is part of my 'Earthed Series' which was an exploration of death, transformation, and metamorphosis.

Lift Off #1 is one of 2 works that respond to the feathers of a decaying bird on a beach being blown into the air by the wind, transforming the scene into a thing of freedom and beauty.

ANGIE RUSSI

"Mother Earth" is inspired by the beauty of the natural world. I’ve used dark stoneware clay drawn from the earth, the shape was inspired by the landscape around me, and the glazes I’ve used reflect the colours in nature. This piece invites tactile exploration and visual contemplation.

In the vast expanse of our remarkable land, I discovered inspiration that has ignited my creative journey. "Sunburnt Land" is not just a vase crafted from high-fired porcelain; it is a testament to the profound beauty and raw energy of the remote landscapes that have moved me. Through my travels across the country, I have been captivated by the untamed wilderness, textures, and elegance of nature.

Based on the Native American mythology. A Deer Creature is a beautiful mythological figure that appears innocent, but can be both vengeful and menacing. If a Deer Creature finds others to be harmful towards women and children, they are known to lure the villainous to their death.

LOUISE MUELLER

My instruments embody timeless resilience, their ceramic skeletons hold potential for enduring the passage of time.

PINKY WITTINGSLOW

Intertwined with their solidity is natural vulnerability. The organic elements, susceptible to decomposition, whisper a poetry of impermanence. As future hands replace these elements, the poem of my creations evolves, a testament to the ever-changing dialogue between humanity and the elements.

The inspiration behind this piece was my Balloon Dog Mug design and the challenges I faced trying to get the pieces to turn out the way I wanted them to.

This is something I face with each design and the unpredictable nature of ceramics. From the making, to firing and glazing, much of the ceramics practice seems up to fate to decide.

Kalyanii’s ceramic sculpture titled ‘This Is Not My Baby’ Is in response to one of the absurdities of nature. The Chanel Billed Cuckoo is a brood parasite and lays its eggs in other native black and white birds’ nests’ as it doesn’t create nests of its own.

Kalyanii mentions that the first time she saw a pied currawong trying to feed a Chanel Billed Cuckoo, twice its size, she almost fell over with laughter and had to look again, to understand what was going on.

KALYANII HOLDEN

Kalyanii muses that everything exists in nature, comedy, adventure, tragedy, drama! Recreating these observations and seeing the comedic element to nature helps to remind oneself of both the absurdity and joy of living!

My work is inspired by the Wabi Sabi way, a celebration of rusticity, imperfection and minimalism. I'm interested in the natural expression of clay and aim for an understated, grainy, rough and textured surface. My forms are quiet and unembellished.

I believe there is a strong correlation between our home environment and our mental health. For me, beautiful design, rich earthy tones, plants and natural materials like clay, linen, wool and wood make my home feel like a sanctuary. I'm passionate about providing handcrafted clay decor to help others create inspiring, comfortable and tactile spaces in which to live, work and rejuvenate.

CHANDRA PAUL

My thoughts constantly return to repetition of shapes and forms in different life forms, is it coral or fungus or bacteria? All of which are so vital to biological existence on this planet but not always appreciated.

VICKI BEAVAN

The work also tries to convey the juxtaposition between the softness and malleability of clay which then becomes static and solid after firing.

‘Patchwork of Life’ is hand built with a combination of slab, slump mold and coil work, and is fired to a stoneware finish.

I have applied rolled textured pieces to the surface and the texture is inspired by items around my home and garden and nature.

I am a very tactile artist and embrace the free form of hand building. I have named this piece ‘Patchwork of Life ‘ as I feel it reflects the bumpy road we travel in life.

SUE HAAG

My work is inspired by landscape and the natural world, especially the aspects that may not reveal their beauty at first glance. I like to highlight the features of the clay bodies I work with by leaving exposed areas and glazing in a way that works in harmony with the substrate. For these pieces, in keeping with the theme of the exhibition I took inspiration from works of poetry that evoke a sense of place and an appreciation for the small workings of our fragile planet

AMANDA HUNT

My work is the culmination of my love for clay, passion for throwing, interest in slip casting and the setting of mood with candlelight. The expression of balance through the theme of “Fruit as form” with simplicity along with the gravity defying balance of the pieces expresses the comical nature of relationships. Designed to illicit a smile, my work reflects on not taking oneself too seriously, evoking a sense of fun to the everyday.

Wheel thrown base, slip cast and assembled with a satin white glaze.

KIM WATERS

“Different is ok" sculpture represents acceptance and diversity, embracing uniqueness and individuality. Through its form, it embodies the idea that diversity enriches our lives and makes our world more vibrant. This sculpture serves as a powerful reminder that acceptance of differences fosters understanding and unity among people from various walks of life and shows compassion and harmony.

"Different is ok" is hand built using a heavy iron base stoneware clay with multiple glazes.

Fired to 1280 degrees

SUSI FRASER

Inspiration for making this totem came from the love of my garden and my grandchildren’s love for fishing.

WENDY BLACKLEDGE

My work relates my own experiences navigating connection, romance, love, and the subsequent heartbreak on both personal and global landscapes. Greatly inspired by gothic and catholic iconography, Mexican arts, and botanical illustrations, have developed a deep appreciation for ornate and elaborate depictions of the feminine and sacredness; the more embellished the better!

I have been finding creating decorative work in this repetitive, mimetic way soothing in the face of external turmoil.

BELLA INSCH

This work evokes memories of walking through the plains of Meseta in Spain. The plains were hot, arid and filled with grain crops and grasses. The plains are often skipped by pilgrims on the Camino as they are considered to be dull and relentless. The Meseta has a different beauty were you can find solitude and quiet. The bottle and vase shapes represent the utilitarian nature of ceramics in rural Spain.

NATALIE HERIOT

Black Sky & Blue Birds is a work inspired by the traditional way of regenerating the land. The black landscape backdrop is a ghost impression of what was and what will become after a burn-off. Birdlife is present in most of my work and here the blue birds represent optimism, life and renewal of the landscape after fire.

KAREN PIRIE

The many cups of tea I have drunk with so many circles of friends and family.

DIANA KILFORD

Inspiration for these seed pods is from my love of flora and beauty of their intricate and complex reproductive systems.

The inspiration for my Buller Billy Buttons bowl is a love for this little wildflower which is prolific on Mount Buller in summer.

The blue reminds me of the colour of the mountains. The clay used in Feeny’s Buff Raku Trachyte and the reaction when high-fired is beautiful, the exposure of iron, the colour and the rough tactile feel is what I love about hand-building.

Using my painting skills to decorate keeps me in touch with both of the mediums I love.

Artists

Ainsley May

Amanda Hunt

Angela Cunningham

Angie Russi

Ann Knights

Anthony Jensen

Bella Insch

Bernadette Skinner

Chandra Paul

Clarissa Leatham

Diana Kilford

Fiona Wareham

Gillian Martin

Harry Kyriakou

Ian Hodge

Jessica Ruiz

Kalyanii Holden

Karen Pirie

Kim Waters

Kym Stubbs

Louise Mueller

Lucy Allman

Lynn Taylor

Margaret Pearse

Margaret-Anne Milburn

Marlize Myburgh

Natalie Heriot

Pinky Wittingslow

Sue Haag

Susi Fraser

Vicki Beavan

Wendy Blackledge

Wendy Jagger

Wonki Kim

Yvette Delacy