ALaW - ABCD 2

ALaW 2010 - the alphabet continues - letters for July.

ABCD - Techniques....

Porcelain tiles - still in the raw stage:

A - Incising
B - Applied Decoration
C - Impression
D - Sprigg Decoration

Exhibition @ Studio4Gallery

Saturday afternoon saw an exhibition opening at Studio4Gallery 'Town of Seaside', Marcoola with Maleny artist Heather Gall.

Gallery directors Jennifer & Richard Stiller opened the doors to their new space early this year, and are hosting their Official Opening on the 9th September, 2010.

From left; Noela Mills, Fiona Dempster, me, & Jennifer Stiller

Heather Gall - pictured left talks about her works

Collaborative w Enviro Scapes

At times I have the pleasure to work with my partner Glen in our Landscape business Enviro Scapes incorporating some of my sculptural elements into the designs. Glen has just completed an 'in house' Landscape installation display at Peregian Garden Centre of timber boarders, pavers & pebbles with an arbour and eloborate timber screen framing and finishing off the design.

You can see in the photo below Glen's design and the screen at the back of the arbour, this is where I will be adding my sculptural touch...

To give you an idea of what I plan on doing, I've decided to do a smaller version from one of our collaborative efforts some five years ago at the Chateau Royale Beach Resort, Cotton Tree.

We were contracted to do a landscape garden design for the grounds and were also asked to come up with an idea to hide an unsightly window at the front entrance. We put our heads together and come up with this idea...

A stylised climber made of barb wire with foliage, leaves and budded rosesette's made in clay... attached to a timber screen. You can easily tell which element belongs to who in this design!

To make the climber element;

I first designed the layout onto a template, actual size. Then I twisted two lengths of barb wire together and twisted this onto a plain wire and attached my clay leaves and foliage randomly. In the meantime Glen constructed the timber screen on site, installation day saw many spectators looking on in curiousity as we secured it into place. The final touches were made with placement of the rosesette's.

Lotus Wares makes it's mark...

When a ceramicist develops their arts practice they eventually become renown for their particular style and medium as in any case in the arts world, an extremely good example in the field of ceramics is Johanna Demaine and her lusterwares, upon viewing her works you immediately recognise them as a 'Demaine'.

Considering myself being relatively a new comer into the ceramics world I've been developing my ceramics by practice, practice, practice!!! To date I can say that I now sit comfortably with three vains of ceramics all being very different from one another, you could even say to extreme!

My three ceramics consisting of my Unearthed Series; as seen in '500 Pitchers' by Larks Books US publication, which has now become a regular feature in at Main Street Gallery in Montville and is starting to find itself in private collections across the world, my Discarded Series very left of centre works; a fusion of rusted metal, found objects and ceramics it's primary focus revolves around my concerns with our ever changing society and discarded nature we have adopted, and then there's my Lotus wares a range of functional pottery I am starting to be recognised for at Bribie Island Community Art Centre

I was approached by one of the ladies from the Arts Centre asking if I happen to have some chard tiles of the beautiful torquoise glaze of my lotus plates....not having any broken chards to offer....me being me and my love for giving, I suggested, "better still, how about I make one specifically for it?" How could one refuse the offer!

I have an affinity with the Island, not just for its beautiful beaches that surround it, I have fond memories of many visits to my grandmother as a teenager when she lived there with fish & chips on the beach, and my sister lived there, then my mum moved there and ofcourse, I eventually moved there!

Yesterday to my delight on my trip down to the Art Centre, first thing I noticed out the front entrance was the mosaic plaque and my lotus plate.

Bribie Island Community Art Centre; Mosaic plaque gracing itself at the front entrance.

The detail of my plate,

"Kind of a humbling feeling that part of me still residing on the Island along with my memories...."

Trip to Reverse Garbage Brisbane

We had a 40th on the Weekend in Brissy, so Glen & I decided to drive down earlier and take a visit to Reverse Garbage for a look. It's a funky little pad with totally groovy bits and bobs which were destined for landfill.

Reverse Garbage collects discards from more than 300 companies around Brisbane.

I hadn't been there before and had heard alot about it, and for years now I've repeatedly been saying "I must get there, I gotta get down and check it out!"

Well, I can now say, I finally got there... yipee!!!!!!

So many groovy hand-made gifts from locals in the gift shop, once discarded items from in store.

My finds...

beaut old wooden & mesh trays and a couple of rusty wheels. I'm sure I can come up with something with these!