Pottery In Australia Vol 30 No 2 1991

Potte inAustra]ia 

ry Volume 30 no 2, 1991 ,

¥oon Kwang-Cho 

Master Korean Potter 

story page 11

Contents 

Pottery in Australia 

Volume 30 No 2, 1991 

Front cover: Pat Cahill see page 3 

Back cover: Lynne McDowell 


Published by The 

Potters' Society of Australia 

COMMITTEE 

Editor eJ President of The Potters' 

Society of Australia Leonard Smith 

Co-editor 

Business Manager 

Sue Buckle 

Trish Wilkins 

Editorial Committee 

Greg Daly 

Steve Harrison 

Robert Linigen 

Lindy Rose Smith 

Vic toria Representative 

Barry Hayes 

Design eJ Production 

Tony Young 

LaserlnlageWorks 

Finisbed art 

Printed by 

ISSN 0048 4954 

Ros Blackburn 

Inprint Limited 

2 Editorial 

3 Pat Cahill 

6 Surface Paradise Exhibition The Potters' Society in 

Conjunction with Manly Art Gallery &. Museum 

11 Yoong K wang-Cho Sue Buckle 

13 New Members 

14 Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award Christine 

Thacker 

18 The Sydney Teapot Show Inner City Clayworkers 

Gallery 

21 Milestones for Hamilton TAFE Lesley Wickham 

24 Recent Work 

29 

I 

Gallery Profile The Blaxland Gallery 

31 Evolution of the Vessel Leonard Smith 

37 The Paper Kiln Hildegard Anstice 

39 A New Gas Kiln Leonard Smith 

43 Ceramic Products of Canakkale Zebra Cobanli 

47 Kate Leach A Celebration of Daily Living 

49 6th National Ceramic Conference 

55 Getting Published for the Rest of Us Leonard Smith 

58 Statement Peter Steggall 

61 Recent Student Work 

63 Artists &- Unions: The Issues Stephen Cassidy 

66 Exhibiton Listings 

68 Book Review 

72 Living without Grants Richard Murray 

76 Letters 

78 News 

Pottery in Australia 1

Editorial 

With the worst of our trials behind 

us, we can now look forward 

to the future of both 'Pottery 

in Australia' and the Potters' 

Society of Australia. Financially we appear 

to be in a stable position, so that we can 

continue to serve you in the way many of you 

have suggested. 

The magazine always represents the contributions 

of its readers and to be truthful, we can 

never get enough of them. I know there are 

many of you out there who have always 

thought, "I might just write about that and 

send it to 'Pottery in Australia"', or, liMy work 

is as good as that, I'll get some good slides and 

send them in." We here at 'Pottery in Australia' 

are just waiting for you to stop procrastinating! 

We had a wonderful response to the last magazine 

and I'm sure you are going to like this one. 

For the first time in a long time, we have a kiln 

plan and we will continue to publish down-toearth 

articles about the who, how, what and 

why of pottery. Aesthetics and philosophy are 

not neglected, as in particular, with my brief 

article about the development of the vessel, its 

function and its decorations. We are trying to 

strike the right balance, and if we have please 

let us know; if we haven't we will certainly 

listen to you. 

This issue is being co-edited by Sue Buckle, 

who, if she survives the effort of putting this 

issue and the next together, has agreed to take 

over from me. I'm afraid the strain of doing four 

jobs has finally got to me, and anyway, I think 

it is important that no-one should stay as 

editor for too long. We at the Potters' Society 

would like to see the Editor'S poSition re-filled 

about every three years. We would also like to 

have more input from interstate. So far, only 

two groups have taken up our offer of appointing 

interstate representatives - the QPA and 

the Victorian Ceramic Group. With the next 

2 Pottery in Australia 

conference set down for mid 1993 in Adelaide, 

I think it is important for the other states to 

have more input. So, how about it WA, SA, 

Tasmania and Nf? 

Finally, I'm writing this from Port Moresby in 

Papua New Guinea, of which you will hear 

more in the next issue. I'm on a cultural 

exchange with a New Guinea potter who will 

be coming to my college for 6 months next 

year. I'm making pots for the first time in 12 

months and I can tell you, it feels good!! I guess 

that's what it's all really about, doing it for the 

pure pleasure of it. 

Leonard Smith (Potter) 

Famous Kilns No.4 

Being somewhat slow to wake up, I have only 

just noticed the IIfamous kilns" series in 'Pottery 

in Australia'!! 

So, I have sent you a photo of my kiln at 

Kardella. It was taken in 1986 whilst still in its 

pristine state before the first firing. It has now 

been fired fourteen times and is rather grubby! 

The kiln is usually fired twice per year. The 

firing takes about four days. The kiln is about 

12.2m long and 2.7m wide and high at its 

largest places. Overall size is about 1000 cubic 

feet, stacking space being about 800 cubic feet. 

Robert Barron, Gooseneck Pottery 

Kardella Victoria

Pat Cahill 

T 

he work illustrated here 

speaks for itself - 

terracotta, uncomplica 

ted in line and 

brightly decorated, it is obviously 

designed for use, and at the same 

time demands to brighten a comer 

ofthe kitchen or living room. This 

is what I make it for. In my work is 

expressed my own love of colour, 

my optimism about life in general, 

my impatience with detail, my 

need of friends and company. I 

don't expect my pots to have a 

general appeal, but hope they will 

eventually arrive in the hands of 

owners who find them friendly. 

The business of producing functional 

ware can be very tricky. 

Technical problems abound; clay 

and glazes and firings are fraught 

with pitfalls for the unprofessional 

or the unwary. Innovation can be 

an expensive exercise in lost time, 

materials, energy, sales. And the 

unending variety of well-made, 

mass-produced ceramics is daunting. 

Yet despite the difficulty of 

actually making a living, many of 

us persist, teaching or taking other 

odd jobs to tide us over the hard 

times. 

I grew up in the 40s and 50s, when 

education was centred around 

European culture: I studied 

History from the English 

viewpoint, Latin, French and 

Botany - not Physics! Aboriginal 

and Asian studies were almost 

non-existent: the U castles" were 

in Paris, Rome, Marseilles, 

Florence. The art world was far 

removed from the everyday. As a 


ca,reer it was regarded as dilettante, and 

generally discouraged. In my imagination it 

was peopled by exotic beings, bohemian, 

romantic. An unattainable and intriguing 

paradise, in fact, and beyond my pedestrian 

capabilities. These early impressions remain 

strong. Over the last few years, however, I have 

come to see that an artist comes in 

many guises, that ART means 

different things to different people, 

and that intellectualising about it 

somehow saps its power. It requires 

the passion to express oneself - 

emotionally, intellectually, 

physically - and the courage and 

competence to do it well. After that, 

the best art is produced by those who 

just do it, and keep doing it. 

Despite my recent ascent to grandmotherhood, 

I am a very "young" 

potter, only graduating from ESTC in 

1983. My background is language 

teaching and family affairs: trying to 

cater to the needs of a committed 

doctor husband and seven energetic 

children. Simone de Beauvoir, Betty 

Friedan, Kate Millett and Germaine 

Greer only reached my consciousness 

in the 70's, helping me to understand 

why my early attempts to return to 

teaching, my sewing and knitting and 

furniture renovation, my hobby 

courses in enamelling, leatherwork, 

painting, failed to satisfy. Such activities 

were permeated with a vague guilt 

about using one's leisure time productively. 

Self-expression was an indulgence, 

and although any of these directions 

could have provided an avenue 

for true creativity, I did not allow myself 

to pursue them with passion. 

I mention these things because many 

women of my generation, myself included, 

expended our creativeness in this way. 

It was the approved way, in fact, because "home 

duties" did not allow full commitment to 

anything else. Then again, by tackling only 

small projects and taking refuge in those same 

home duties we could shield ourselves from 

possible failure, or even from possible success, 

4 Pottery in Australia

which might have been just as threatening. 

So pottery was just another hobby course, at 

first, to be slotted in between days of casual 

teaching, which was of course a "real" job. It 

was only when the offer of a challenging fulltime 

teaching position seemed imminent that 

I pleaded home duties and scurried on my cold 

feet back to the safe haven of pottery at Liverpool 

Tech, there to be prodded into applying for 

entry to ESTC by Len Smith. Standing on the 

brink, I received the final benevolent push 

from my husband and children, who have 

since never failed to encourage me. 

Ten years down the track, I can say that I am 

very happy to have been given that push. 

Pottery has helped me along the road to selfknowledge 

and self-acceptance. One is always 

ctitical of one's efforts, but I have begun to 

understand what I like about my own work. I 

can now be philosophical about the likes and 

dislikes of fellow artists and the buying public, 

whereas once, every adverse comment was 

cause for anguished self-examination. 

The major battle is with technical problems 

inherent in ceramics, and with balancing the 

exigencies of earning a living against the desire 

to try new directions. 

My work is strongly influenced by my study of 

romance, languages and culture, by my visits 

to France and Italy, and my discovery of the 

beauty of Islamic pottery. I have an ongoing 

enchantment with lands of the Mediterranean, 

and hope that the vitality and earthiness 

I associate with these places are reflected in my 

pots. 

Clay: Blackwattle Terracotta 

Decoration: 

Glaze: 

Firing: 

Cesco Terracotta 

Coloured brushed-on slip and 

sgraffito 

Cesco Commercial Clear 

Bisque 10000 

Glaze 10800 

LP gas and electric kilns 


Surface Paradise 

Exhibition 

'!he Potters' Society in co-operation 

with Manly Art Gallery &.. Museum 

T 

his 

exhibition marks a new phase 

in the growing relationship between 

The Potters Society of Australia 

and the Manly Art Gallery 

and Museum. 

The gallery, with the strong commitment to 

Australian ceramics of director Michael 

Pursche, has shown two previous survey exhibitions 

of work by The Potters Society's exhibiting 

members, "The Creative Table." in 1989 

and last year's "Collectables, the Home Gallery". 

"Surface Paradise" is a more focused 

showing, concentrating on the work of just 12 

existing members of the society, whose major 

concern is the use of surface as a vehicle for 

personal expression. 

A variety of surface was indicated both to 

reflect the many possibilities inherent in clay 

work and to illustrate the rich diversity of 

approach of the Society's members. 

Ranging from the clean high tech precision of 

Andrea Hylands' porcelain to the vigour of a 

David Potter or a Shaelene Murray, from the 

classical Jun glazed vessels of Peter Rushforth 

to Chris James' sensuous saggar-fired work or 

Catherine Lane's and Steve Davies' animated 

earthenwares,the exhibition encompasses a 

wide range of styles and techniques. 

It is a celebration of possibilities of surface - 

the paradise of surfaces available to the contemporary 

clay worker. 

Differences in technique, although sought by 

the curators, was not the definitive criteria for 

selection. Rather a variety of visual surface 

possibilities were assembled with the major 

concern being excellence. 

Participating Artists' Statements 

Steve Davies 

Recent pieces have been heavily influenced by 

a journey through Africa by a close friend who 

was under strict instructions to keep the postcards 

coming, which didn't happen. This left 


Steve Davies, "Treetop Ambush" 45cm (top) 

Peter Rushforth, Blossom Jar Jun Glaze 34 x 34 

(above) 

Greg Daly, Vase -lustres, gold leaf and etching 

(top right) 

Catherine Lane, "Salad Servers" 30cm (centre 

right) 

David Potter, "Southern Cross", volcanic glaze eiJ 

oxides, mid {ired, s/w 45 x 32 cm (right)

studio partner Catherine Lane and 

myself to begin imagining and inventing 

stories and situations our 

friend could be in. Hyaenas became 

for me the vehicle in which to describe 

the Australian tourist abroadan 

aggressive pack animal, a little 

stupid and cowardly, in the pursuit of 

survival but retaining the dignity of 

the full bred carnivore. 

Peter Rushforth 

I use the techniques of throwing and 

high fired stoneware as an idiom to 

express concepts of form, glaze quality, 

patterns and textures. The optical 

blue glaze traditionally known as Jun 

(ChunJ has its origin in the classical 

period of Chinese ceramics. 

Catherine Lane 

My attempts to use colour in a 

painterly fashion stem from a broad 

range of inspiration - Klirnt, Chagall, 

Gaugin- butmymainfigurativeleanings, 

with their whimsical humour, 

are a direct response to colourful folk art from 

Mexico and Spain, and the warm naive way in 

which these clayworkers depict the human 

figure within their environment. Moving away 

from tight, laboured patterning towards looser, 

more spontaneous and primitive use of colour 

and decoration, this new work is evidence of 

my continuing re-direction. 

David Potter 

I am inspired by the random markings on 

workbenches, school desks, rusty metal and 

paintwork; the flaky frescoes of Italy and the 

disintegration of the hieroglyphics of Egypt; 

the spirit of surface - the strength of classical 

form. 

Greg Daly 

Images, illusions, light and form are my concerns 

in my present work. With the use of 


coloured glazes as the base, 

the lustres vary and modify 

the colours. Tones and colours 

change intensity with 

different light sources and 

viewing angles. These 

lustres are made using gold, 

cobalt, bismuth and zinc in 

different combinations. The 

use of metal leaves has the 

effect of creating illusions of 

colour and light that flow 

over the surface, at the same 

time drawing the viewer into 

the depth of the glaze. The 

etching of the surface pattern 

creates a matt silky surface, 

acting as a foil for the 

lustre and leaf. 

Andrea Hylands 

At the moment I am working with bone china. 

While not a true porcelain, it is a highly fluxed 

body that retains a good deal of the characteristics 

of porcelain. Its absolute whiteness is 

ideal as an empty canvas for the application of 

colour. 

Lynne McDowell 

This work was originally inspired by the landscape 

as seen from a light aircraft. I saw the 

afternoon sunlight turn pools and channels 

into liquid gold. The patterns then developed 

into geometries and softer richer brocades of 

gold and silver. I use porcelain for its pearly 

whiteness and contrast this with a rich bronze/ 

black glaze flecked with gold and silver. A 

critical consideration is the desire that the gold 

lustre and the incised pattern should appear 

embedded into the surface, an integral part of 

the pot and the design. 

Christopher James 

My aim is to achieve smooth soft surfaces and 

flowing curves which beckon the viewers to at 

Andrea Hylands, Bone China Bowl with Folds 

22 x 34cm 

Lynne McDowell, Platter 

least run their hands over the form. In contrast 

to this I often explode and pit the clay surface 

with a gas burner to achieve a sandstone-like 

quality. These qualities stem from a desire to 


Christopher Tames, saggar fixed, terra sigillata 

slip 35 x 38cm (top left) 

Shaelene Murray, wood fixed vessel (left) 

Tane Barrow (photograph Raoul Butler) (above) 

mimic the beauty and varied colours found in 

the Australian bush. I am also influenced by 

the beauty of the planets, particularly Jupiter 

and it's orbiting moons. 

Shaelene Murray 

My vessels are wood fired. Slips are applied in 

layers. Some marks reinforce curves, others 

allude to volume and shadow. The work is 

bisqued and wood fired for around 50 hours. 

The colours, flashing, the ash and slag, reinforce 

the elemental quality of the clay. 

JaneBarrow 

There is no monumental statement as such in 

my work - rather a collection of subtle feelings 

dealing with volume and surface and linked to 

the tradition of the thrown form: an intricately 

detailed surface of layered and enmeshed patterns 

represents the order inherent in chaos. 

Each layer, although simple in itself, defines a 

more and more complex notion through 

overlayering. The sequence of patterns individually 

coloured range from metallic black 

and dark blue through to reflective turquoise 

greens and pale blues. The technique used in 

making these surfaces is the inlay of slips and, 

although an over-tedious process in itself, provides 

a smooth finish giving the pattern an 

optical depth that is embedded in the surface of 

the forms ... purposely simple in shape. 

Diogenes Farri 

If the dialogue between the inner and outside 

world and the resonance of that dialogue is 

what determines ourreality, my work is rooted 

firmly in the world of my reality. Actually I 

think of my work as resonances. Every time I 

seriously commit myself to work, my whole 


eing is involved in making decisions. 

I cannot conceive the idea of 

separating my life, that means my 

experiences, from my work which, 

at the same time, becomes a new 

experience. Therefore I almost always 

expect my work to change, to 

surprise and to confront me. It is 

only then that I believe a real examination 

or evaluation of what 

one does or makes takes place. 

Sue Jorgensen 

The ebb and flow, the undulating 

curves, the lines of interception, 

the fluidity and movement of bodies 

both human and animal have been translated 

in my work into large, almost monumental 

vessels. The swelling volumes relate to the 

voluptuous compactness of flesh. Their size is 

a tribute to the impact of bodily form on my 

consciousness. The surface of the work is a 

richly textured complex of gouged strokes and 

rolled and rubbed clay additions, utilising coloured 

slips and underglazes. The complexity of 

this surface acts as a representation of the 

diverse and complicated range of associations 

and emotions evoked in us by body form. My 

intention is to startle the eye, to evoke a 

response, to move the viewer towards some 

emotion and to celebrate the beauty of living 

bodies and our deep and often fathomless responses 

to them. 

Sue Jorgensen, ;ug detail 

Diogenes Fam 

., 

"Surface Paradise" opens 18th 

October to 17th November 1991 

Manly Art Gallery and Museum, 

West Esplanade Reserve, Manly NSW 

Curators Robert Linigen and Sue Jorgensen 

are practising professionals and committee 

members of The Potters Society of Australia. 


YOOD, Kwang-Cho 

Sue Buckle 

I 

f you had visited Macquarie Galleries 

in Sydney during August you would 

have seen an exhibition by a Korean 

Master Potter whose traditions go back 

600 years. 

Yoon Kwang-Cho is bringing a new perspective 

to the great traditions of Punchong Stoneware. 

His work represents the first exhibition by a 

Korean Master Potter in Australia and has 

been an important and exciting event at Macquarie 

Galleries in Sydney. He has previously 

exhibited internationally in Finland, America, 

Germany and Japan. 

During his visit here Kwang-Cho has been 

giving Master Classes at Sydney College of the 

Arts, East Sydney Technical College, 

Chisholm Institute of Art and Canberra School 

of Art. 

Punchong stoneware dates back to the fourteenth 

century when it was practised extensively 

in many parts of Korea. King Sejong's 

official annals recorded the existence of 184 

stoneware and porcelain kilns during his reign 

1419-14S0AD. Today there are relatively few 

kilns working to produce traditional pottery. 

Punchong wares are characterised by spontaneity 

in both form and decoration and a care- 

free lack of restraint. The pieces were admired 

by Japanese connoisseurs of the tea ceremony 

and influenced the development of vessels for 

that ceremony in Japan after the Japaneseinvasion 

of Korea in the sixteenth century. 

Punchong vessels are still used in the Korean 

tea ceremony although today, unlike in Japan, 

this ceremony is mainly performed by the 

monks in the temples. 

Punchong wares feature a white slip applied 

over an iron coloured body. This allows a rich 

variety of patterns using many different tools 

and techniques for stamping, scraffito, painting 

and inlay. The pieces are finished with a 

clear or pale bluish-green glaze fired to stoneware 

temperatures. 

Yoon Kwang-Cho trained at university in Korea 

where' his interests in ceramics quickly 

turned to traditional techniques. He spent 

time visiting traditional kilns and working 

with the Masters. 

This was followed by further study of the long 

history of Korean ceramics at the Museum. 

Today he works alone in the mountainous 

countrySide in a workshop combining traditional 

techniques with new technology and 

ideas. 

Yoon Kwang-Cho's pieces are made by using 

handbuildingtechniques or throwing. He uses 

coils, slabs, moulds and a kick wheel or an 

electric wheel. "I like plenty of variety", he 

laughs. 

The clay is a mixture of a factory produced 

body and local clays. The texture is important 

for the finished, piece with plenty of variety of 

particle size within the body. "Punchong does 

not hide the quality of its origin - earth. III 

The white slip is prepared in the studio and 

applied with a range of brushes and worked on 

at different stages of the drying to give vitality 

and spontaneity to the finished surface. His 

tools for decorating include his fingers when 

the slip is very wet, and a number of man made 


and natural tools such as straw or the broken 

ends of branches drawn through the slip at 

different stages of drying, to vary the quality of 

the lines produced. 

Coils or thin slabs are also added to the surface 

and worked on as part of the decoration. All 

these are traditional techniques that Kwang 

Cho has added to. "I am beginning a creative 

rebellion towards a new art. I seek incessant 

experimentation with the depth and insight of 

Korean cultural roots. liZ His art, however, does 

not depend on technique. He says II An artist 

should put his or her heart and soul into works 

even though painting a dot. The artist is required 

to be able to infuse fresh air into lifeless 

thingS."3 

When discussing function and craft Yoon says 

liThe artist does not just think of the object, 

but thinks of it as a personal expression of 

style. So therefore the difference betweenfunctional 

ware and decorative work does not exist 

- is not important to the artist. His only concern 

is with artistic expression./I 

Yoon Kwang-Cho lives in the countryside and 

the effect of his surroundings is obvious in his 

work. "Meditationin the timeless atmosphere 

gives me an artistic vision and an inspiration. 

/14 He sees his work as an artist being very 

much linked to life and to his ability not just 

lito see II his surroundings but to llfully recognise" 

them. "I enjoy celebration of the free 

spirit of man and freedom, a vital source of art 

creation SlI , 

This very gentle Master, Yoon Kwang-Cho, 

has brought to Australia an important insight 

into not only Korean ceramic traditions but 

into the joys and responsibilities inherent in 

the work and life of an artist. 

Notes: 1·5 'The KOle

------------------------------------------, 

New Members 

Fran Swinden 

My approach to pottery is coloured by a background 

of art/teaching training, where I specialised 

in painting and drawing. 

Although the warm, fuzzy feeling of producing 

beautiful, useful pots for the table was what 

originally attracted me to working in clay, 

abstract formal qualities are now uppermost. 

My pots are handbuilt in short series of related 

forms, often designed to be grouped in twos 

and threes. Until recendy, I have concentrated 

on angular, slabbed forms with painted slip 

and glaze - strong silhouettes with surface 

design that deliberately make the form ambiguous. 

Currendy I am exploring the slow and 

rhythmic process of coiling to make larger, but 

quieter and more fully three-dimensional 

forms. 

David Potter 

Classical form and spontaneous gesture have 

been my major concern over the past few 

years. 

David is currendy a lecturer in Fine Arts/ 

Ceramics at Ballarat University college and 

his work is represented in major public and 

private collections in Australia and overseas. 

Fran Swinden, 

slab built 

stoneware 

(above) 

David Potter, 

stoneware clay 

and glaze stains 

on porcelain slip 

(left) 

Sbae1ene Murray, 

wood fired 

stoneware 

(below) 

Shaelene Murray 

My formal training began at East Sydney Tech 

in 1986-7. After completing the Post Certificate 

in 1988, my work has been concerned 

with achieving fluidity, generosity of line, volume, 

and surface quality. 

The pieces are thrown using the fluidity of clay 

to explore the distorted form. The shapes denote 

a human quality; lines of breast, belly, 

shoulder and face and find their inspiration in 

pre-historic sculpture, Modigliani and Matisse. 


Fletcher Challenge 

Ceramics Award 

Christine Thacker 

E 

ntrance to the 1991 Fletcher Challenge 

Ceramics Award exhibition 

involved a retrospective. journey 

through a plinthed avenue of past 

premier award winners. While not large in 

numbers, they filled an otherwise empty, spacious 

exhibition area with their historical significance 

and their acknowledged authority. 

The display was unprecedented and timely, 

and provided a stately progress to the second 

hall which featured the 1991 selected exhibition. 

For the 15th time in as many years the 

award presentation and exhibition was held 

during the month of June at the Auckland 

Museum. 

The Auckland Studio Potters group are the 

beneficiaries of a generous sponsorship arrangement 

which began with a chance conversation, 

between an avid Auckland potter and 

an ardent enthusiast and collector, about fundraising 

possibilities for the pottery group. The 

collector was Mr Trevor Hunt, director at the 

time of Fletcher Brownbuilt, one of the many 

subsidiary companies of the group now known 

as Fletcher Challenge Limited. His initiatives 

have helped make a very good idea an even 

better reality in the form of an annual prize and 

exhibition sponsored event. 

Fletcher Brownbuilt carried the total costs of 

the fledgling exhibition and award and supplied 

all the organisational skills and almost 

all of the labour for the first decade. 

In keeping with the original purpose, all profits 

from the exhibitions have been directed towards 

Auckland Studio Potters, providing 

funds to maintain a teaching/workshop facility 

for existing and potential membership. 

The first exhibition in 1977 attracted 64 entries 

and the exhibition featured all 64 pieces. 

It was decided that judges for the award be from 

outside New Zealand and that they be of 

international repute. The first invited judge 

was Les Blakeborough, of Australia. The re- 


Beverley Luxton, New Zealand, 1981 

Chester Nealie, New Zealand, 1982 

cipient of the first premier prize of $2000 was 

John Anderson, of New Zealand, with a clay 

replica of a pot-belly stove. 

For the first two years, entry submissions were 

not sought outside New Zealand. In 1979 

overseas entries were invited and the premier

award went to Carl McConnell, of Australia. 

His winning pot was chosen by Australian 

judge Peter Travis. In 1980, 23 % of the works 

selected for exhibition were overseas entries, 

mostly from Australia and the USA. 

To avoid prohibitive costs in the first few years 

of the award, the organisers looked across the 

Tasman for judges, considering both nationals 

and visiting potters to Australia. Robin Welch, 

an English potter, was in Australia in 1980 and 

was available and able to accept the invitation 

to select and judge the exhibition for that year. 

Polish clay artist Maria Kuczynska was secured 

as judge for the 1985 award under similar 

circumstances. Among other Australian 

judges there has been Jeff Mincham, who was 

premier award winner in 1985 and returned in 

1986 as judge. In 1982 the invited judge was 

Ray Rogers, New Zealand, 1983 (top left) 

Meruyn Wiseman, New Zealand, 1984 (above 

left) 

Jeff Mincham, Australia, 1985 (top) 

Steve Fullmer, New Zealand, 1986 (above) 


IS

Chester Nealie, New Zealand, 1987 joint (top) 

Steve Fullmer, New Zealand, 1986 joint (top 

right) 

Sandra Black, Australia, 1988 (above) 

Gwyn Hanssen Pigott who each year continues 

to contribute for exhibition her works of 

incomparable simplicity and beauty. 

The criterion for entry for the first fewexhibitions 

was loosely based on the idea of "pur_ 

pose", and as the preoccupation of many potters 

at that time was vessel oriented the entry 

titles from the early catalogues suggest that 

"purpose" was mostly interpreted as containment. 

Since that time there has been no prescriptive 

theme hinged to entry qualification 

and the award is judged within the comprehensive 

bounds of "excellence" . 

Further to this broadening in definition was 

the alteration to the title, in 1989, from "pottery" 

to "ceramics" award. It was considered 

that, internationally, the term ceramics implies 

a wider clay context and with growing 

overseas interest in the event the organisers 

did not want to deter entries of more experimental 

expression in clay. 

A change to the sponsorship arrangement happened 

in 1987 when Fletcher Challenge Limited 

inherited the funding role previously held 

by its subsidiary. The contribution became a 

monetary grant and organisational aspects 

were undertaken by the ASP committee or 


Jeff Mincham, Australia, 1989 (top) 

Eiichi Kawano, Japan, 1990 joint (above) 

Seiji Kobayashi, Japan, 1990 joint (top right) 

committee appointees. The same year heralded 

an increase in the award prize from 

$5000 to $10 000. The 1987 award exhibition 

was the first occasion on which two potters 

were jointly awarded the premier prize. They 

were Chester Nealie INZ) for a wood-fired jar 

of traditional form and treatment and Steve 

Fullmer INZ) for a vessel which exemplified 

for the judge, John Maltby of England, the 

essence of modem ceramic expression. The 

prize value was doubled land then halved between 

the 1987winners) to $ 10000, the level at 

which it has remained to date. It is second only 

in monetary value to the biennial ceramics 

exhibition at Mino, Japan. 

In 1990 overseas entries numbered 175. Of 

these 79 pieces were included in a display 

totalling 178 ceramic works, the largest selected 

exhibition to date. It included entries 

from West Germany, Belgium, Spain, Peru and 

India along with more than 20 pieces from 

Japan. The judge was Elizabeth Fritsch, from 

England, and the selected joint winners were 

Eiichi Kawano and Seiji Kobayashi, both from 

Japan. Their winning works were both containers, 

both were contemporary in form and 

concept and both featured variegated patterns 

with vivid colour and metallic slips. The year 

also witnessed the introduction of an Award of 

Merit. Any number of Certificates of Merit 

have always been awarded at the judge's discretion 

and in 1990 provision for the allocation of 

fiye $1000 Awards of Merit was introduced. 

The number of discretionary Certificates of 

Merit has varied greatly. In 1988 the major 

prize winnerwas Sandra Black, from Australia, 

Continued on page 70 


The Sydney Teapot 

Show 

Inner City Clayworkers Gallery 

T 

his show was presented at the Inner 

City Clayworkers Gallery in 

Glebe during the month of August 

1991. This was their third Teapot 

Show. The show was originally held at the 

Old Bakery Gallery, which staged this exhibition 

for some years previously. Over 50 

ceramists participated this year. 

Three prizes were awarded. The first, II A 

Teapot Tribute to the Victorian Era" judged 

by teapot collector and author Joan Ford was 

won by Sue James. The second award was in 

the category liThe Classic Teapot" judged by 

potter and author Janet Mansfield and was 

won by Samallie Kasirye. liThe Lambert Developments 

Prize" judged by Bob Willmott, 

an avid teapot collector, was awarded to 

Timm O'Regan. 

The subject of teapots is one that has always 

fascinated both industrial and studio potters 

over the centuries. The Victorian Era saw a 

blossoming of teapot fantasia and artistic 

indulgence. The teapot was not only decorated 

in a variety of ornate ways but was 

formed to represent an extraordinary range of 

shapes from animals and fruit and vegetables 

to characters from popular fiction and creatures 

and shells from the sea. 

The following statements by a few of the 

exhibiting artists in this exhibition show the 

teapot has lost none of its fascination as 

either a functioning or purely decorative 

form. 

Timm O'Regan - "I'm not always interested 

in the function of teapots, just the forms they 

take on. Ilike to think of the spout, the handle 

and the legs. The legs .. .llove to think of legs, 

I feel these are very important as they seem to 

animate the whole pot, give it a life of its own. 

Colour and pattern come after the form has 

been achieved. I never think about colour and 

pattern until Hook at the form for some time, 

Timm O'Regan, "Clown", Lambert Development 

Prize (top) 

Sue Tames, "A Teapot Tribute to the Victorian 

Era ", underglaze e) 9 ct gold lustre, Winner 

(above) 


then wait for something to strike a 

chord." 

Merran Esson - "The teapot for me is 

a special object. It conveys a sense of 

good cheer, an offering perhaps as in 

tea and conversation. My teapots have 

changed very little over the last few 

years. I have continued to work with 

what I perceive to be a classical teapot 

form, but I am conscious of the relationship 

of form, proportion, surface 

and decoration, hopefully coming together 

as a complete unit that has a 

quiet self confidence." 

Barbara Swarbrick - "Colour has always 

been an obsession. It is often said 

that a visitor to a country sees more 

than the people who have always lived 

there. I spent the first 28 years of my 

life in England. I never cease to be 

amazed and enthralled by the unique 

forms and colour of the animal and 

plant life here; the and light of my adopted 

home here." 

Sandy Lockwood - "I make a conscious effort 

to blend decoration with the form of the pot. I 

like the idea of the pot and the decoration not 

being separate. For me the pot is a unified 

object rather than a surface for decorating. 

Sbaryn Brown, "Black ... or White", earthenware teapots 

(top left) 

Kami Brodie, earthenware (top right) 

TImm O'Regan, "Geanie", earthenware slips eV underglaze 

Unity is a theme I try to carry right through the 

production process." 

The Sydney Teapot Show will be held again 

next year in August by the Inner City 

Clayworkers Gallery and interested potters 

should contact the Gallery for further information 

and entry forms. 


Merran Esson, porcelain with coloured, inlaid clay 

128(J>, combination mould, wheel eJ handbuilding 

(top left) 

Nicola Purcell, influence from ancient civilisations 

eJ marine life (above) 

Sandy Lockwood, salt glazed stoneware (top right) 

Barbara Swarbrick, "Murray River Boat Teapot ", 

slips, underg1aze 


Milestone for 

Hamilton TAFE 

Lesley Wickham 


On the eighth of December this year, 

five ceramics students from Hamilton 

TAFE will make history 

when they open an exhibition at 

the city's prestigious Cooks Hill Gallery to 

mark the completion of the first Associate 

Diploma course at the College. 

The exhibition has been conceived, planned, 

publicised and curated by the students as a 

final year project, preparing for the business as 

well as the practical side of ceramics. With 

success in the field depending so much these 

days on the potters' ability to promote and 

market their products, this is seen at Hamilton 

as being a vital element in the Associate Diploma 

course. 

Testing the students' capacity to make a professional 

approach to a gallery, they independently 

had to select and convince a gallery 

proprietor to take them on. That they have 

been accepted by one of Newcastle's foremost 

galleries is a testament to the staff at Hamilton 

as well as to the students' own initiative. 

The Students 


My love affair with ceramics revolves around 

the blend of science and art, the excitement of 

finding out why things happen and how to get 

the effects I want. It's a constant stimulation, 

the thinking person's art form. 

By compulsion, I'm a thrower. Big pots present 

a particular challenge. I start with an idea of 

what I want to make but as it grows, it begins 

to take on a life of its own. Subtle developments 

happening in the form may alter my 

ideas about it, suggesting a curve here, a twist 

there. By the time it is finished, I have a sense 

of collaborating with the pot in its final design. 

Each piece speaks to me about its decoration, 

the colours it needs. I build the designs in thick 

slips, layer after layer, looking for the complexities 

of mood, colour and texture I see 

everywhere around the lake-front at my door. 

The colours of the sunsets seem to fill my 

palattemore and more, extraordinary blends of 

sky, water and bush which fill and fade as I 

watch. Some of these colours could be said to 

"clash" but the sky acknowledges no such 

rules. 

Paula Coombs 

Pottery began as something to do after work. 

Then it took hold of me; I was hooked. After a 

few years I needed stimulation so I enrolled at 

Tech. This has been very rewarding, providing 

growth and direction. 

I am working on wheel-thrown, joined forms 

with thrown feet and with handbuilt and 

thrown additions. They may be very simple or 

quite complex. llike shapes that alter direction 

and the additions make the pieces more individual. 

The additions can be thrown and cut or 

altered, or sometimes hard or soft slabs or coils. 

Sometimes the pot is cut away and the clay 

rejoined to give a different dimension. 


Coloured slips are used over stencils, with 

press or sponge stamping and sgraffito. I like 

the pots to be treated inside as well as outside. 

My pots may be quite tame but sometimes 

it'S fun to get a bit wild. 

Paula Coombs 

Carole Ashton 

Carole Ashton 

My introduction to clay came a little late in 

lifeata time when there was a gap to be£illed. 

I was always drawn to pottery exhibitions 

and fairs. So I enrolled in a TAFE course to 

learn the "basics II and enjoyed it so much I 

found myself eventually in this course. 

Ceramics has become an obsession, so many 

things to explore and learn. It is never boring, 

but it can also be very frustrating when 

things go wrong. But when you produce 

something which makes you happy, the satisfaction 

is always worth the effort. 

My current interest is in the full-bodied 

shape of the Minoan jug from Crete around 

2000 Be. Highly developed in art, architecture 

and writing, the Minoans produced 

abundant metalwork, pottery, engraved 

seals, jewellery, statuettes and frescoes. 

Their jug shapes could be squat or tall and 

their designs depicted their free and easy 

lifestyle, along with the marine and plant life 

of their island. 

Dorothy Ellis 

My choice of ancient arms and armour as a 

subject derives not so much from their use as 

instruments of war as from their use as a 

symbolic identification of kingdoms and 

clans. They were fashioned as items of 

beauty, indicators of status and wealth, worn 

on ceremonial occasions. 

Their use in war has taught us nothing. No 

country can claim true peace. We fight 

amongst ourselves and with neighbouring 

countries. But we still feed weapons to our 

children as ingredients in their stories, as 


part of the ordinary way of life. 

In my work, I prefer surface treatments 

which leave the clay bare, 

such as saggar or sawdust firings, 

rather than covering it with glaze. 

My current work uses the ancient 

Roman art of terra sigillata, a fine 

particle coating of clay which leaves 

a soft sheen, unmatched by any other 

method. It requires enormous patience 

and strict discipline in the 

work area, as the smallest fingerprint 

means discarding the piece and 

starting again. But this is perhaps the 

ultimate in raw clay surfaces. 

MymaKomar 

There is a certain mysticism about 

teapots and whilst there is a certain 

structural aspect, their complexity 

allows infinite variation and experimentation 

with maximum flexibility. 

My work is formed by slip casting, 

using modular moulds, creating 

unique pieces. I enjoy the diSCipline 

involved in working on geometric 

forms and how they can relate to 

function and beyond. 

Whilst I generally work towards a 

preconceived shape, I always allow 

spontaneous elements to emerge 

which often produce rewarding results. 

My work is continuallyevolving. 

Dorothy Ellis 

MymaKomar 

Devastated by the earthquake in 

1990, Hamilton College of Technical 

and Further Education is only 

slowly Yecovering. Since the start of 

Continued on page 75 

Pottery ill Australia 23

Recent work 

Sandy Lockwood, "Fish 'fray", salt glaze, May 

1991 (top left) 

Megan Patey, wall plate, tin glaze, 1117°c, Tune 

1991 (above) 

Claire Locker (lOp righl) 

Pamela Irving, "The Ark", earthenware 

underglazed and glaze, 1991 (above rght) 


Geoff Crispin, hexagonal form, wood fjIed 

porcelain, height 21cm (right) 

Tan Buttenshaw; "Bodies", low fjIed with salt 

(below) 


Recent work 

Colin Drake, salt glazed 

platter, 30cm (below) 

Barbara Webster. barium 

glazed wood fired baskets 

(left) 


Pip McManus, Todd River plate, earthenware slip 

decorated, 3Scm x 37.Scm, April 1991 (rght) 


Recent work 

Sandra Bowkett (right) 

Louise Anderson, 41cm (below) 


Gallery Profile 

The Blaxland Gallery 

T 

he Blaxland Gallery was 

opened in September 1929 

in the Fanners and Company 

store in Sydney. The 

Gallery's name perpetuated the 

memory of the great pioneering family 

of John and Gregory Blaxland who 

assisted in the development of the 

cattle industry and exploration across 

the Blue Mountains. Theirhomestead 

stood on the corner of George and 

Market Streets, the site where the 

store and gallery began. 

The Gallery has always supported 

young emerging artists and 

craftspeople. In 1924 Lloyd Rees held 

his first oneman show at the Blaxland. 

Other prominent artists who exhibited 

in the early days of the Gallery 

were Arthur Streeton, Hans Heysen, 

J J Hilder, Tom Roberts, Thea Proctor 

and Julian Ashton. As early as 1935 

the art department of East Sydney 

Technical College exhibited as did 

other groups representing students 

and emerging professional artists. 

During the 1970s ceramics became 

established in the Blaxland Gallery's 

exhibition listings with shows by the 

Potters' Society of Australia, groups 

of potters and exhibitions of Japanese 

and Chinese ceramics. 

Margaret Meagher was appointed Director 

in 1975. She further diversified 

the range of work exhibited andestablished 

the Gallery shop which represents 

a wide range of Australian craft 

artists. 

The Gallery's role as an educator was 

also strengthened by not only continuingthe 

long tradition of non-commercial 

exhibitions like The Blake 

Prize, but by the use of audio and 

The Blax1and Gallery 

Cybele Rowe, ceramic pots 


Terry Baker, woodworks (top left) 

Janice Raynor, ceramics (centre left) 

Janna Ferris, ceramics (below left) 

Tanya Sages, ;ewellery (above) 

visual aids, and a lecture theatre used for seminars 

and lecture series. 

Melissa Horton is currently the Gallery Director, 

ably assisted by Mark McDean in the 

Gallery shop. The Gallery shop represents a 

great range of Australian artists in many media. 

Potters include Cybele Rowe, Steve 

Davies, Catherine Lane, Ray Rogers, Janice 

Raynor and Janna Ferris. Glass artists include 

Brian Hirst, Meza Rijskijk, Keith Rowe and 

Sally Portnoy. Other artists include Terry Baker 

and Mike Darlow (wood) and Tanya Sages and 

Pierre Cavalan (jewellery). 

The future directions of the Gallery include a 

greater emphasis on contemporary Australian 

and European artists and continuation of the 

educational role of the Gallery. Exhibitions 

planned for the next twelve months include 

cerarrucs by New Zealand artists and by Cybele 

Rowe. 

30 Pottery in Australia

Evolution of the 

Vessel 

Leonard Smith 

M 

uchof modern ceramics claims 

to refer to the "vessel" as a 

form of validation for what is 

generally an attempt to imply 

that it is fine arts and fits into the Post Modernists 

theoretical aesthetic. Post modern theory 

has little relevance to the potter whose main 

concern is function and the appropriation of 

the vessel by the avant garde shows a lack of 

understanding of the aesthetics of the vessel, 

its decoration and its function. In this short 

essay I have provided the craft theory behind 

these attributes by examining the evolution of 

the vessel. 

The first vessels were small pieces of rocks 

with one surface concave enough to hold a 

liquid. Use was also made of gourds, coconut 

shells, fish shells, and other natural objects. 

The transition from hunting to agticulture was 

facilitated by the possibilities of storing food in 

vermin-proof vessels. 

To quote Max Raphael, when he gave thought 

in his work on prehistoric Egyptian pottery to 

the origins of the clay vessel: 

"Man sought unceasingly for new 

materials, techniques, and ideologies by 

which to develop his creative abilities in 

the face of super-natural forces. The 

alluvia ted ground, the nature of which 

remained a mystery to him, produced 

what he needed by dint of unremitting 

labour that entailed a number of equally 

mysterious and unknown changes 

beyond the control of man" (Max 

Raphael, "Prehistoric Pottery and 

Civilization in Egypt", New York,1947, 

pp 24-25.) 

Because of this complex interaction between 

necessity and creative power, prehistoric man 

looked upon the products of the soil, the periodic 

harvests of barley and wheat that could 

not be increased at will, with a desire to store 

them for future security. Thus along with a 

Red Polished Juglet, Vounos Tomb, 2200-1950 BC 

Cypriot kylix, 7th century BC 


oom in harvests there was born the need for 

vessels impervious to moisture, sand and vermin; 

receptacles that could protect the fruits of 

nature and man's labour from decay. There 

would then be the ability to store grain 

throughout those periods when it was unavailable 

and allow settlement in one place. 

Experience taught prehistoric man that the silt 

from which the grain grew was pliant and 

plastic, that the sun dried it and made it serviceable 

as a container, and that firing made it 

impervious to water. The man who synthesised 

these separate experiences invented the 

clay vessel and thereby satisfied one of the 

most urgent needs of his society. This also 

raised the spiritual value of this earthy material 

that not only served the growth of grain but 

also made possible the preservation of the 

products grown in it. 

The entire existence of society depended upon 

a substance whose origin and nature he did not 

understand and which he could not produce 

himself. It was not surprising that he imbued 

the material with spiritual significance. Claude 

Levi-Strauss in his book "The Jealous Potter", 

refers to the almost universal 

reference to the potter and 

clay, as the basis of creationist 

legends in South American anthropological 

studies and our 

own Christian-Judean belief 

that God moulded Adam from 

earth lends weight to the continual 

mystical and spiritual 

qualities associated with clay. 

The first vessels were round 

semi-spherical bowls, but the 

nature of the material inspired 

variations from the beginning; 

bowls with low walls became 

Cypriot Tankard eV Bowl, 

white slip 


Egyption black-topped pottery 


platters; bowls with high walls became beakers 

and grain urns. These were followed by the 

covered bowl and the pouring vessel, each new 

form needing an adaptation of the prototypes 

that went before it. The process of refinement 

ofthese basic utilitarian shapes set in, and here 

one must suppose that certain affinities with 

the shape of the human body had an unconscious 

influence. 

Symmetry was imposed by the need for balance, 

and for the same reason a foot or base was 

differentiated. The need to lift and transport 

the larger vessels led to the addition of lugs and 

handles. In the evolution of these vessels the 

form begins to be refined for its own sake, orfor 

the use of a function that is no longer strictly 

utilitarian. Pots begin to be used for religious 

ceremonies, to hold grain for the dead, or to 

hold the ashes of the dead. Such ritualistic 

functions justify refinements not required for 

function alone. It is essential to note that early 

in the pot's formal evolution the form and 

surface respond to a spiritual need in man and 

that this lead to the evolution of decoration 

and style. 

Again to quote Max Raphael about the satisfaction 

of these new feelings of inner necessity 

and the reaction of the maker to man's life as a 

whole: 

"When Neolithic man, motivated 

perhaps by the practical purpose of 

achieving greater imperviousness to 

liquids, combined polishing with 

painting and applied both to a form he 

had created, his consciousness of 

freedom was increased. The new means 

of representation changed the 

impression produced by the pot, and 

man consequently gained insight 

regarding the difference between the 

actual nature and the effect of a given 

form. Formerly, when the prehistoriC 

artist for the first time applied 


Dish , "Sealing Wax" 

Jericho, Tomb 

mathematics to matter, the effect was 

only an outward adjustment - the 

weight of the material, despite its 

smoothness, still opposed the 

abstraction of mathematics. Now, when 

polished colour concealed the material 

from the eye, the mind began to play 

with the impression of gravitational pull 

and tried to eliminate it. This tendency 

was heightened by the fact that 

the material was actually 

reduced to a fairly thin layer. In 

the much-admired thinness of 

Bavarian pottery we are 

confronted not only with 

virtuosity (which surely must 

have a high market value) not 

only with the purely aesthetic 

principle of elegance, but with 

a general ideological force that 

attempted to play with the 

opposition between matter and 

spirit, that is, endeavoured to 

stress or to eliminate this 

opposition by dematerialising 

the material and materialising 

the immaterial." (Max Raphael, 

"Prehistoric Pottery and 

Civilization in Egypt", New 

York,1947, p 55) 

Raphael's last statement embodies 

the very essence of the question 

about the pot and how it functions. 

Emotionally the pot functions as a 

symbol of the spirituality of man, 

his essential humanness that only 

the effect of directly applying the 

hand to the making process can 

achieve. Ceremonially and ritually 

the pot functions in any society in 

a surprisingly similar way. Pots are 

associated with the day to day living 

of society, the rituals of eating, 

drinking and storage. In most societies 

these rituals are exaggerated in those 

ceremonies associated with the religious needs 

of man, and the vessels become exaggerated in 

keeping with their purpose and centralness to 

ceremony, be it the tea bowl of the Japanese tea 

ceremony or the chalice of Holy Communion 

in Catholicism. Universally the vessel became 

more elaborate in the ceremonial form, but 

also universally the everyday pot also has a 


quicker or simpler decoration that befits its 

usefulness, fragility and function. The useful 

pots are rarely plain and are consistently a 

representation of that universal need of human 

nature to embellish and decorate all the objects 

around us. 

There is inevitably a cultural integration of 

style that allows for a sense of unity in the 

surroundings of anyone culture. Whilst in the 

Philippines I observed tribal hillswomen making 

pots. All of these potters had their arms 

covered in bands of repeated motif tattoos. 

These same motifs appeared also on the pots 

they made and used, the flutes they made 

music with, the bows they hunted game with, 

the woven mats that they sat on and the 

baskets they carried. Everything in their envirorunent 

had this unity of association giving 

their envirorunent a sense of stability rather 

than the clutter of eclectic decoration found in 

most of western man's envirorunent today. 

The function of the object in our surroundings 

is too often treated only from a technical or 

scientific view, and rarely an aesthetic one. We 

are surrounded by an inextricable net of objects 

by which we are in a certain way dominated. 

These shapes that surround us are no 

longer, as illustrated above, the epoch of our 

current era, and therefore bound by one definitestylisticformula. 

Ratherweareirrunersed, 

in our dwellings and museums, within a wide 

stream of objects coming from most distinct 

cultures: Minoan, Aztec, Cycladic, Etruscan, 

Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Modernist to 

name a few. On top of this industry surrounds 

us with objects subject to the laws of styling 

and redesign, which continually change their 

forms at very brief intervals of time, and are 

essentially without humanity and culture. Our 

eyes are struck above all by objects of a standardised 

type. 

Thus as never before the product of industry, 

the object, is universalised and international- 

Mycenean pri/orm iar, late Hellaic 

c. 1385 - 1280 Be 

ised and only in very small pockets of the world 

does the integration of culture, style and object-making 

exist as a unity. Unfortunately 

these pockets are fast diminishing as even in 

Outer Mongolia the "Coke" bottles can be 

found. 

It is important then that the keepers of the 

"Aesthetic of the Vessel", todays potters, jealously 

guard that aesthetic from inappropriate 

appropriation by facile art stylists. An understanding 

of the vessels evolution and its function 

is essential to the development of a "craft 

theory" that will then support its integrity. 

All slides of pots are from the Nicholson Museum. 

University of Sydney 

References 

Max Raphael, "Prehistoric Pottery and Civilisation 

in Egypt", New York, 1947. 

Claude Levi-Strauss, "The Jealous Potter", 

University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1988. 


The Paper Kiln 

Hildegard Anstice 

After reading about the paper kiln in the 

Ceramic Review and "NEUE Keramik", 

I thought it would be fun to experiment 

with this cheap and easy way to turn 

clay into pots. And fun it was. I have used this 

technique four times now and would like to tell you 

about it. 

Building the kiln: Place kiln shelves or a strong 

metal grid on bricks directly onto level ground. Put 

a single layer of cold heat beads (barbequefuel) below 

the shelfandaroundit. Now the pots or sculpture are 

placed on the shelf in a solid stack avoid shaky stacks 

as they may topple. 

Next, wood is placed around the pieces as close as 

possible in a layer at least 2scm thick. Builder's 

offcuts are the easiest to stack, or pieces 2Scm longer 

than the height of the stack which will stand on end 

all around. Avoid treated pine as the fumes are 

poisonous. The whole stack is wrapped in large 

sheets of paper, taped together. I guess an old cotton 

sheet would do the same job of catching the drips of 

slip. 

It is best to divide the helpers up into teams, appointing 

one person as supervisor to keep count of the 

number of layers applied and to watch out for every 

application. 

One or two people with clean hands will hand out 

single pages of glossy magazines, stapled ones are 

best as they will yield double. Two hands are needed 

to pass the slurry of creamy consistency (a good way 

to recycle your slops) and place them onto the stack. 

10 to 15 layers are needed, the more the better as it 

is surprising how quickly a bucket of slip is used up. 

A hole is left at the top, lScm across in size. Meanwhile 

some heat beads which were ignited in the 

barbeque nearby are glowing and they are placed into 

the base of the stack through a hole or two at the 

base. Do not place this opening on the windward 

side. 

The firing: The glow will spread, remember you 

don't want flames. The kiln starts to steam and 

smoke and the wood is turned into charcoal during 

Timber offcuts placed around the pots (top) 

The kiln (above) 


Firing in progress (top) 

Stacking the pots (above) 

Pot 30cm tall by Hildegard Anstice fired in Paper 

Kiln (above right) 

the next few hours. If it is going too fast, close 

the air off at the base. 

It may be sundown before you will see the full 

glow of the whole stack and flames leaping 

gently from the flue hole. 

Calm days are best for this exercise. Strong 

wind will attack the shell on the outside and 

cause the firing to speed up considerably. If it 

starts to rain, do not place anything against the 

outside of the kiln such as metal sheets. 

When the fire dies down, hours or days later the 

outer shell may still be intact, standing but 

fragile. 

We measured 850°C at our last firing with an 

optical pyrometer, firing a sculptural piece 

which was rather thick and heavy. It survived 

the firing well. 

Copper slips and terrasigillata work well. Burnished 

surfaces are not suitable. Copper carbonate 

and a little salt and or sawdust can be 

introduced through the flue hole. 

I don't think higher temperatures can be 

achieved. The clay we used was tempered. 

Insides could be raw glazed with the following 

recipe: 

Gerstley Borate 80 

Nepheline Syenite 20 

Watch that glazed areas don't touch each other. 

We doubt this is an ideal way to fire the large 

pieces that do not fit into your kiln. Have a go, 

have £un and let me know how you get on. 


ANew Gas Kiln 

Leonard Smith 

After some 300 firings our original 

fibre lined gas kiln was beginning 

to show signs that its working life 

was coming to an end, so it was 

time to make decisions about a new kiln. 

Designing a kiln involves asking yourself a 

multitude of questions and all of the answers 

to these questions will determine the nature of 

the kiln and ultimately the nature of the work 

that comes out of it 

The major questions that Lindy and I asked 

ourselves, were centred on the type of glaze 

results we wanted. As we fired to stoneware 

(around cone 10 Orton) in reduction and required 

that it also be capable of slow bisque 

firings, we decided to use LPG. and four small 

burners rather than two large ones. Lindy was 

keen to achieve similar glaze results to an old 

brick LPG kiln that we fire student work in at 

Hornsby Tech. Because of the slow cooling of 

the kiln (due to the bricks retaining the heat for 

a much longer period), glaze surfaces were 

smoother and richer in quality. 

I have always seen the conservation of fuel as 

a primary need for a kiln, so it was decided to 

build a kiln lined with refractory insulating 

bricks and backed up with fibre. With the 

concerns about fibre and health this also represented 

an attractive proposition. We both 

wanted a kiln with a swinging door, having 

spent much too much time bricking up wickets 

to use that system for the door. A door made 

completely of fibre was constructed which 

swings out of the way when loading or unpack - 

ing. 

The next important decision focused on the 

size: too small a kiln and you soon regret all the 

time spent firing small loads; too big and you 

never fire often enough to learn enough about 

your kiln and your glazes. Previously our kiln 

was 8 cu ft and we settled on a kiln about twice 

that size. At this point we chose to use 18 x 12 

kiln shelves as we already had a stock of these 

and once we laid out the shelves and allowed 

for the burner placement and gas flow around 

them, we carne to the nearest brick module on 

graph paper which eliminated cutting many 

bricks. From here we decided the height and 

set up the ergonomics for packing. The floor 

height was set and then the arch height - the 

basic design was finalised. 

We sent this design to Steve Harrison of "Hot 

and Sticky", who organised the design and 

welding of the frame. This is an angle iron and 

weldmesh construction that meets the need 

for strength and lightness so that the kiln can 

be transported easily. After the frame was 

delivered we set about building the kiln. 

Firstly the floor was laid in dry and then heavy 

duty aluminium foil was used as the outside 

lining. We then laid the bricks in place using an 

air setting mortar building up to the point 

where the arch would spring from. At this 

point we put the fibre bats in the space between 

the bricks and the foil. An arch form was 

constructed and the arch carefully laid by 

cutting side arches from straight bricks. We 

were lucky enough to have a brick saw for this 

and consider it would be well worth while 

hiring one for the job. Once the arch was set 

and the flue built, fibre was put in place above 

and the weldmesh roof bolted down. It was 

then an easy task to line the door with it lying 

flat on the ground, after which it was lifted into 

position. Ail that remained to do, was cut ports 

for the burners (in the floor of the kiln), make 

spyholes in the door; put the damper and 

pyrometer in place and it was ready to fire. 

Lindy has had fifteen firings, during which 

time much has been learnt about the kiln. The 

kiln is fairly even in temperature throughout, 

although the top is slightly cooler. Just when 

we thought we had a firing schedule worked 

out, we changed our firing system from 45 kg 

gas cylinders to a 190 kg cylinder which is 

filled from a tanker. This will mean adjusting 


pressures initially, which might also have an 

effect on the overall evenness of the kiln. 

Notwithstanding these minor flaws, we can 

recommend the design to anyone who wants 

to build a new kiln. 

_ .. _ .. _ .. _ . .14~_ .. _ .. _ .. _ ... 

470 470 

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Rbre Back Up ins 

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PLAN-Base 

2300 Blanket. 

25mm Hot face 

Blanket. 

PLAN-Top 

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0.432 CU MTR (16 CU FT) 

PACKING AREA LPG KILN 

Welded steel frame with swung door. 

4 X 32mm Inspirator bumers. 

lined with 115mm RI23 bricks. sprung arch. 

backed up with Lo Con fibre insula lion. 

Mesh lined with Industrial strength AIIoil 

Designed by Lindy Smith inconsultation 

with Leonard Smith and Steve Harrison of 

Hot and Sticky. 

42 Pottery in A ustralia

C 

anakkale (Hellespont in Classical 

Geography) lying in northern-west 

Turkey is a city located on the east 

coast of the Dardanelles, connecting 

the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean Sea. 

The city, being the scene of the Sea Battle of 

Canakkale-Gelibolu (Gallipoli) 

is famous for the great 

variety of elaborate ceramic 

products of the18th and 

19th centuries created 

within the town itself and 

its surroundings. 

Despite being from this late 

period, the products reflect 

different and remarkable 

features in respect of colour, 

shape and design. Being 

different to each other, 

spouts, stems, handles and 

bodies are pieces of great 

skill. Pitchers, water storage 

jugs, large storage jars, 

cups, bowls (with and without 

lids), charcoal braziers, 

plates, coffee cups, candle 

sticks, vases, fire eases, saucers, 

vessel shaped oil lamps 

oflate periods, latticed fruit 

bowls, kettles, water flasks, 

cigarette holders, candy 

bowls with bibhelots, all reflect 

a great variety of shapes 

and forms. 

The forms are made of reddish 

earthenware clay hav- Water jug, the mouth is in the shape 

ing a beige slip and glazed of a stylised horse's head 

with a transparent glaze. On 

the slip, under the glaze, the designs are drawn 

using manganese and cobalt oxides. The sculptural 

forms of the ceramic products of 

Canakkaledifferfrom thoseofIznik, Kutahaya. 

The figures of asses, birds with wings, frogs and 

Ceramic Products 

of Canakkale 

(18th-19th Century) 

Zehra Cobanli 

cats are all used in the designs. 

Let me try to summarise the most common 

ones in detail. 

Water Jugs 

The jugs described as narrow-brimmed earthenware 

containers swollen 

in the middle, were 

used to hold oil, honey, 

grape molasses or yoghurt. 

The jugs for decorative 

purposes used to be 

ornamented with reliefs 

and tiny mirrors. The jugs 

of Canakkale are IS-S0cm 

high, having body diameters 

ranging from 8-2Scm 

and the stands (feet) 7- 

21cm. The handles, being 

shaped with hands, are are 

either functional or simply 

decorative. Their 

heights range from I1.S- 

24cm and widths I.S- 

3.Scm. The feet of the jugs 

differ in shape. The jugs for 

decorative purposes have 

high staired and nodded 

feet while those used for 

daily activities are either 

without feet or have plain 

feet. The spouts are in the 

shape of a stylised horse'S 

head, eat's head or that of a 

bird and there are also 

plain ones or those having 

strainers or lids attached. 

Plates 

The plates are made of red earthenware clay 

and have white and cream coloured slips with 

decorations brushed on the slips. They are fired 

after being given a coating of transparent glaze. 

They have diameters of 20-3Scm, and are 6.2- 

Pottery in A ustralia 43

Vessel shaped oil lamp, from the collection of 

Musdafa Pilevneli (above) 

Water jug (left) 

8.Scm deep and thefeet range between S-12cm. On 

the sides are borders of great variety whereas in the 

middle are bunches of flowers, animal figures and 

designs of sailing ships or carts on which are 

mounted cannons referring to the battle of 

Canakkale. Some plates are decorated with brushwork 

using oxides such as manganese, cobalt and 

copper. As for side borders on the plates, these are 

bands of zigzag, lattice, leaves and floral designs. 

Bowls 

Bowls are of three types according to the purposes 

employed: bowls with stems, those with lids and 

deep ones. Those made for kitchenware are soup 

bowls, stewed-fruit bowls, dinner bowls, and fruit 

bowls. They are generally plain in colour and 

shape. The bowls with stems have their stems 

attached to the body separately. They are 3.4-Scm 

high. Bowls are 12-2Scm high having diameters of 

lS-20cm. Green and yellow are common colours as 

are black and brown. The exteriors are plain and 

without ornament. 


The candy case called Lokumluk has shaped forms around the body for toothpicks 

Storage Jugs 

Storage jugs are earthenware, and full bellied 

with narrow brims used for storing liquids 

such as water, stewed grape molasses, olive oil 

or honey and grain such as flour, wheat or 

pounded wheat. They are dark yellow, brown, 

green or metallic black and are about 2S-7Scm 

high. On the body are motifs of floral reliefs 

and ofleaves. Storage jugs can have single, twin 

or triple handles. The larger ones have triple 

handles for ease of carrying. They are 120cm 

wide, the feet 13cm in diameter and the brims 

lS-lScm. 

Oil lamps in vessel (ship or boat) shape are 

regarded as the most elaborate ones having a 

large variety of forms. They have mostly double 

or triple wicks. They are black, brown and 

violet coloured. On the decks of the vessels 

four representations of cannons were mounted. 

Among other ceramic products are various 

familiar types of vases - stemmed, handled, 

narrow-necked, in the shape of cups, with/ 

without handles and decorated with reliefs of 

flowers, leaves, rosettes, oak tree leaves and 

branches. On the plainer vases decorations 

were applied with brushes and fired after a 

transparent glaze was applied. 

The coffee cups and saucers used for drinking 

traditional Turkish coffee are very delicate and 

elaborate works of art. These were also used for 

rituals. 

Being plain and unostentatious, the water cups 

have plain handles if any. They are S-lScm 

high. As with the other examples already mentioned, 

they are green-fired after being slipped 

in a cream colour. Candy containers were 

glazed in greens, browns, yellows, some were 

decorated with the motifs of birds, snakes, 


Candy case, the lid has an animal figure as a 

holder (above) 

Resim 68, Sirkelik, Yaglik. Mustafa Pilevneli 

Kolleksiyonundan (above right) 

asses, dogs and stylised human head sculptures 

or reliefs of leaves, flowers and rosettes. 

These candy cases called lokumluk (Turkish 

Delight cases) have shaped forms around the 

body for toothpicks. The lids have animal 

figures as holders. Lattice fruit bowls are the 

later samples of the period. They are square, 

elliptic or circular, 8-15cm high and 25-37 em 

wide. 

Braziers, flowerpots, cigarette holders, kettles, 

salt cases animal shaped pots and small sculptures 

are rare pieces of ceramic products of 

Canakkale, 18th Century. These forms, at 

present, can be seen at Ibrahim Pasha Palace, 

Istanbul and Sadberk Hanim Museum and the 

trivate collection of Kenan Ozbel at Topkapli 

Palace, Istanbul. 

Apology 

Our sincere apologies to Kaija Kucers 

for the mis-spelling of her name in the 

Port-O-Kiln advertisement, 

issue 29/4, featuring her work. 

We regret any 

inconvenience 

caused by this 

oversight. 


Kate Leach 

A Celebration of Daily Living 

Kate Leach exhibited at MUIa Clay Gallery in 

September 1991. 

Kate Leach has lived in Sydney for 

the past eight years. She is a recent 

graduate from East Sydney Technical 

College, Ceramic Department. 

Although originally from Ontario in northern 

Canada, Leach has a strong affinity for Sydney, 

and now calls it home. She says that Sydney 

attracted her with its geographical beauty and 

cultural diversity. "1 srill carry strong images 

and influences from my upbringing in eastern 

Canada, where 

summers were 

spent in an old 

lakeside cottage in 

Northern Ontario, 

where there were 

impromptu gatherings 

and a mismatched 

array of 

decorated pottery - 

consisting mainly 

of bowls and cafeau-lait 

cups. There 

was a sense of 

warmth, generosity 

and informality." 

This feeling, recalled 

from her 

childhood, has 

been captured in 

her work. The 

forms have large 

openings, inviting 

use. The rims are 

smooth and finely 

potted, intended for 

lips and engaging 

the holder in intimate 

use. The comfortable 

rounded 

lines of the forms, need to be cupped in both 

hands. Kate Leach offers us a vision of domestic 

life amenable to daily rituals. These pots do 

not speak to me of tea bags and instant coffee, 

but rather of time taken to brew tea or coffee 

whilst warming the cups. This is a celebration 

of domesticity_ 

"They [the pots] are intended to be comfortable 

and inviting to use and live with; to be 

involved in constant use, fitting whatever need 

arises. The cups have been made to stand on 

their own, with a sturdy foot and handle large 


enough to accommodate soup, hot chocolate, 

or cafe-au-lait. The bowls are designed to be 

equally diverse, ease and comfort are paramount 

to the functionality of the work." 

"The bulk of my work relies on forms of 

generous proportions; oversized bohemian 

ware designed to be multi-purpose. These reflect 

my own lifestyle and preference for 

open, casual living environments, unpretentiousness 

and festivity in the sharing of 

food and drink." 

Of equal value to their functional ease is the 

decoration. "I have a love of decorated ware 

and I like to see it in view and in use. The 

quality I strive to impart visually is the same as 

that of the forms: a spontaneity, directness and 

joy." 

With the closure of the Potters' Gallery we 

have moved to new premises. 

We have taken office space on the first floor 

of the same building that the gallery was 

situated in. 

Address: 102/68 Alexander Street 

Crows Nest, 2065 

Postal address: PO Box 937 

Crows Nest, 2065 

Phone (02) 4361184 


6th National 

Ceramic Conference 

Brisbane 1991 

Arts: fudustry futerface 

Impressions of the Conference 

Looked at from any angle, the conference 

experience was a good one. It is 

hard to believe that what was so long 

in coming was over so quickly. My 

main regret, echoed by many others, was the 

inability to be in two, no three, places at one 

time. However, I expect to catch up on what I 

missed through videos, tapes, and post conference 

chatter. This was my third conference, 

and the most enjoyable. Perhaps all the familiar 

faces including many old friends made the 

atmosphere like one big family gathering, because 

the thing I liked most was the company. 

It was great to sit within that company and 

listen to the many excellent speakers who 

presented papers or talked freely about subjects 

that were important to them and relevant 

to the theme. As remarked by Brian Hartwig 

during the Summation, the theme, Arts: Industry 

Interface, retained its vitality through 

debate and discussion right through the week, 

a unique achievement. 

Penny Smith from Hobart chaired the conference, 

and opened the proceedings with a highly 

pertinent review of where art and industry corelate. 

This address made delegates aware of 

the issues open for debate and prepared us for 

a week of stimulating discussion. The two 

keynote speakers, Dorothy Hafner from New 

York, and Robert Bell from Perth, together 

with Lord David Queensberry from London, 

were instant "hits", and between them scored 

the bulk of delegate interest. Two little gems I 

noted from David Queensberry's address were: 

" An artist does not work for the marketplace, 

but a designer cannot help it", and "One ofthe 

biggest dangers to the design industry is yesterday's 

successes." 

With day one over, the remainder of the week 

passed in a blur of talk, exhibition visits, quick 

cups of coffee, even quicker drinks in the club, 

rendezvous with friends, workshop visits, and 

the only stressful thing about it all was deciding 

where to rush off to next, and whether one 

could carry the half empty lunch box which 

weighed as much as a kiln brick. 

However I seemed to find myself most of the 

time in Northern Theatre No 1. In Tuesday 

morning's session, "Prototype or One-off", 

Carl Sheid spoke about his and Ursula's personal 

experiences with working for industry. 

An observation he had made was that in Europe 

factories had grown up wi th craftspeople, 

but here artists have to beg at factories for 

notice. Dorothy Hafner also spoke about her 

own experiences with industry, coming in as a 

raw recruit and learning by experience. She 

laughed about the time she took a bag full of 

pots to Tifffanys for her first assignment, 

whereas now, having learned the tools of the 

trade, she would prepare proper schematic 

drawings for such a proposal. Dorothy emphasised 

the need to learn the language of industry 

and that the image can be more photo image for 

an invitation: who cares if it ends up in the 

WPB, at least the image was seen. "More 

people will see an image of your work than ever 

see the real thing." Dorothy's aninlated delivery 

was inspiring and I could have listened to 

her for much longer than the alloted time. 

Two speakers who presented the industryview 

were Stewart Knott from Bristile in Perth, and 

Peter Moll from Villeroy & Boch, Australia. 

Bristileis the only company in Australia manufacturing 

dinner ware in mass quantities, and 

to its credit has used a number of designs 

produced by Australian artists, mainly local. 

Stewart outlined the difficulties in translating 

the handmade item to the mass produced. 

Changes to shape, colour, and pattern were not 

intended to hurt the artist, but to adapt to 

factory processes and market feedback. He 

said it was often more persuasive to have a real 

object for consideration than a mechanical 

drawing. Peter Moll presented the V & B guide- 


lines for artists which were a little discouraging, 

in that they are interested in decoration 

only for existing shapes, and prefer to deal with 

local European artists than ones as far away as 

Australia, even though they have used Australian 

work previously. 

David Queensberry concluded the session with 

the designer's views, suggesting that designers 

were a bit like authors, in that when they are 

well known they can expect an advance from 

the publisher. His optimism brought about by 

the success of his own company Queensberry 

Hunt was infectious, and had us thinking 

about factories in Asia, or new mini-factories 

in Australia. I left the theatre for lunch feeling 

nothing was impossible and I could have happily 

gone home there and then and started 

designing. 

But I didn't. I saw out the week with snippets 

of" Art in Public Places", "Technology &.Innovation", 

Wednesday evening's Hypothetical, 

demonstrations, exhibitions, and very little 

sleep. 

The dinner on Friday night brought the conference 

to an end, and did justice to its secondary 

theme. With great music, good food, excellent 

company, hilarious entertainment, (t-shirts 

modelled by Mikie Cowie, Neil Scott, Jo Beard, 

and Karen Massy, as you've never seen them 

before), the sixth national Ceramics Conference 

has certainly been the friendly conference. 

Dianne Peach 

A Personal View 

Like others present I too wondered if "Arts 

Industry and Interface" would be "suitable to 

the calibre of the being". From the first day my 

legs, ears and eyes were put into first gear. Legs 

running - venue to venue, ears not wanting to 

miss a word, eyes for all seeing. They labelled 

them lectures, that word alone daunts, it was 

straightforward talking, by people most gifted 


to do so, human enough to know their audience 

varied greatly in their field. We were 

spoken to, not down at. No question denied an 

answer. "Dorothy Hafner". Dynamic? "Yes", 

along with so many others. "Lord David 

Queensberry", the 12th Marquess of 

Queensberry, a very imposing title, calls himself 

a potter, has all the credentials and ability 

-also a wonderful way of imparting his knowledge. 

After hearing so many gifted speakers 

and craftspeople in clay, glass and bronze, one 

could be forgiven for feeling "not quite so 

clever". It was here that the running startedin 

order not to miss all other talks pertaining to 

your own personal interests. The likes of Janet 

Mansfield, Janet De Boos, Greg Daly, Penny 

Smith, Joan Campbell, Stephanie Outridge 

Field and many others, willing to answer any 

questions. Taking in every possible exhibiton, 

aspects of the Trade Fair, meeting our past 

CPG tutors, making new acquaintances, onea 

woman I had not seen since school days in 

Gladstone. All of this brought me back to 

thinking, "What am I really at?" I love clay - I 

love being with people, especially people who 

love clay. I belong to a very good club, we have 

fun, "BUT" - in order to have a club that other 

people can view, enjoy and hopefully buy from, 

we all have to put a good deal of work and effort 

into it. We have a regular strong contingent of 

workers who surface every time the need 

arises. However out of 46 members, this regular 

team represents about one third. With even 

another portion, we could be a good way further 

on. On my last bus trip at the conference, 

it was a joy to be among the WA potters from 

Busselton. Nev and I spent our last holiday in 

WA and enjoyed seeing the wonderful mural 

made by the potters of Busselton for their 

town, this also has been an achievement of the 

Beach potters from Yeppoon. This has been 

turning over in my mind ever since. Talking to 

these potters, it seems a very feasible thing, a 

lot of work, lots of diSCUSSing, lots of lobbying

for sponsors for clay and mounting - but certainly 

not beyond our ability. As a CPG potter 

I am only too willing to give it my best shot. It 

could not be done tomorrow but it could be a 

project for '92 - it would carry CPG on after 

many of us have left. Like Peg, I say congratulations 

to Ros Beesley for a wonderful effort, in 

having Central Queensland Potters on show at 

Red Hill Gallery. It very much held its own 

among the other 20 odd to be seen. Being a 

verbal natured beast (I am even more so on 

paper) but I did enjoy the experience. I would 

like others to be able to do the same - you have 

two years. The fun times were great as well. 

The QPA deserves a medal for their efforts in 

organising this conference, it was a showing of 

what club unity is all about. "Have a Think": 

How many people have said to you - "Oh, I 

didn't know you were there" or "I thought you 

all just got together to sell your things". 

Des Newmml 

Statements from the 6th 

National Ceramics Conference 

Introduction 

On behalf of the Queensland Potters' Association 

I welcome you to the 6th National Ceramics 

Conference. 

These are difficult, even harsh times, and it is 

a tribute to the perseverance of potters that the 

conference is proceeding in the face of such 

economic difficulties. 

Some of our national problems stem from the 

poor performance of Australia's manufacturing 

industries, partly due to indifferent design 

and quality control. Australia does not have a 

tradition of artists being involved in manufacturing. 

It is fitting therefore that the conference theme 

is Arts: Industry Interface, and I hope that the 

Conference will spark an interest in artists, 

designers and craft workers in working with 

industry for the development of better designed 

and manufactured Australian goods. 

Stephanie Outridge Field 

President 

Queensland Potters' A ssociation 

The challenge of the 6th National Ceramics 

Conference is to positively affect the ideals and 

ambitions of every delegate. Exciting industrial 

liaisons between artists and industry are 

accepted as commonplace in professional practice 

elsewhere in the world. It doesn't happen 

overnight, or without hard work and persistence. 

It is however happening. 

Jess Gibson 

Chairperson 

6th National Ceramics Conference 

Committee 

Arts: Industry Interface 

I have always believed in the economical and 

environmental sense of small scale industrial 

practices as being one means of making a 

national cultural and economic contribution, 

and have attributed good deSign, quality production, 

assertive marketing and persistent 

presentation as being the keys to achieve this. 

Penny Smith 

Ceramist, Lecturer in Ceramics 

Tasmanian School of Art, Uni of Tasmania 

In the early to mid 1970s when I began my 

career just out of college, designing and producing 

functional objects was not a very popular 

pursuit amongst American ceramists. Two 

attitudes prevailed at the time. One was that in 

order to make crafts appreciated as art, the 

maker was wise to create objects that looked 

more like art, and less like pottery. The other 

was that works produced in multiples were 

more commercial and not as serious as those 

created only once. 

Today, in the early 1990s things are much 

different. There is a healthier response to func- 


tional object making. Increasing numbers of 

not only potters but architects and sculptors 

are creating functional tablewares with the 

same seriousness with which they create their 

other works. Where one might refer to the 60s 

as the height of the craft movement, the late 

80s early 90s are perhaps the time of a new 

design renaissance. 

Dorothy Hafner 

Ceramist, Designer 

New flexible technologies are allowing diversity 

in the design of consumer objects and 

raising the expectations of all materials. While 

skill and the development of craft knowledge 

are essential for the potter, these qualities 

alone do not guarantee ceramic objects that 

transmit meaning. The articulation of meaning 

remains central to the work of a ceramist, 

whether engaged in the production of unique 

works, serious production or design for industry. 

Robert Bell 

Curator of Craft etJ Design, Art 

Gallery of Western Australia 

Design Restraints, Ways out of the 

Design Tunnel 

My ideas and inspirations are as varied as my 

methods. Much of my early work was drawn 

directly from the urban landscape and so was 

very geometrical and colourful. Later, I became 

more interested in outer space images 

and technologies and juxtaposing them with 

motifs and images from primitive cultures. 

Every time I travel I get inspired. After a week 

lying under palm trees in the sun I find myself 

using stylised floral or aquatic motifs. After a 

trip to the American west I find myself using a 

mesa or canyon profile as a motif. If I listen to 

African music my marks are bold and colourful, 

if I listen to Frank Sinatra my marks are 

lighter, looser and more lyrical. It is safe to say, 

then, that the art I am making at any given 

time is my response to what I am seeing, 

hearing or smelling at that time. 

Dorothy Hafner 

I always feel that one of the best ways 'out of 

the design tunnel' for potters and ceramic 

designers is to look at the great achievements 

of the past. 

David Queensberry 

Potter and Design Consultant 

Art in Public Places 

Providing opportunities for all Australians to 

have greater access to the arts is one of the 

cornerstones of the Commonwealth Government's 

cultural policy. 

The arts also help us to define our identity as a 

community, whether at a regional level or as a 

nation as a whole. 

The Hon David Simmons 

Minister for the Arts, Sport, the 

Environment, Tourism etJ Territories 

Commonwealth Government 

Without public art, archaeologists have little 

evidence of the culture of ancient civilisation. 

The historic record of the genius of those 

artists depends upon the quality of the craftsmanship 

and the materials they chose - the 

stone, the glass, the bronze, the ceramic. May 

our society be sufficiently far-Sighted to sponsor 

public art works conceived by inspired 

artists and executed by skilled craftsmen. Only 

then will future generations be proud of their 

heritage. 

Rhyll Hinwood 

Sculptor 

I believe that primarily, art in public places is, 

without ulterior motive, a vivid reflection of 

the creators' sentiment, their statement. Art 

in development is necessary, important and 

should be insisted upon with the view that if it 

remains absent, our descendants will only 


understand their origins through newspaper 

clippings sealed in a time capsule and ultimately 

lost in the foundations of yet another 

disposable building. We must pass on our culture 

through worthy examples of our being, 

our art, our architecture, otherwise our existence 

will only be remembered via the handing 

down from Mother to Daughter, Father to Son, 

of a neatly labelled floppy disc. 

Con Nikiforides 

Managing Director 

Niecon Developments 

I believe that art in public places in Australia is 

in its infancy and that the strengthening link 

with science and technology is essential for 

expanding this development through discussion 

and cooperation in the enhancement of 

our common environment. 

Joan Campbell 

Potter, Designer of Art for Public Places 

Irrespective of whether the work is sacred or 

profane, serious or humorous, it needs to be 

understood that making "Public Art" is primarily 

a political act or intervention by an artist 

- an act that affects the relationship between 

people and their environment. When working 

with this relationship it is the skills and integrity 

of the artist that are needed and not the 

individual ego. 

Michael Keighery 

Artist, Teacher and Business man 

Technology and Innovation 

Critical Writing/Getting Published 

While there ought to be healthy scepticism 

about what one reads in the newspapers, it 

appears that articles and photographs in art 

and ceramic magazines can be taken as a literal 

reflection of current trends, even as exemplary 

examples of standard accepted by curators, 

writers, award givers and others that make 

judgements about us. In some measure this is 

true. As ceramists, on the other hand, we are at 

the mercy of editors of gallery directors whose 

taste is limited towards work in line with one 

particular art theory. 

Janet Mansfield 

Potter and Editor 

We must educate our own graduates in the 

overall visual scene, developing vocabulary, 

philosophy and interpretation. What we must 

strive for is collections of scholarly articles on 

ceramics, using them to convince academics 

that it is a valid art form, worthy of research, a 

full relative to Fine Art. 

Ken Leveson 

Professor of Ceramic Design, Monash 

University, Ceramist, Designer 

Not being published barely hindered the development 

of potters for thousands of years. Ceramic 

objects from history still speak to us in 

the first person for those fortunate enough to 

handle them. Central to the pleasure of this 

tactile art is the unspoken and unwritten criticism 

of the hand, the skin, the muscles and the 

eye, as one senses the object's physicality, its 

weight and texture, its stylistic relationship to 

other things and its functional qualities. 

Rarely does written criticism climb from second-hand 

experience to the innate pleasure of 

these first-hand experiences. However, the reliance 

on being published is pervasive and we 

devour evidence of objects and artists through 

words and pictures. Yet how often do the 

works evoke the essential experience of the 

object, or the photographs capture the object's 

formal or metaphorical qualities? 

Robert Bell 

Craft Writing &. Critiques 

It might be said that culture is determined by 

creators and critics. But which comes first; 

creation or criticism? Until recently the answerwouldhave 

been creation. Ceramics were 

made, used, admired or rejected through 

millenia which recorded little by way of formalised 

critique. 


Today, it is commonly held, criticism has the 

power to enliven or enhance creative excellence 

- even show the way. Sometimes this is 

so; but there are pitfalls too. Firstly, there is an 

important distinction between criticism and 

theory which requires explanation. Secondly, 

theory - by its nature subversive-can, if we are 

not optically watchful, corrupt creativity and 

weaken cultural aspirations. Criticism must 

be applied equally to theory and practice. 

lenny Zimmer 

Professor of Art etJ Design, Monash 

University 

Education 

The bandaids we have placed on our degree 

programs, due to economic and political restraints, 

have lost their adhesion. As student 

contact hours shrink we must place more 

emphasis on independent research including 

technique and processes. Too often more emphasis 

is placed on process, too little on concept, 

too few students are aware of their individual 

philosophies. 

Ken Leveson 

In the area of ceramics, as in any other, we 

must build flexibility into our educational 

programs, be more adventurous and willing to 

accept certain failures as a by-product of progression. 

We must cater for a broader interest 

than for the studio potter and ceramic artist 

alone. 

Rod Bamford 

Ceramist and Teacher 

Today's ceramics student is more than ever 

faced with the dilemma of, on the one hand 

developing an individual practice that is personally 

satisfying, and on the other hand, economic 

survival in the real world. Addressing 

this dilemma is the real challenge of ceramic 

education in the 90s. 

GudrunKlix 

Head of Ceramics, Sydney College of the Arts 

Technological Developments 

Lithium Australia Ltd is producing a recently 

discovered 40 million tonne of exceptionally 

pure Spodumene at Greenbushes in Western 

Australia. The company is offering unlimited 

quantities and consistency to a wide range of 

ceramic manufacturers. Spodumene is a 

lithium bearing mineral and its main use lies 

firstly, in supplying lithium oxide in glaze 

manufacture where it lowers melting point 

and improves glaze hardness, chemical resistance 

and gloss; secondly, raw Spodumene (alpha) 

when heated to 1080°C changes to beta 

Spodumeneandthis change is accompanied by 

large volumetric growth, this phenomenon is 

used in the refractory industry where volumetric 

stability is of importance ie refractory 

castables and ramming mises; thirdly, beta 

Spodumene has very low coefficient of thermal 

expansion and thus is a very useful material 

for production of flame proof cooking ware 

as well as an additive to medium temperature 

refractory bodies for fast firing operations. The 

studio potter can use all of these properties. 

Mike Kusnil< 

Ceramic Technologist 

Promotion - Earning a Living in the 

Visual Arts 

Do you believe in the work you do and the 

quality of it? Are you concerned about your 

market and not someone else's. Is integrity 

being exchanged for commercialism in Australian 

ceramics? Do you receive "pleasure" in 

making "POTS"? 

Greg Daley 

Ceramist 

Identifying your market, targeting that market 

and maintaining the development of the marketplace 

represents survival. The most difficult 

task which confronts us all is to identify 

our work clearly in the marketplace. We also 

have to be very decisive about our future intentions. 

With these two factors decided upon, we 

can target and develop our collecting audience 

S4 Pottery in Australia

Getting Published 

for the Rest of Us 

as presented at the Conference 

Leonard Smith 

and our furure. The whole success of selling 

comes back to the artist, with communication 

as the key issue. Communication of the idea, 

your working process, philosophy, life and 

background is an important aspect in nurruringpotential 

collectors. An artist cannot afford 

to have anything but a positive attitude and an 

open-minded approach - potential customers 

and major investors may present themselves 

in the most unexpected places and circumstances. 

Peter Crisp 

Ceramic Artist etJ Designer 

Within the craft infrastrucrure there is a lamentable 

lack of good old, real world, effective 

marketing skills. The unifying style and philosophy 

of craft of the 1970s is dispersed and 

today we have a spectrum of products of great 

diversity (in style, philosophy and price) that 

requires a complex marketing approach. 

Frank McBride 

lam Factory Workshops Inc 

Good marketing is the design and communication 

of actions in a way that will motivate a 

variety of consumers, and its effectiveness 

requires constant management ofin£ormation 

and networking, Although selling is an integral 

part of total marketing, close attention has 

to be paid to all elements of the marketing mix 

including product, price, promotion and positioning. 

Marketing is an ongoing process of 

satisfying consumers' needs and desires profitably. 

It is, therefore, crucial to target the market 

correctly and research is necessary to find 

solutions in market planning. Personal commitment, 

drive and persistence, combined 

with a profeSSional approach are the essential 

ingredients for success in the marketplace. 

Su Hodge 

Marketing Consultant 

From the beginning ideas to the final 

copy, with a look at the current computerised 

production process. 

Articles for Pottery in Australia arrive 

in a variety of forms and from a variety of 

sources. We do commission some articles and 

we do write some ourselves but generally we 

rely heavily on articles that are submitted for 

consideration. We would encourage you to 

give us a ring first just to check but I can safely 

say that we rarely reject articles and that we 

can never get enough. We prefer to pay in kind 

as money is always tight but we pay for commissioned 

articles. Again we are open to negotiation 

on this. 

Once we receive an article it is registered so 

that we can keep track of it and ensure the safe 

rerurn of visuals. We then also send a letter 

confirming that we have received it. From here 

the articles are read and decisions made about 

their suitability. Sometimes we hang on to 

articles for a later edition if they appear more 

relevant to any upcoming themes. In general 

though we have them typed onto computer 

disk. Many people are supplying articles already 

on disk and this does save us a lot of time 

and expense. We can accept any computer 

format(i.e. documents produced an any personal 

computer); MS DOS; Apple II Pro DOS; 

or (our main preference) Apple Macintosh. 

The reason we use computers is that they have 

Simplified the production process of magazines. 

Previously we presented typed articles 

and slides to our designer and he went to a 

typesetter to get galleys of type, which he then 

cutup and pasted onto photo ready boards with 

drawings of the slides and then returned them 

to us. We had very little input and were unable 

to make changes or suggestions as these would 

invariably end up costing us more. These 

boardS' were then sent to a film house for 

photographing and the film sent to the printer 

for use in the photogravilre printing process. 

Pottery in Australia SS

We now prepare the disks and by using the 

same typographical specifications as the magazine 

I know how long each article is i.e. how 

much space it will take. When I have enough 

material I sit with the designer and together we 

layout the magazine on the screen deciding on 

slide placement and size etc. The whole process 

can be done in about one hour and we then 

print out a draft for proof reading. We can then 

make any changes without any additional costs 

and the completed magazine is then saved to 

disk and the disk sent to the printer for final 

printing on an imagesetter and the finished art 

sent to be scanned atthe film house. One week 

later I have the printers proofs to read and one 

week after that we have the final magazine for 

distribution. The distribution takes about a 

further week. 

From final article deadline to delivery is a 

space of 4 weeks a long way short of the 3 

months we needed when we printed in Japan. 

I'm sure you will all support our decision to 

print in Australia but we not only print here, 

we also have our film produced in Australia 

and when you realise that film for printing is 

nearly half the cost of printing overall you can 

get a grasp of how important this is. We are 

currently the only craft magazine in colour 

which is fully Australian produced. 

The following is our preference for submitted 

articles: 

Written 

1. Macintosh word processor files on disk. 

(Apple Macintosh! 

2. MS DOS word processor on disk. (mM or 

clones) 

3. Apple II Pro DOS word processor on disk. 

(Apple II! 

4. Typewritten manuscript with normal 

spacing. (Unlike other publishing processes 

where they prefer double spacing so that 

they have room to edit and make 

corrections, we scan your material into the 

computer. We then use Optical Character 

Recognition to convert the scan to a text file 

that we can then edit and correct so it saves 

us time if it is closely typed. It also helps if 

it is a clear original using a fresh ribbon.! 

S. We will accept hand written material but it 

must be clearly printed and it makes life 

difficult for us. 

(these are in order of preferences with 1. the 

most preferred! 

Visuals 

1. Large format professional transparencies. 

2. 3Smm transparencies (slides! 

3. Colour photos, original prints not negs 

4. B&. W prints, preferably on glossy paper. 

Larger formats are preferred because all film is 

composed of dots and when you enlarge a 

small format colour transparency like a 3Smm 

slide then you are left with larger grain and 

pictures which aren't as clear. 3Smm slides are 

very good and we usually use about 90% for 

our visuals in each edition. 

We can also print from books, magazines or 

brochures, although the better the original the 

better we can reproduce it. I am often amazed 

at what the designers can achieve with bad 

material. 

In general try to keep your articles short, bright 

and informative, our readers are interested to 

know about you, your working environment, 

your tools, equipment and techniques, your 

philosophy and influences on your work and of 

course your work itself. The better your visual 

material, the more chance that we will publish 

it. Send a shot of yourself in your studio. We 

like to publish these and do be selective, don't 

leave it up to us to select 5 slides from 20. 

The editor's role is to oversee the magazine's 

production including reading the articles, editing 

them and checking them for grammatical 


errors. The editorial committee's role is to 

select the articles and visuals and then the 

editor works with the designer to produce a 

draft for approval by the committee. At this 

stage a proofreader proofs the draft for spelling, 

punctuation and grammar and hopefully 

these are all corrected before printing. For 

those of you interested in these things we use 

an Apple Macintosh computer to do the 

original typing and the design work. The 

design is done on a Mac n CX with a two page 

screen. We have access to colour and B&.W 

scanning and laser printing for proofs. Currentlyweareusing 

a Varityper ImageSetterat 

600 dpi for our camera ready art. We are fast 

approaching being able to eliminate the film 

house and going straight from disk to the 

ptinting press. 

A guide to producing quality visuals 

The best format for reproduction is large 

format transparencies as they have the smallest 

grain for reproduction, but these are usually 

only available from professional photographers 

who use expensive large cameras and 

special professional film. Most of us cannot 

afford a professional photographer so I'd like 

to make a few suggestions about takingslides. 

Firstly work out one set up and stick to it till 

you get it right. I use a 35mm camera with a 

pair of spotlights. It is essential that you get 

some advice about colour balance with lighting. 

One way is to use tungsten film with the 

lights but this still give me a slight yellow 

cast to the final slides. With standard daylight 

film I use a 2A filter for correction 

otherwise, there is much too blue. I always 

use a tripod and a long cable shutter release. 

By doing this I can use very slow shutter 

speeds without moving the camera. Low 

speeds allow small apertures to be used and 

with three dimensional pots this gives the 

best depth of field (i.e. more of the pot, from 

front, to back is in focus. 

Many people use daylight and to avoid sharp 

shadows they take the shots in the shade. A 

verandah is an ideal place for this but take a 

good look through the viewfinderto see if there 

are any additional shadows. 

I will point out that forreproduction it is better 

if there is a lot of space around the object as it 

allows us a lot of latitude with fitting the pot 

onto the page and filling the space more effectively. 

It is always better if the background is 

plain and uncluttered, as textures are distracting. 

Try and use a colour that is sympathetic to 

the object. 

A lot of you have experience with B&. W photography 

and development and this is certainly 

a good way of producing visuals for the 

magazine. All the same rules apply as mentioned 

above although obviously not the ones 

about colour. 

"Pottery in Australia " is a co-operativemagazine 

owned by the members of the Potters' 

Society and answerable to its elected committee. 

The magazine is run by an the editor who 

answers to this committee. This has not always 

operated effectively, sowearenowinstituting 

a policy of 3 year contracts for editors so 

that we spread the responsibility and experience 

around and no one person gains too much 

power. This is much more p-:-eferable in my 

mind to the absolute autocracy of a privately 

owned magazine. "Pottery in Australia" is 

also a non profit operation, in fact for the last 

4 years it has posted heavy losses (which have 

only iust been turned around), whilst ultimately 

a private magazine must be profit 

driven. I'll just finish by pleading with you to 

send in that article you've been meaning to 

write for years, I'll publish it, it's that easy! 


Statement 

Peter Steggall 

Peter Steggall 

is a full time 

potter living 

at Perthville 

near Bathurst in NSW. 

While a lot of his output 

is functional stoneware 

to generate income 

for the pottery, 

his real love lies in 

wood fired and salt 

glazed pottery. He is 

presently doing a post 

graduate diploma at 

Monash-Gippsland 

College. (Here is a typical 

log of a salt glaze Bowl. wood fired salt glaze 

firing). He has a 40 cubic 

ft salt kiln and a smaller gas fired stoneware 

kiln. His (my) main influence has been the and some hardwood used. Damper open 1/4. 

work of north coast potters Tony Nankervis, 3 .oopm temperature 590°C. Steam coming out 

Melina and Dennis Monks. Visitors are welcome 

and should ring (063) 37 2566. 

everywhere, intermittent light rain. 

4.00pm temperature 672°C. (Oxidising atmosphere 

maintained at this stage to prevent bloating 

of clay bodies). 

Log of salt glaze firing. Kiln type 40 cubic ft. 

Cross draft with Bourry fire box (wood fired). 

Weather overcast light drizzle. 

6. lOam Start. Gas burner lit in chimney base 

to preheat and start kiln drawing. Small fire 

started on floor of fire box. Stoking through 

secondary air hole. All other air inlets closed. 

Damper I/S open. Gradually increasing size of 

fire. Rate of climb 50°C per hour (approx).(This 

period of the firing is necessarily slow because 

of raw fired pots.) The kiln is quite damp from 

recent heavy rain. Wood supply getting wet. 

9.ooam temperature 130°C. Steam corning 

from arch. Rain has stopped increasing fire 

using scrap pine from local mill. 

11.ooam temperature 187°C. Steam pouring 

off kiln. Progress is slow. 

12.00 am temperature 242°C. (Past initial danger 

period for raw fired pottery). Fire increasing 


5.30pm temperature 900°C. Oxidising fire is 

moved onto the hobs one layer high. Damper 

open 3 /4,secondaryairclosed,prirnarylj2 open. 

Drop in temperature while hob fire is established. 

Wood is being stacked around the kiln 

to dry it out. 

5.50pm temperature 925°C. Cone (OS over 

start reduction. Damper closed 3/4. Fire box 

1/2 full. Primary 1/2 open. 

6.15pm temperature 950°C. Startrainingheavily. 

(The tarp covering the kiln is not holding 

up well and water is flowing over the front of 

the kiln.) Throat arch has blocked up and needs 

to be raked clear. Good reduction. 

7.15pm temperature 953°C. Medium reduction. 

Damper 1/2 open. Raining. Primary open 

full and lid of fire box open 3in. (75mm)

Platter, wood fired salt glaze, iron oxide brushwork 

Platter, wood fired salt glaze, ball clay/alumina slip, various oxides 

7 .S0pm temperature 

987°C. Still raining. Good 

reduction possibly due to 

all the water present in the 

fire box and damp wood. 

Removed one trick brick 

from exit flues. Open secondary 

air to burn down 

the ember pit. 

8.1Spm temperature 

1030°C. Heavy reduction. 

Damper full open. Still 

raining heavily. 

9.00pm no change - ember 

bed raked again 

9.SOpm rain has slowed to 

drizzle. Temperature 

lO40°C and rising. Light 

reduction damper 3/4 open. 


11.00pm temperature 

l103 ° C . Rain has 

stopped. Full moon 

comes out from behind 

clouds. Good omen perhaps. 

Light reduction. 

12.00pm temperature 

1220°C on pyrometer. 

Cone 8 over in front 

(Pyro out by 40°C or so.) 

1.OOam cone 9 over front 

and top moving at the 

bottom. Cone 8 moving 

at rear. Remove other 

trick bricks. 

2.00am temperature 

1260°C. Cone 10 over 

front and top. First salting. 

(Using one litre 

saucepan). Wait for fire 

to burn down a little. 

Close damper 3/ 4 five 

pans salt added. Wait ten 

minutes and stoke. Temperature has dropped 

to 1200°C. Wait until all signs of previous 

salting have cleared. Regain temperature. 

3. lOam second salting. Wait for stack to clear. 

Fire Brigade turns up. Not impressed but eventually 

leaves us be. 

3.4Sam temperature reading 1292°C. All cones 

gone. Third salting - five pans. Wait a whilestoke. 

Draw first test rings. Build up good - 

needs more. Some large platters at the bottom 

are starting to sag. 

4.30am fourth salting. This time with damper 

open in an attempt to put soda build up into 

bottom area of the kiln. Pull further test rings. 

Satisfied with build up of glaze. Keep up temperature 

with oxidiSing soak until all signs of 

salt fumes have cleared from chimney stack. 

S.30am chimney clearing. Burn down ember 


Teapot, wood fired salt glaze, ball c1ay/ekalite/alumina slip 

bed. (Note, at this stage it is important not to 

disturb the ember pit as it will deposit ash 

through the kiln leaving a harsh dry coating on 

affected areas (unmelted ash). After the burn 

down (crash cool to about 1000°C) the whole 

kiln is carefully clammed up with a sand/clay 

mortar.) 

6.50am Finish. 

Results:Because of the wet weather a longer 

than usual period of reduction was maintained 

(approx S hours) but the results were very good. 

Bright colours especially the orange ball clay/ 

alurnina/ekalite slip. Shino glaze used on the 

interiors etc - wonderful. Too hot in the front 

of the kiln (perhaps too tighdy packed and 

some slumping has occurred. Some peeling of 

slips on several pots but nowhere near as bad as 

previous firing. Some bloating on platter containing 

fire clay (coal chips perhaps).

Recent Student 

Work 

University of NSW St George 

Campus 

Second year art/fibre students 

studying for an Associate 

Diploma in Expressive 

and Performing 

Arts recently completedanintroductory 

clay course. The course 

is designed as a supportive study 

and introduces students to basic 

clay forming and glazing techniques. 

Students are encouraged to investigate 

the qualities of clay by experimenting 

with a variety of 

hand building techniques and 

colouring methods. Visits to the 

Powerhouse Museum and current 

clay work exhibitions form a basis 

from which students can develop 

ideas of their own. 

Before building their final pieces 

students refine ideas through drawing and design 

which becomes an integral part of the 

working process. 

Students are encouraged to develop a personal 

response to clay as a medium of expression. 

Helen Earl 

Nicole Churl (top) 

Elyle Blaansjar (above) 

Abdul Abdullah (left) 


Kirsty Watts (top) 

Bonnie Kirkpatrick (above) 

Irina Veltman (top right) 

Edward Whitmarsh·Knight (right) 


Artists and Unions: 

The Issues 

Stephen Cassidy 

A Talk Given at a Forum on Visual Artists and 

Unions at the Queensland Art Gallery, July 

1991. 

The issue of industrial representation of visual 

artists has been unresolved throughout the last 

decade. Many of those working in the visual 

arts industry have seen the issue as important 

and various bodies have attempted to provide 

industrial representation for visual artists in 

one form or another. 

Such organisations have included the 

Artworkers Union (at various times in various 

states), the Operative Painters and Decorators 

Union in various states, the Australian Theatrical 

and Amusement Employees Association 

(particularly in South Australia) and the 

Queensland Artworkers Alliance. Visual artists 

have also been represented to some extent 

in various states by other industrial organisations 

that have incidentally had some coverage. 

Examples of these organisations are the 

Printing and Kindred Industries Union (screen 

printers), Federated Miscellaneous Workers 

Union (photographers), the Australian Journalists 

Association (photographers), the Australian 

Teachers Federation (art teachers), the 

Federated Council of Academics/Union of 

Australian Academics and the Federation of 

Australian University Staff Associations (lectures/teachers) 

and the national Public Service 

Union and State Public Service Unions (museum 

personnel, art gallery and centre staff). 

There are also representative bodies, such as 

the community arts networks that represent 

visual artists working in community contexts. 

Discussion of the issue of industrial representation 

has continued, with greater or lesser 

intensity, for the whole period. It is obviously 

a subject capable of arousing great passion and 

creating strong positions. It is also worth asking: 

why haven't the bulk of visual artists 

joined existing unions for visual artists? 

What are the issues? 

A. Issues of Unionism 

The Reasons for and Value of Unionisation 

Why should visual artists be in a union anyway? 

The immediate answers to this question 

seem to be connected to issues of payment 

rates and conditions. Generally speaking, the 

rates of pay and conditions of work of visual 

artists are not good. The income of visual 

artists from their work generally is low. The 

potential role of unions in setting awards and 

conditions is important here. 

However, there are also issues related to the 

ability of unions to effect wider matters of 

concern to artists, such as training, accreditation, 

Government policy. 

There is the ability of unions to play an active 

role in industry development, broadeningwork 

opportunities for visual artists and encouraging 

greater expenditure on visual arts projects. 

They can also work with other visual arts 

organisations to increase understanding of the 

broader functions and role the visual arts industry 

can have. 

There is also the role unions can play in integrating 

the visual arts industry with wider 

social developments. With the massive 

changes currently occurring in the union 

movement and the far wider role being undertaken 

by unions (related to amalgamations, 

award restructuring, training and a far more 

active development role within the various 

industries concerned), and industry without 

an active union runs the risk of missing many 

opportunities to state its case and to be part of 

change. This has already become apparent on 

some of the tripartite industry bodies (employer, 

union and governnlent) such as the 

training councils, where the performing arts 

industry is having its case strongly represented 

by both employers and unions, whereas the 

visual arts industry is not being clearly heard. 


Employees, Self-Employed and Employers 

The question arises of the large proportion of 

artists who are self-employed. What relationship 

would they have to a union in the industry? 

Would they be eligible to join? Could the 

union do anything for them ? Would a union try 

to get them to join or would they be put in the 

'too hard' basket. What proportion of selfemployed 

artists actually see a union as being 

important and would wish to join? The issue of 

underemployment is also an important one, 

with many artists working part-time. It is also 

important to recognise that many artists work 

both as employees and in private practice in 

the studio. 

Unions, Arts Unions and Amalgamation 

is it betterforvisual artists to be represented by 

a union which can help create new work opportunities 

in a wider industry than the arts 

industry? For example, the OPDU is well 

placed to help expand the work area of public 

art because of its placement within the building 

industry. 

However, we should recognise here some of 

the problems with too strong an emphasis on 

public art at the expense of other areas of visual 

art practice. What about other areas and the 

problems they face, for example the gallery 

area? The public art momentum has potential 

but runs the risk of skewing the emphasis in 

the industry and producing an unbalanced 

development. This whole area needs to be 

considered separately in more detail so that the 

real potential of public art can be assessed 

accurately. 

Or, to consider another alternative, should 

visual artists be in a specifically arts union, 

such as with the entertainment unions? It is 

worth noting that in South Australia, while 

some visual artists, especially those working 

on public art, are covered by the OPDU, most 

of those in a union are in the Theatrical and 

Amusement Employees Association. This has 

occurred because of the role of this union in 

representing set painters. This potentially 


places visual artists with actors, mUSICIans 

and technical personnel in the performing arts 

if an amalgamation occurs between Actors 

Equity, the Musicians Union and the Theatrical 

and Amusement Employees Association. 

However, this then raises the question of 

whether or not visual artists would want to be 

part of what is essentially a performing arts 

based arts union. Whichever option ends up 

being the preferred one, visual artists will 

remain a relatively small part of a larger organisation, 

because of the size of the industry and 

particularly of the employed part of it. 

B. Issues Unions Need to Address 

Services, Conditions and Payment 

What services, conditions and payment can 

various unions offer to or obtain for artists? 

Will they be able to establish awards or extend 

awards to ensure more effective regulation of 

the industry and the conditions and rates of 

pay within it? 

There are important issues connected with 

industry development and the broadening of 

work opportunities for visual artists. 

There are also important issues concerned 

with quality of working life, such as Occupational 

Health and Safety. 

Finally, there are what we might call professional 

issues, such as training and accreditation. 

We also need to ask any union how capable it 

is of dealing with issues specific to the visual 

arts industry, such as moral rights, copyright, 

resale royalties. What is their potential role in 

the lobbying and policy areas? 

C. Logistic and Industrial Realities 

Resources,lncorne,Staff 

There are some general matters here where we 

need specific research in order to determine 

which bodies could represent artists effectively: 

• What is the scope and degree of existing 

union coverage of visual artists?

• What is the effectiveness of such 

coverage? 

• What is the potential of such coverage in 

the light of developments in the union 

movement generally and in the specific 

unions concerned? 

These raise some very specific issues concerned 

with the ability of any union to effectively 

service visual artists: 

1. What are the potential membership 

levels of visual artists in such a union 

and what are the minimum necessary 

levels for a union to effectively represent 

artists? 

2. What are the organisational resources 

necessary to achieve these membership 

levels and the resources needed for 

effective industrial representation? 

3. Which of the potential bodies seeking to 

represent visual artists can realistically 

provide these resources and therefore 

adequately represent artists? 

NAVNs Position 

The National Association for the Visual Arts 

believes that it is important for the visual arts 

industry in general and NAVA in particular to: 

a. develop a clear outline of the industrial 

situation in the visual arts. 

b. clarify and analyse the options for 

industrial and other representation in the 

visual arts. 

c. provide the opportunity for artists to 

make an informed decision about their 

industrial representation. 

This implies both development and dissemination 

of information. 

D. Clarify and Develop 

Representation in the Visual Arts 

NAVA is concerned that there is no national 

organisation for visual artists and that this 

leaves a large gap in the industry. NAVA is 

prepared to consider support for any options 

which will put in place a national organisation 

for artists. A union-based option is a serious 

one in this context. NAVA is also concerned 

that artists have options which they can exercise 

in this area. Many artists do not which to 

join a union and do not see them as relevant to 

their work. 

NAVA is concerned that this is an important 

issue for a significant part of NAV Ns constituency, 

the core of which is visual artists. There 

is a need to inform artists of options within the 

union movement and the advantages and limitations 

of these options and also to clearly 

distinguish these options from bodies outside 

the union movement, such as NAVA (and the 

Crafts Councils), which perform a very different 

role. 

As published by the National Association for 

the visual Arts 

This article clearly sets out issues that you 

mayor may not feel are relevant to you. I am 

quite sure it will provoke discussion and 

controvesy amongst some of our readers. Let 

us now! -ed. 

1993 Churchill 

Fellowships 

for overseas study 

The Churchililiust inv~es aw/ications from Australians. of 

18 years and over from alf walks 01 lile who wish to be 

considered lor a Churchill Fellowship to undertake. duri"9 

1993, an overseas study project that will enhance their 

usefulness to the Australian community. 

No presaibed qualilications are required, merit being the 

primary test, whether based on past achievements or 

demonstrated ability lor luture achievement. 

Fellowships are awarded annually to those who have 

already established themselves in their calling. They are 

not awarded lor the purpose 01 obtaining higher academic 

or lormal qualifications. 

Details may be obtained by sending a sell addressed 

stamped envelope (12 x 24 ems) to: 

The Wlnalon Churchill Memorial Trust 

218 Northboume Ave, Bradden, 

ACT 2601 . 

Completed aw/ication lorms and reports 

lrom three referees must be swbmiHed by 

Friday 28 February 1992. 


Exhibition Listings 

Oct 1-26 

Oct 4-27 

Oct6-Nov3 

Oct 6-27 

Oct 7-27 

Oct 7 - Nov 3 

Oct 11-31 

Oct 18-Nov4 

Oct 18-Nov4 

Oct 29 - Nov 30 

Oct28-Nov 17 

Nov 1-21 


The Teapot Show 

Representing Potters Australia wide 

Garden Safari - Members Show 

Australian Contemporary Jewellery 

Biennal- a survey of Australian jewellery 

Glass by Setsuko Ogishi, Painting by 

Douglas Kirsop 

Humanity - A group exhibition based on 

the human form 

"Once Upon a Time", Sandra Johnson, 

Ruth Stendrup, Ron McBumie 

Janna Ferris, Shaunagh Willman 

liThe Table is Laid" Colourful earthenware 

for summer entertaining 

Surface Paradise, An exhibition by 

exhibiting members of The Potters' 

Society 

A Collection of Sculptures &. Paintings by 

Samantha Collyer and Belinda Swan 

Peter Rushforth 

Rolf Bartz - carved porcelain 

Jan Buttenshaw, Barbara Webster 

Barium glazes and large platters 

Janice Raynor, Val Gordon, Kristyn Taylor 

"Tantalising Tidbits, Torsos and Titans 

from a Talented Tactile Trio" 

Sharyn Brown, Carmel Dorrington 

"A Piece of Conversation" sculptured 

pieces 

Distelfink 

Hawthorn Vic 

Inner City Clayworkers 

GlebeNSW 

Jam Factory St Peters 

SA 

Beaver Galleries 

Deakin, Canberra 

Claythings Potters 

Gallery Balgowlah NSW 

The Potters' Gallery 

Queensland 

Mura Clay Gallery 

NewtownNSW 

Manly Art Gallery &. 

MuseumNSW 

The Balmain 

Watchouse Balmain 

Distelfink 

Hawthorn Vic 

Claythings Potters 


MUIa Clay Gallery 

NewtownNSW 


GlebeNSW 



Nov 4 - Dec 1 

Nov 5-30 

NovlO-Dec8 

Nov 18-Dec24 



Nov 22-Dec 5 

Dec I-Dec24 

Dec3-Dec21 

Dec 4 - Christmas 

Dec.6 - Dec 24 

Dec 15-24 

Jewellery by Peter Gertler, Sculpture by 

Sylvio Apponyi, Paintings by Henry 

Szdlowski 

Solo Exhibition, Peter Harris 

Guy &. Joy Warren Ceramics 

Rodney Broad sculpture and drawings 

Guy Warren - A Birthday Celebration 

Resonant Objects - Mixed media 

Special Christmas show by exhibiting 

members 

No Snow Christmas Show 

Christmas Collection '91 

A collection of fine art and the decorative 

arts for the Festive Season - including 

water colours, walking sticks, glass, 

pottery, leather jewellery 

Julie Bartholemew 

Christmas show including ceramics, 

sculpture, furniture, jewellery and wood 

by selected artists 

Kevin White Ceramics 

Members' Christmas Exhibition and Mixed 

Craft Show 

The "Celebration in Clay" 

Annual Christmas exhibition 

All Boxed Up - SA boxes made or decorated 

by a range of SA craftspeople 

Beaver Galleries Deakin, 

Canberra 


Queensland 

Macquarie Galleries 

Rushcutters Bay NSW 

Jarn Factory St Peters SA 

Claythiugs Potters 



GlebeNSW 

Beaver Galleries Deakin, 

Canberra 

Mura Clay Gallery 

NewtownNSW 

Distelfink Gallery 

Hawthorn Vic 

Macquarie Galleries 

Rushcutters Bay NSW 


Queensland 

MUla Clay Gallery 

NewtownNSW 

Jam Factory St Peters SA 


Book Review 

Handbook for 

Australian Potters 

T 

his very useful text written by Janet 

De Boos, Stephen Harrison and 

Leonard Smith has been reprinted 

and is available again after an absence 

of 12 months. It is now published by 

Harnlyn Australia and is available for a RRP of 

$70.00. It should be available in major book 

shops or by ringing the publisher. 

1bis comprehensive guide was born out of a 

need for information on all aspects of Australian 

pottery for Australian conditions. Australian 

potters, whether they are beginners or 

experienced in their craft, will find this an 

invaluable handbook no matter what their 

level of participation in the field of pottery. 

The three authors have fully covered their 

specialised areas and recorded information 

never before published. 1bis includes sections 

on stoneware glazes, building tools and equipment, 

clay processing, workshop techniques, 

wood-firing and kiln construction. 

With a foreword by Peter Rushforth, one of the 

founding fathers of pottery in Australia, Handbook 

for Australian Potters is a must for everyone 

actively involved in pottery or interested 

in the potter's craft. 

The following extract is a small sample of the 

book as a whole. 

Copper glazes 

The colours that develop with the use of copper 

are dependent on the following major factors: 

1. The percentage of copper used, 

2. The acidity or alkalinity of the glaze, that 

is, the ratio of bases to silica, 

3. The bases (ie fluxes) used, and 

4. The firing temperature and atmosphere. 

The form in which copper is introduced into 

the glaze is immaterial except from the point 

of view of the varying strengths of the com- 

pounds (see Use of Colourants). 1bis is because 

the carbonates quickly break down to 

the cupric oxide and the cuprous oxide easily 

reverts in oxidising atmospheres to cupric oxide. 

(Most firings are oxidised to at least 950- 

l000°C.) 

Copper reds 

Probably the best known of copper glazes are 

the traditional pink and red glazes known as 

peach bloom and sang-de-boeuf. These colours 

can be achieved at a wide range of temperatures 

and in a wide variety of base glazes, but 

they need reducing conditions. Sometimes 

they can be compounded incorporating a reducing 

agent, such as silicon carbide, into the 

glaze, and can then be fired in electric kilns. 

1bis is never quite as satisfactory, as the colour 

ohen has a 'speckled' quality or the glaze 

develops bubbles and blisters if the silicon 

carbide is insufficiently fine. 

Itis ohen mistakenly believed that because the 

reduced form of copper oxide, cuprous oxide 

(Cu 2 

0) is red, that this is responsible for the red 

colour. It is, in fact, very finely divided copper 

metal that forms the true sang-de-boeuf colours. 

The copper is present in colloidal form, 

and the red is an optical effect. If cuprous oxide 

is present (and this is relatively rare), then the 

reds become duller and a brownish liver colour. 

Thisisusuallythecasewithdryredglazes. 

Although reduction is necessary, it should be 

sustained but relatively light, as heavy reduction 

will tend to blacken the glaze due to the 

over-rapid growth of copper particles. This 

growth or agglomeration of copper particles, 

called "striking", is critical to copper red formation. 

Very small particles will give yellow 

colours (although these are elusive) and as they 

get larger and the dispersion becomes less fine, 

the red colours develop. If the particles group 

too much, dull or black colours can develop. 

Tin oxide, added in small quantities (1 to 3 0/0), 


etards the agglomeration and so contributes 

to the red formation. It does not seem to affect 

this process in its early stages, as increasing the 

tin oxide does not increase the likelihood of 

obtaining 'optical' yellows. Generally, the 

lower the percentage of copper, the more brilliant 

the colour (0.25 to 0.5% is all that is 

necessary in many glazes). Sometimes more 

copper than this has to be included because of 

the volatile nature of the colourant. At about 

1050 0 C, copper oxide begins to volatilise, and 

if the glaze has not begun to fuse (a process that 

'traps' the copper) it may be all lost to the kiln 

atmosphere. (This is one of the reasons that red 

colour is often seen on the insides of bowls and 

under turned feet when the glaze on the outside 

of the pot is colourless. When the copper 

oxide volatilises, it has nowhere to go but back 

onto the glaze surface it left). A small percentage 

of almost any alkaline frit (such as Ferro 

3110 or Podmore 2250) will start fusion of the 

glaze at a slightly lower temperature and helps 

to 'bind' the copper oxide into the glaze. 

The development of the traditional copper red 

colours in glazes is often believed to be dependent 

on very precise glaze formulation, but in 

fact it is much more dependent on firing conditions. 

It is essential to have the glaze well 

fused (and therefore semi-gloss to glossy) to 

get reds. As the glaze becomes less fused (and 

more satiny to matt), the colour becomes more 

pink to mushroom coloured. Often a less than 

satisfactory result can be made satisfactory by 

merely raising the firing temperature of the 

glaze, or increasing its flux content so that it 

melts more at the same firing temperature. 

The thickness of the glaze application is also 

important, as there is an optimum thickness 

for the development, of various 'optical' colours. 

If the glaze is too thinly applied, there 

may be no colour at all; if too thick, the colours 

may be dull and liverish. This critical thickness 

of application is another reason why the 

insides of bowls may develop more colour 

than the outside. If the inside is glazed first, 

then the dry, bisqued bowl will absorb more 

water, and more glaze will be deposited. 

When the outside is subsequently glazed, the 

body of the pot will be damp, absorb less 

water, and a thinner glaze coating will result. 

This may be too thin for the colour to be 

formed. 

One aspect of the glaze formulation that is 

important is the degree of alkalinity. Usually 

a moderately high proportion of the alkaline 

fluxes (about 0.5 to 0.6 Na 2 

0 + ~ 0) gives the 

brightest results. The remainder of the fluxes 

will probably be calcia, or baria, or both. 

Magnesium and zinc oxides are not normally 

used, as they can lessen the clarity of the red. 

A very small percentage of zinc oxide (less 

than 0.1), however, can be included without 

adverse effect. A silica content of around 4.5 

seems satisfactory with those flux proportions. 

The alumina content should be kept 

low (Si0 2 

:AIPJ at Cone 8 to 10 above 15:1). 

If the alumina content gets higher, the clear 

red colours will not develop. 

Copper red glazes, some recipes for which 

follow, are always best over smooth white or 

very pale buff clay bodies. 

1. A milky white glaze with red to pink 

speckle 

Frit3110 95 

CrestaBB 5 

Tin oxide 3 

Copper carbonate 1 

Reduction firing to 1080°C. 

To be effective reduction should be commenced 

early before fusion of the glaze commences. 

If it does not start early enough, a 

pale aqua will result. 

2. Bright pink-red glaze 

Cornish stone 65 

Frit3110 20 


Calcite 10 

Zinc oxide (colloidal) 5 

Tin oxide 4 

Copper carbonate 1 

Reduction £iring to 1200°C 

3. Variable red/white glazes 

(a) (b) 

Potash feldspar 60 55 

Silica 28 24 

Calcite 12 16 

Bariwn carbonate 5 10 

Tin oxide 3 3 

Copper carbonate .5-1 1-2 

Reduction £iring to 1300°C gives variable red/ 

white glazes. If the colour is not clear, increasing 

the barium carbonate will help. An addition 

of 5 parts of ball clay will improve the 

handling behaviour of the glazes. When this is 

added, the barium carbonate content must be 

increased. 

Fletcher Challenge from page 17 

and six other entries received Certificates of 

Merit from American judge Patti Warashina. 

The following year, 1989, Peter Lane from 

England chose Jeff Mincham as premier winner 

and awarded 15 Certificates of Merit. 

Efforts to increase international awareness of 

the ceramics award and exhibition were particularly 

rewarded in 1991 when, for the first 

time ever, overseas entries (233) eclipsed the 

number of New Zealand entries (220). Ron 

Nagle, from San Francisco, USA, was the invited 

judge for 1991. His choice for premier 

award winner and for a special double Award of 

Merit category, created by combining the prize 

moneys of two Awards of Merit to the value of 

$2000, were both unprecedented selections. 

The premier prize went to Tim Currey, from 

New Zealand, for an unglazed, white-fired, 

Shigeo Shiga holding the winning piece by Rick 

Rudd (NZ) 1978 

modelled and chiselled piece of light-scattering 

sculpture. The double Award of Merit went 

to a large, slab-built, tenmoku-glazed teapot by 

Jeff Oestreich, of the United States, which 

Nagle described in a word as "poetic". They 

will stand well among their peers and will 

define the year of their winning as a triumph 

for ceramic diversity. They were inspired 

choices. 

For 1992 entries will be called for in slide 

format in keeping with international exhibitions 

of similar structure and prize status. This 

will alleviate increasing pressures arising from 

the transit and storage requirements of entries 

and will expand the available pool of international 

judges able to abandon otherwise busy 

work schedules for a New Zealand sojourn. At 


present they need to be in the country for three 

weeks and with slide selection this will reduce 

to two. An increase in the numbers of entries 

along with submissions from as yet untapped 

areas of the world may be consequences of this 

change in entry procedure. It may also mean 

that awards and accolades may increasingly he 

directed towards overseas recipients, but in 

the end it is really New Zealand that wins 

because we get to see, and be thrilled and 

inspired by exhibitions of prestigious ceramics 

with an international content which would 

otherwise require a great deal of travelling to 

experience. 


Welcomes contributions - 

editorial, articles and pictures 

for details contact the editor or 

business manager. 

US Blakebrough, judge 1977 (above) 

Asako Watanabe, judge 1983 (above right) 

Thesday &. Wednesday 

IOam-Spm 

(02) 436 1184 


Living Without 

Grants 

Richard Murray 

Doug Alexander Memorial Lecture 

1986 

Delivered on 25 March 1986 

Editor's Comment. Richard presented this lecture 

for publication in 1986 and the then 

editor refused to publish it. Our current editorial 

policy is to canvass as wide a spectrum of 

views on the ceramic and crafts scene as 

possible and to ensure that even critical or 

controversial issues get an airing. We do not 

necessarily agree with everything that Richard 

says but we do think it is important that it be 

published to promote discussion. 

The Australia Council was established as a 

statutory body by the Federal Government to 

provide assistance for the development of the 

Arts in Australia. The Australia Council comprises 

seven boards, of which the Crafts Board 

is one ... 

The Crafts Board is botha funding and advisory 

body, providing assistance to individuals and 

organisations involved in the crafts throughout 

Australia ... 

Aims: The Crafts Board believes that government 

subsidy for the arts should recognise a 

three-fold responsibility: 

1. To provide maintenance support for 

organisations which are concerned with 

servicing the Arts; 

2. To provide selective support to individual 

artists to engage in the pursuit of 

excellence; and 

3. To provide comprehensive support for 

everyone in the community to have 

access to, and to participate in, the arts. 

The Board sees its responsibility to be primarily 

to sustain the work of the professional and 

to facilitate bridging between people working 

in the crafts at all levels within the community. 

Within this context, it has identified the fol- 

lowing areas as having particular priority: 

• The provision of opportunities for 

professional craftspeople to extend their 

experience through specialist training, 

study or research, communication and 

exchange of ideas; and to explore or extend 

their own creative development through 

concentrated periods of activity ... 

• The provision of opportunities for 

craftspeople to become economically 

viable, both through direct support for 

workshop establishment and indirect 

support. 

The Board believes that a strong and dynamic 

core of professional craftspeople is essential to 

sustain the development of the entire crafts 

movement ... " 

Source: Australia Council Crafts Board Booklet 

1980/81. 

In 1985, the Australia Council, through the 

Crafts Board, allocated individual grants ranging 

from $2500 to $15 000 to twenty-five 

craftspeople in New South Wales alone. 

Each of these individuals is no doubt hoping to 

sell his or her work in the same art/craft 

market place. That is, the same market place 

in which hard-working independent 

craftspeople are trying to secure a livelihood. 

The whole structure of grants to individuals 

poses some very interesting questions: 

Question 1 

Does the Crafts Board and the Government 

wish through the sponsorship of selected professional 

craftspeople, to create financially 

dependent people who can sell subsidised work 

in the otherwise price-competitive marketplace? 

Question 2 

Given that in Australia our foreign debt per 

head of population is now second in the world 

to Argentina, should people in all areas try to 


gain a measure of financial independence from 

Government handouts, and so lessen the financial 

drain on the productive members of 

the community? 

Question 3 

Can individual craftspeople secure a livelihood 

without resort to handouts, and further, 

could all those individuals who have received 

grants exist and produce creatively without 

them? 

My answer to the last question is that my own 

experience over the past seven or eight years 

would suggest that they could. If they worked 

hard enough (i.e. up to six days a week without 

annual leave, holiday pay etc.) they could also 

support a wife and three children, (with assistance 

from the wife in running the bUSiness), 

build a gallery to display and sell their work 

(thanks to Westpac), and occasionally go sailing 

on a 25ft yacht (also thanks to Westpac). 

The above is in addition to having set up my 

own workshop out of funds accumulated after 

ten years of full-time teaching. I have also paid 

sales tax, income and provisional tax since 

becoming a professional potter in 1979. 

From the above some might assume that my 

work and attitude are very commercial, not, in 

fact, those of a true artist-craftsperson. I would 

have to disagree with this view, and could cite 

the sale of hundreds of thousands of dollars 

worth of pots over the years to some very 

discerning people through some very discerning 

galleries. 

My attitude to the grants system has hardened 

as I have watched the basic rate of sales tax 

increase from 2.5 to 5% (Oct. 81)to 7.5% (Sept. 

82) to 10% (Sept. 85). 

I have concluded that I am one of a minority of 

craftspeople who: 

I. Obtains his entire income from the sale 

of his craft; 

2. Has had no assistance in the form of 

grants; 

3. Has paid sales tax on all his work at the 

increasing rate mentioned above. 

I have not followed the allocation of grants 

very closely, but have notice several grants in 

the last few years which may illustrate my 

point. 

I. A grant of $10 000 for studio relocation to 

a fellow craftsperson in the same year as I 

paid a total of nearly $9000 in income, 

provisional and sales tax. 

2. A grant to a fellow craftsperson for the 

purpose of developing dinner sets. I have 

been making and selling dinner sets for 

the past five or six years, and have fitted 

this admittedly time-consuming activity 

into my work-cycle. 

There must be other craftspeople in my position, 

who, like me, are feeling increasingly 

isolated and increasingly anxious about their 

economic survival. 

My criticism of the grant system is not based 

on the fact that I have not received one. I have 

not applied for one. I helped a trainee apply for 

a training grant several years ago, but specifically 

stated that I did not wish to receive any 

compensatory grant for time spent with the 

trainee. My trainee did not receive a grant, but 

remained with me for a year. 

My criticism is based on the fact that the 

system is selective, assisting some while ignoring 

others; that grants seem often to be 

given to reasonably successful professional 

craftspeople who should be able to survive 

without them (especially as some also occupy 

teaching positions); and that those outside the 

system are automatically placed at a financial 

disadvantage. To go back to the aims of the 

grants program, individual grants are aimed at 

supporting individual artists to engage in the 

pursuit of excellence. Presumably all 

craftspeople are engaged in the pursuit of excellence, 

so why should some be disadvan- 


taged by non-receipt of grants, while others are 

encouraged? 

My criticism of sales tax is that it, again, is 

selective, and that many reasonably successful 

professional craftspeople are able to sidestep 

the obligation to pay sales tax. This can be done 

because of: 

1. The sales tax free limit of $12 000 

wholesale income from the sale of craft; 

2. The system of exempting certain works 

on the basis that they are works of art. 

From what you have heard so far, you may 

wonder at my reasons for raising the grants 

issue now, and why I have not included any 

practical advice about how to secure an 

unsubsidisedlivelihood. The fact is thatfor the 

past six months my own livelihood has been 

seriously threatened by the Government's increase 

in sales tax which, if I comply with, will 

mean I have to pay over $3000 in sales tax per 

year. 

While the amount itself is quite a problem, it 

has other adverse effects as well. Firstly, it 

makes my work increasingly less price-competitive 

with the majority of craftspeople in 

the marketplace. For example, I with sixty or 

so other potters, supply the same gallery in 

Sydney on aregular basis. They inform me that 

only one in every six has to pay sales tax. Those 

who avoid paying sales tax would include: 

(a) Numerous hobby potters; 

(b) People in full-time or part-time craft 

courses with access to publicly funded 

materials and equipment; 

(c) Full-time and part-time teachers, who 

subsidise their incomes with pottery 

sales; 

(d) Potters of professional standing who 

receive financial aid in the form of grants 

to supplement their activities. 

You can see how difficult life is becoming. 

I feel further isolated these days because of the 

standI am taking on sales tax. On the one hand, 

I am trying to convince the Government 

through my local Member that Artist 

Crafrspeople should be identified as a specific 

group, and set apart from manufacturers for 

sales tax exemption, as happens already with 

artists working in the more traditional arts 

areas. After all, what other group in the community 

would allow a minority of its members 

to be penalised for earning an independent 

income, by the imposition of a flat 10% tax on 

their earnings? 

On the other hand I am in dispute with the 

Deputy Commissioner of Taxation over my 

request to have part of my work exempted on 

the basis that it consists of works of art. This is 

only an interim solution, as I believe all artistcrafrspeople 

should be exempted from sales 

tax on all their work. 

The Crafrs Council of Australia through past 

and present representations seems satisfied 

with raising the sales tax threshold across the 

board for all manufacturers, and securing criteria 

for the classification of exempt works of 

crafr as works of art. These criteria by the way 

are discriminatory, contradictory and of doubtful 

validity to say the least. 

So where does this leave me at the moment? 

1. Much of my time, which used to be spent 

earning a productive livelihood, is now 

being spent in visiting and making 

submissions to MPs and Caucus subcommittees; 

2. Some of my remaining time is being 

spent in an ongoing dispute with the 

Deputy Commissioner of Taxation. 

According to their latest pronouncement, 

arrived at without seeing my work, all of 

it is taxable. Unless they can be 

convinced otherwise, they will probably 

take legal action against me for the 


ecovery of the moneys I have so far 

withheld. 

3. The consequence of all this is a 

considerable anxiety, further isolation 

from my fellow craftspeople, and a 

growing inability to spend time with my 

family. 

What would you suggest as the best course of 

action? 

1. Apply for a grant? 

2. Go back to full or part-time teaching? 

3. Dispose of my sales tax obligation by not 

earning enough to live on? 

4. Get a job in a Crafts Council or similar 

organisation? 

S. Continue to strive as at present to 

produce high quality saleable craft and 

resist the inequity of the sales tax 

arrangements, and possibly go to jail as a 

consequence? 

Hamilton TAFE from p 23 

large parts of it have been unsafe for use. 

Classes have been rescheduled regularly into 

different locations and the library has been 

shunted around the building as repairs have 

progressed. 

Despite all this, staff have maintained their 

high commitment to the course. The College 

is fortunate in having a dedicated team of fulltime 

and part -time teachers with a wide spread 

of backgrounds and interests. Over the four 

years since the Associate Diploma course began 

at Hamilton, they have prOvided between 

them an excellent variety of viewpoints to the 

students. This is, in fact, a matter of policy. 

Each class is deliberately rotated among teachers 

each year to ensure that they do not become 

too influenced by anyone style. The result is 

evident in the Cooks Hill exhibition, where 

there could hardly be more difference in the 

styles shown. 

Courses at Hamilton cater for a range of students 

from beginning hobby potters to practising 

professionals. At the Associate Diploma 

level, the policy of the College is to provide a 

course which complements rather than duplicates 

that run by Newcastle University, just 

across town. At Hamilton, the emphasis is on 

providing a strong technical grounding and a 

broad experience of practical techniques, along 

with an in-depth segment on surviving in 

business as a ceramist. 

While the Associate Diploma may not have a 

long history at Hamilton, Ceramics does. In 

the mid-sixties, the "Unit" courses began in a 

cottage near the main college. Still at the helm 

today, Helen Whittle joined the staff in the mid 

seventies, first as a part-timer and then as the 

college's first full-time ceramics teacher. 

Helen's training and early teaching experience 

were at the National Art School at East Sydney. 

She was soon joined by Barry Niland, another 

National Art School graduate, and jointly they 

developed the Ceramics Department until the 

end of 1989, when Barry moved to Grafton. His 

place was taken by Max '!'ychsen, another 

National Art School graduate, who has brought 

an entirely different artistic perspective but an 

equally strong technological base. 

The part-time staff includes Jane Barrow, John 

Cliff, Victor Tyler and Diane Beevers and is 

supplemented by teachers from the Sculpture 

Department, notably John Turier, whose work 

includes major international commissions. 

Most courses are now available on a full or part 

time basis. As many students travel from as far 

afield as the Central Coast, Port Stephens and 

the Upper Hunter Valley, the college is often 

flexible in meeting their special needs for hours 

and days of attendance. In 1992, the Ceramics 

courses will move back to the main Art building, 

freshly repaired after the earthquake. 

There will be no holding them back then! 


Letters 

Dear Len 

My congratulations to you and your editorial 

team for producing a most interesting issue of 

Pottery in Australia. 

As the tide suggests one expects the content to 

be Australian and we can hold our heads high 

with so many potters, all over the country, 

equal to world standards. 

At last our National Magazine, printed in 

Australia, is about pottery in Australia! 

Well done, best wishes, 

Mollie Grieve 

Dear Mr Smith 

Congratulations on the printing in Australia of 

the last issue. 

Best Wishes 

Constance Walker 

Dear Editor 

It has been pleasing to see the return to a more 

generous promotion of the "In" component of 

the title, "Pottery in Australia", though there 

could be an acceptable increase in the repeating 

from west of the CDR ... 

Ivor Lewis 

Redhill 

South Australia 

Dear Leonard 

I too am sad that the gallery had to close and I 

appreciate the work of the gallery staff who 

kept operations running as long as they did. I 

will miss bringing my work down to Sydney - 

it was always a good opportunity to see other 

potters' works. 

This brings me to the subject of my membership 

status. Are exhibiting members to be 

given equal opportunity to submit work for 

exhibitions such as the "Surface Paradise" 

show, how is work selected, and how do the 

members hear about these shows? 

Thanks for all your efforts and for keeping us 

informed of the Society's news in troubled 

times. Congratulations to you and the committee 

on the standard of the locally printed 

"Pottery in Australia". 

Yours Sincerely 

Sue Tones 

Editor's note: more information about the 

restructuring of the Potters' Society since the 

closing of the Gallery will be included in the 

next issue of the magazine and in the Society'S 

newsletters. We are very excited about the 

new exhibition program of which the forthcoming 

Manly show 'Surface Paradise' is the 

first event. Future shows will be in a variety of 

top class venues and will include both selective 

and survey shows to give all exhibiting 

members a chance to participate and have 

their work seen at its best 

For Sydney members the Society's AGM is on 

Friday October 25th starting at 6.30pm at our 

offices in Crows Nest. We need to gather all 

the energy of our membership to make the 

society work better for its members. So please 

join us for the meeting and a drink afterwards. 

Dear Mr Smith 

Port-O-Kiln as a caring Australian company 

producing Australian-designed and manufactured 

kilns (whose operation permits the least 

possible depletion of our gas resources, and 

minimises greenhouse gas emissions), joins 

with the many other companies who will 

applaud your dedication to a principle, in having 

"Pottery in Australia" printed within Australia 

in spite of the difficulties this must 

present. 

Too few organisations who strive to remain 

true to their ideals of supporting their own 

country achieve any recognition and, although 


this idealism may sometimes seem to be a 

thankless concept, every contribution that can 

be achieved must be of enormous value. 

With best wishes for the future. 

Yours sincerely 

Port-O-Kiln (Aust) Pty Ltd 

A CDavis 

Dear Leonard 

Your well reasoned apology in the May Newsletter 

was much appreciated and I suspect we 

have a lot in common. Isn't it a shame that our 

society (potters and otherwise I, has for so long 

been plundered by the "trendy tatters", who I 

feel have left such a debt behind. 

I feel cleansed however both by our recent 

victory in sales tax justice, and by the now 

deepening recession. I have displayed a sign in 

my gallery, (which hardly anyone reads these 

daysl which says, "Rejoice in the recession I 

do" ... and I certainly mean it. 

We all should with enthusiasm, get rid of all 

those aspects of past extravagance, and focus 

especially on government funding of "individuals", 

through the grants system. The large 

amounts saved could be put towards supporting 

the "Potters Society" and other similar 

organisations which provide access to all on an 

equal bases, and benefit those who wish to 

participate. 

This has always been my view, and I see no 

reason to change it. The current situation in 

fact demands it. 

You should not forget that while a small group 

of dedicated (and you obviously arel members, 

meet anywhere at anytime you still have a 

viable potters society. 

We could do without the magazine and other 

services prOvided, but we cannot do without a 

core of independent and creative people. The 

rest can take a running jump. 

I don't really want to write a sales tax article for 

Pottery in Australia, but if any of the aspects of 

my 1986 "Doug Alexander Memorial Lecture" 

(copy includedl coincide with your views 

please feel free to edit and combine in some 

general presentation, at some time. 

If you wish to include a example of my work, 

please just frame an empty space, so that 

people can continue to speculate on what my 

work looks like. 

At themomentIamfilled with enthusiasm for 

work, which includes painting and drawing as 

well as the usual bowls and platters. If you did 

leave a space somewhere in the magazine, then 

I and all your readers could stick into it an 

illustration of their own work. Wouldn't that 

be interesting, and fairly original. This way all 

your readers could display the work they 

choose in Pottery in Australia. (Keep the idea 

quietI· 

If ever you or your members are in Braidwood 

please pay the gallery (card enclosedl a visit. 

My motto is, "Rip, rip, rip off to Richards". 

Bye/ornow 

Yours Sincerely 

Richard Murray 


Welcomes contributions - 

editorial, articles and pictures 

for details contact the editor: 

(02) 436 1184 


News 

Potter's Study Tour 1992 

This tour, departing 30th March 1992 has been 

created by Margaret McGinnis, studio potter, 

President of the Buderim Craft Cottage for the 

past 3 years and coordinator of the new Sun 

Coast Potters' Association. 

Margaret will show some of the best pottery 

and craft areas that she has visited during her 

travels to Japan. 

Mr Itsuo Okada, Japanese author, historian 

and researcher will travel with you as guide 

and translator. 

Mr Okada has 25 years experience of introducing 

foreign guests to parts of Japan and to 

special people who are not usually visited by 

individual travellers. 

On this tour special arrangements have been 

made for you to meet famous studio potters, 

craft artisans and a Living National Treasure, 

all of whom are personal contacts of Mr Okada. 

Kilns, studios, workshops and potters supply 

shops will be visited in a variety of areas in 

Honshu and Kyushu Islands. 

Bisen, Kyo, Hagi, Tamba, Akahada and 

Shigaraki artisans will be visited as well as 

producers of other distinct styles of pottery. 

You will also meet the masters of "Washi" 

hand made paper and "Kasuri" genuine indigo 

dyed hand woven cloth in their workshops. 

Only 20 bookings will be accepted. Register 

your bookings with Highcliff Pty Ltd, PO Box 

1109 Stafford Qld 4053. Phone (07)359-6651 

Fax (07) 359-1263. 

From the Queensland Potters 

Association 

Congratulations - to David Oswald, winner of 

the 1991 John Paul College Creative Potters' 

Award, and to Gillian Ksiazek, winner of "the 

St Peters Caboolture Art &. Craft Awards for 

wheel thrown and hand built sections. 


Arts Law 

Watch out for two new publications concerningarts 

law, available from the Australia Council. 

The first is a code of practice for moral 

rights, prepared by the Copyright Council. The 

next is the second edition of Taxing Questions, 

our handy guide to everything you need to 

know about income tax in the arts. It is timely 

as most artists will soon by preparing their 

income tax returns, or guiltilywonderingwhat 

they are going to do about last year's income 

tax return, which still has not been prepared. 

The earlier you put your return into the tax 

office, the sooner you receive a tax return. If 

you are worried about the fact that you won't 

be getting a return, and that you will need to 

pay tax, remember that if you own up to the 

Tax Department, penalties are likely t be considerably 

lower than if they catch you first. 

These days the amount of income taxis calculated 

by you, under what's known as self assessment, 

an honour system which leaves 

many tax office employees free to check or 

'audit' tax returns. 

Our Publications Policy 

One strand of our work in providing educational 

services to the arts community is to 

produce publications which are useful guides 

to current law in various fields of artistic 

endeavour. Since we began our operations in 

1983, we have published articles, papers, handbooks 

and standard contracts in many areas. It 

is important to note that all our publications 

are available to non subscribers although not at 

discount rates. 

In the seven years of our operations, we have 

kept statistics of all clients and their particular 

problems. When one analyses these statistics 

is is clear that certain problem s dominate, year 

after year. Therefore our education program is 

geared to 'pinpoint those areas and all of our 

publications are designed or drafted with those 

major problems in mind.

Currently staff are working on an insurance 

handbook, and a guide to employment and 

commissioning in the arts. 

Guides previously published have been on the 

artist/gallery relationship (The Magic and the 

Money) and business structures in the arts (To 

Be Or Not To Be). In effect the handbooks are 

thefust thing you should read, before consulting 

our staff solicitors or accountant. Some 

people will find that reading the handbook is 

all they need to do, others will use the inforrnation 

in the handbook to clarify the questions 

they wish to put to us. 

Please respond! 

Arts Law Centre of Australia, 

11 Randle Street, Surry Hills 2010 

(02) 211 4033 toll free (008) 22 1457 

Visual Arts New York Fellowship 

VVUrunerAurunounced 

Derek Kreckler, a Sydney performance artist, 

has been awarded the Australia Council's 1991 

Visual Arts/Craft Board overseas fellowship 

for a year's residency at PSI, the Institute of 

Contemporary Art, New York. 

Announcing the Fellowship, the Board's Chair 

Marjotie Johnson, said the award reinforced 

her view that installation and performance 

work remains very strong in contemporary art. 

"Derek Kreckler has been producing challenging 

work for more than 10 years, and I am sure 

the Fellowship will enrich his work," she said. 

Describing his work as "involving structural 

and formal elements from a range of media 

including video, sound, computer graphic, 

theatre, painting and sculpture, "Kreckler said 

he was delighted to have won the Fellowship, 

valued at $30 000, so he could extend his art 

within an international context. 

"What I am interested in is the inter-relationship 

of people, movement, and styles over time 

and it is this in particular which draws me to 

New York," Kreckler explained. 

With expertise in a broad range of media, 

Derek Kreckler has worked as an actor and 

director and has been associated with performances 

at the University of Sydney's Department 

of Performance Studies and the Australian 

Playwtights Conference. As well, he has 

lectured in the Sculpture and Audiovisual departments 

at the Sydney College of the Arts, 

and between 1986 and 87 taught communications 

at Long Bay Gaol. He will leave for New 

York in September. 

New Chair and Members Appointed 

to Visual Arts/Craft Board 

Parnille Berg is the new chair for the Australia 

Council's Visual Arts/Craft Board. 

The new members of the Visual Arts/Craft 

Board are as follows: 

Vincent McGrath (TAS): a ceramicist, Head of 

Art, University of Tasmania - Launceston 

David Hansen (SA): curator, writer and Director 

of the Riddoch Art Gallery, Mount 

Gambier, SA 

Terence Maloon (NSW): writer, critic and curator, 

currently Education Officer with the Art 

Gallery of New South Wales 

1993 Travelling Exhibition 

The Latrobe Valley Arts Centre and Monash 

University College Gippsland are cooperating 

in a venture to send a travelling exhibition of 

Australian Ceramics to USA in 1993. The 

exhibition will present highest quality Australian 

ceramics showing both the roots and 

energetic growth which are producing the cutting 

edge of diverse current work in Australia. 

Obviously there will be a curatorial selection 

from work that is well known. In recognition 

of the diversity and quality of ceramics across 

this broad land, the organisers wish to keep an 


News 

open mind in the selection process. Ceramists 

wishing to be considered are requested to send 

two recent slides and a brief resume to The 

Curator "Broad Australian Clay", Latrobe Valley 

Arts Centre, 138 Commercial Rd, Morwell 

3840 before December 31, 1991 . Slides should 

be clearly marked with Name, Title, Date, 

Size. 

Austceram '92 

in conjunction with the Victorian Ceramic 

Group Inc presents a new and exciting exhibition 

with big prize money to be won. This 

exhibition will be held at the World Congress 

Centre, Melbourne Victoria in August 1992. 

For inclusion on the mailing list for entry 

forms and information updates, please send 

your name address and phone number to Victorian 

ceramic Group Inc 7 Blackwood St, 

North Melbourne Vic 3051. 

Australian Craft Premieres at 

International Exposition 

The first ever presentation of Australian crafts 

at the prestigious Chicago International New 

Art Forms Exposition ICINAFE} takes place 

from September 19-22. 1991 as a joint venture 

between the Crafts Council of Australia and 

the Australia Council. 

After a commercially successful shOWing of 

Australian visual artists' work at the Chicago 

International art Exposition in May of this 

year, exposure of Australian crafts in this important 

international marketplace will continue 

to raise Australia's cultural profile overseas 

and assist towards generating greater economic 

gains for the visual arts/crafts industry. 

The Crafts Council of Australia ICCA}, trading 

as Craft Australia Pty Ltd, will represent 34 

craftspeople, presenting their work in ceramics, 

glass, jewellery, wood, metal and fibre by 

means of an interactive audio-visual display 

produced by multi-media artist and designer, 

Lyn Tune. The Australian Consul-General in 

Chicago, Kevin Gates, will launch this initial 

showing at a special reception on the 20th of 

September. 

RakuKiln 

Here is a practical guide to building a Raku 

Kiln as described by John Hearder from the 

Central Coast Potters Society. 

Frame 

Made of lightweight galvanised square mesh. 

Braised together, with four loops for lifting 

handles. 

Lifting Handles 

Two 4ft lengths of l/Vn galvanised pipe passed 

through loops. 

Materials Required 

1. Tin foill20in wide} for lining inside 

frame, 17ft 

2. Ceramic buttons fired to 1280°C, 150 

3. Nichrome Ihot} wire for buttons, 12m 

4. Kaowool fibre, density 128 thickness 

25mm 11 roll 25ft) 

Tools Required 

1. Stanley knife 

2. Large T-square or straightedge 

3. Tape measure 

4. Pair of pliers 

5. Oxi-gas welding equipment 

6. Two bronze welding rods 

Gas Equipment Inote: this should be purchased 

and assembled by a licensed gas fitter.} 

1. LPG pottery kiln burner complete 

2. LPG regulator ladjustable type 0 to 35psi} 

3. 12ft gas hose and fittings 

4. 20lb gas cylinder 

Method 

1. First weld up the frame to the size you 

wish. 

2. Line the inside of the frame with tinfoil 

Ibe careful not to crinkle this as it must 

fit flush inside of frame}. 

3. From the 25ft roll cut Kaowool fibre as 

follows; 


1st layer 1S00mm 

2ndlayerl600rnrn 

3rd layer 1500mm 

3 circles 600rnrn diameter for top. 

3 layers of wool are required. 

This allows for a 100rnrn·overlap. When placing 

the wool it should be compressed and fitted 

tightly to inside frame, butting the join. 

For a 27in high frame, first place in position the 

three circles of fibre, then the sides. After the 

first layer has been fixed, follow with the two 

other layers, keeping the butted joins well 

apart from each other. 

Fasten the fibre in position with the wire and 

buttons by piercing the tinfoil from outside 

(two holes). Push wire through foil and fibre, 

keeping it tight over the frame. Attach button 

to inside, and twist wire tight over the button. 

Costs 

Galvanised mesh frame 

Kaowoollining 

Tinfoil 

Nichrome hot wire 

Galvanised handles 

Total kiln cost 

Gas equipment 

$3S.50 

192.35 

9.66 

24.47 

S.05 

$273.53 

Gas burner (with fail-safe fitting) $124.70 

Adjustable gas hose, 9fr plus brass 

bushes, flare nuts, unions, nipples, 

redUCing nuts, etc, 1 roll special 

tape 

Total gas equipment 

TOTAL COST OF RAKU KILN 

104.l0 

$22S.S0 

$502.33 

Further equipment required: 

gas cylinder, tongs, gloves, kiln shelf, reduction 

bins, etc. 

Stanthorpe Heritage Arts Festival 

February 29 to March 27, 1992 

Envisaged Acquisitions $40 000 

This is a multi-media exhibition sponsored by 

Heritage Building Society and organised by a 

sub-committee of the Stan thorpe Art Gallery 

Society Inc. Participation is invited from Australian 

and overseas artists. The acquisitions 

in all sections will become valuable additions 

to the Gallery's permanent collection, acquired 

during the past 20 years. 

Section 2: Sculpture - $7 000 

Judge: Mr Michael Sourgne, Queensland Art 

Gallery 

Acquisition of work or works suitable for interior 

of Art Gallery 

Section 3: Ceramics - $6 000 

Judge: Mr John Hoare, University College of 

Southern Queensland 

(3a) "Beyond the Vessel" 

Work of works to be submitted of a nonfunctional 

creative concept 

(3b) "As Far as the Vessel" 

Work or works to be submitted of a functional 

imaginative design 

Any Technique - Maximum Height 1m 

For information and entry forms contact: 

Heritage Arts Festival 

PO Box 223 

Stanthorpe Qld 4380 

Expo Gives Australian Craft Workers 

a Huge Boost 

Thanks to the Australia Council and the AustralianBroadcasting 

Corporation through ABC 

Enterprises, the nation's arts and crafts industry 

has been given an enormous boost. 

The tender to operate the shop in the Australian 

pavilion at Expo '92 from April to October 

next year, was awarded jointly to the Australia 

Council and ABC earlier this year. 

Hundred of thousands of craft items of all 

descriptions are being purchased by the Australia 

Council to go on sale at the Australia 

Shop in the Australian Pavilion at Expo '92 in 

Seville, Spain. 


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Back Issues 

Publications 

I would like to purchase the following publications (Tick the box) 

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Pottery in Australia Back Issues 

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Relationship, Computer Glaze Calculations, Glaze Research 

Special South Australian Issue. 

Michael Keighery, International Meeting, John Bartram, Bangladesh, Harry and 

May Davis, Imbe, Mino, Spreadsheet programmes. 

Woodfire 86, Mino, Carl McConnel, Chinese Ash glazes, Spreadsheet Programmes, 

Bendigo team, Clay Statements, Mimar Sinan University, ThinkingClay. 

Focus on Tasmania 

Sandta Taylor, Taffy Beasley, Aboriginal Women Pottery in Nepal, Matthias 

Ostermann. 

Art of the Potter, Harold Hughan, Japanese Ceramics, Bruce Anderson, Ancient 

Pots, Pottery and Social History, Contemporary Jamaican Potters, 

Pennsylvanian Dutch Pottery. 

Bicentennial Edition. 

International Ceramic Symposium, Primitive Firing'l, Ash Glazes, Albany Slip, 

Sandy Brown Ramuli Collection 

European and Japanese Ceramics, Tableware, Ceramic Image, Traditions in 

Australian Ceramics, Michael Casson, Women in Ceramics, Critical Writing, 

Education, Woodfiring, Saltglazing, Earthenware, Ceramics 88. 

Parliament House Art, Sandra Taylor, Shiga Shigeo, International Salt Glaze, 

Woodfiring Trolley Kiln, Colour and Clay, Clay Artist as Social Critic, 

Hungarian Ceramics, Modular Electric-Fired Kiln. 

Australian Decorative Arts, Traditions of Japan, Your Works and the Market 

Place, Women Clay and Money, Yoh Akyarna, Florence Creavin, Reduced 

Glaze Lustres, Adapting Glaze recipes. 

Special Woodfire Edition, Articles by Jack Troy, Owen Rye, Peter Rushforth, 

Steve Harrison and Ivan McMeekin -Earth Works, Winds of Change. 

Charlie Olsen at Chisholm, Family of Raku Glazes, Teapots, Clans in Clay, 

Choosing a Direction. 

Figurative Ceramics Late 1880s, Throwing Light on Pella, Ancient MacedOnia, 

Architectural Work of Joan Campbell, Microware Energy. 

Merrie Boyd, The Plum Pottery Parrnership, Kinik Wares, Index Vol. 1-28. 

Special Issue - Focus on N .S.W. 



Books 

Section 1 

New at the Gallery Author $ 

0 Ceramics Manual Lane/Flight 39.95 

0 Handbuilt Ceramics Waller 24.95 

0 Raku Byers 24.95 

0 Animal Forms and Figures Wren 24.95 

0 Slips and Slipware Phillips 24.95 

0 Ceramics Artists and Galleries PIA 35.00 

0 Self Reliant Potter Holden 29.95 

0 Rock Glazes Ivan Englund 20.00 

0 Imaginative Pottery David Harvey 26.95 

0 Kiln Book Olsen 59.95 

0 Tamba Pottery Rhodes 25.00 

0 Clay and Glazes for the Potter Rhodes 55.95 

0 Pottery Form Rhodes 49.95 

0 Modelling Figure in Clay Malmstrom 43 .95 

0 Aust. Studio Pottery and China Painting Peter Timms 45.00 

0 Clay - The Potter's Wheel Shapiro 16.95 

0 A Pioneer Potter Cardew 39.95 

0 Using The Potter's Wheel Campbell 24.95 

0 Handmade Potter's Tools Whidord/Wong 40.00 

0 The Potter's Alternative Harry Davis 40.00 

0 Ceramics in South Australia Ioannou 75.00 

0 Stoneware Glazes Ian Currie 28.00 

0 Modem Australian Ceramics Mansfield 49.95 

0 Ching-Te-Chen Tichane 70.00 

0 A Potter's Guide to Raw Glazing and Oil Firing Parks 33.95 



Books 

Section 2 

0 Skillbooks: Working with Porcelain Sandeman 14.95 

0 Skillbooks: Rolled Pottery Figures 14.95 

0 Skillbooks: Kiln Building Gregory 14.95 

0 Skillbooks: Electric Kilns &. Firing Fraser 15.95 

0 Coiled Pottery Blandino 31.95 

0 Support Yourself Pottery Mansfield 6.00 

0 Cooper's Book of Glaze Recipes Cooper 35.00 

0 Potters Beware Rosemary Perry 7.00 

0 Notes for Potters in Australia Ivan McMeekin 19.95 

0 Fibre Kiln Glazes Brian Kemp 10.50 

0 Victorian Ceramic Group Glaze Booklet 9.00 

0 Decoration on Pottery Alfred 10.95 

0 More Fibre Kiln Glazes Kemp 10.50 

0 Basic Pottery Birks 10.95 

0 Glazes for the Craft Potter Fraser 23.00 

0 More Glazes for Australian Potters De Boos 29.95 

0 Pottery, the Technique of Throwing Colbeck 14.95 

Prices subject to change/ correct at time of printing 

For postage and handling add $6.00 for section 1 or $3.00 for section 2 

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Published by the Potters' Society of Australia 

Subscription, Contribution, and Advertising Information 

Pottery in Australia is published quarterly by 

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FOR HANDBUILT 

AND FUNCTIONAL POTTERY 

clay things 

~ 

383 

Sydney Road 

BALGOWlAH, NSW 2093 

Phone: (02) 948 6590 

Open 7 days 

earth-n-wares 

Functional, decorative and sculptural forms by 

leading Australian potters. Inquiries welcome. 

WODEN PLAZA, WODEN, ACT. 

PHONE (06) 281 1937 

Stanthorpe 

Heritage Arts Festival 1992 

February 29 - March 27, 1992 

Envisaged acquisitions $40,000 

Section 1 Painting $20,000 

Section 2 Sculpture $7,000 

Section 3 Ceramics $6,000 

Section 4 Fibre $4,000 

Section 5 Woodcraft $3,000 

For entry forms write to: Heritage Arts Festival, PO 

Box 223, Stanthorpe 4380 

Phone Stanthorp Art Gallery (076) 81 1874 

Supporred by Heritage Building Society 

NEW VIDEO 

Pottery - who needs a wheel? 

Clay shaping the easy way! 

Leading Craft Potter Shows How! 

Many practical examples. 

VHS60mins 

Only $53.95 plus $5 P&P. 

Mastercraft Videos 

PO Box 331 Northbridge 2063 

Tel: 02958 1724 Fax: 02 958 0201 

ChequelBankcardIMastercardIVisal 

Money Order 

Cornucopia Crafts 

The greatest little gallery in the wet. 

Specialising in Hand Crafted 

STONEWARE POTTERY 

Located on Tully Mission Beach Rd. 

Tully 4854 

Cor & Jan de Veth 

invite you to come in and browse. 

Phone (070) 682980 

.«(~~ 

~~ 

DISTELFINK 

GALLERY 

Constantly exhibiting Australian 

Decorative Art in paintings, 

prints, ceramics, glass, sculpture, 

leather, textile, wood 

and jewellery. 

432 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn 3122 . (03) 818 2555 

Hours: Tues to Sat, 10 am - 5 pm 

McGregor Summer School 

6 -17 January 1992 

A learning experience in a holiday atmosphere 

Offers tuition in Performing, VISUal & Creative Arts and many other subJects 

by special request the 1992 tutors in ceramics will be: 

Jeff Mincham Greg Daly 

South Australia NSW, Australia 

for further information contact 

McGREGOR SUMMER SCHOOL 

PO Box 100, Toowoomba OLD 4350 

Phone (076) 32 1422 Fax (076) 32 5055 

Please enclose a self-addressed envelope (!r x 4") 


We require stockist for OUI magazine. If 

you own a gallery, bookshop or craft supply 

outlet and would like to become a regular 

stockist of OUI magazine, please write or 

phone for details to: 


PO Box 937, Crows Nest, NSW 2065 

Crows Nest NSW 2065 

Telephone (021436 1184

Australian 

eomlxlstion 

ServicesP jL 

(forme~y N.G. Brown & Assoc. - Gas Division) 

• Manufacturers of venturi 

burners for gas kilns 

• Flame failure safety 

equipment 

• Temperature control 

equipment 

• Digital and analogue 

pyrometers 

• Jewellers torches 

• Glass working burners and controls 

• Specialists in natural gas fired kilns 

• Gas fired textile jet conveyor dryers 

for full details contact: 

Australian Combustion Services PIL 

7 Albert Street, Richmond 3121 

(03) 428 7766 (03) 428 1588 

Trade Enquires Welcome 


We require stockist for our magazine. If you own a 

gallery, bookshop or craft supply outlet and would like 

to become a regular stockist of our magazine, please 

write or phone for details to: 




Telephone (02) 4361184

CLAYWORKS 

AUSTRALIA PrY LTD 

Originators of the RAM Process 

FINE QUALITY FILTER PRESSED STONEWARE ClAY 

• Lifetime technical support 

• 45 Years experience 

• Variety of standard press sizes and 

speeds 

• Custom designed presses and molds 

• In house mold makers 

• On site die training 

• Complete inventry of RAM Process 

supplies 

WE ARE PROUD TO BE THE 

AUSTRALIAN AGENTS FOR RAM 

PRODUCTS INC. 

PLEASE CALL FOR INFORMATION 

SUPPLIERS OF: 

Filter pressed clay bodies 

Clay tools - pottery tools and slab rollers 

Insight Glaze Calculation software 

Albwy Slip - alternative for Albany slip 

Brent wheels and slab rollers 

Blythe undergIazes and gIaze stains 

Cookson (UK) undergIazes and stains 

A complete range of pottery supplies 

BRENT WHEELS 

Special offer valid for orders placed until 31 /12/91 

Brent Wheels now come with reversing switch and silencer 

The Famous CXC model 

1 hp motor $1625 plus sales tax if applicable 

TheC model 

1/2 HP motor $1495 plus sales tax if applicable 

Seat and tray available 

CLAYWORKS 

AUSTRALIA PTY LTD 

32 BROOKLYN AVENUE 

DANDENONG. VICTORIA 3175 

AUSTRALIA 

Tel: 03 7916749 Fax: 037924476

MANUFACTURING 

is now operating from 

124 Rimu Road. Paraparaumu. New Zealand 

Tel. 00-64-5884377 • Fax 00-64-5873107 

The TALISMAN Range of Potters' Equipment 

including standard wheel, wheel seat, pugmill, extruder, slab roller, rotary and 

hand sieve are still being manufactured and these along with spares are 

available throughout Australia from 

Victoria: 

Potters EqUipment. Shop 13,42 New Street, Ringwood, Vic. 3134. Tel. 03 870 7533 

South AIIstralia: 

The Pugmill, 17 A Rose Street. Mile End, SA 5031. leI. 08434544 

Westel'Jl Australia: 

Jackson's Ceramic Craft Pty Ltd. 391 Hay Street, Subiaco, WA. leI. 09 381 2441 

Qaeeuslancl: 

Claycraft Supplies, 29 O'Connell lerrace. Bowen Hills. Qld 4006. 'leI 07 854 1515 

New South Wales: 

Diamond Ceramics. Unit2 31137 Salisbury Road, Asquith, NSW 2078. leI. 02 4776746 

Tasmania: 

Picture Framing & Ceramic Supplies. 221 MacquarieStreet. Hobart. 'leI. 002 23 5536 

When holidaying in New Zealand. call in and see us - 

just off State Highway One 40 minutes north of Wellington. 

New Product: Test Sieve (fits small container or plastic Jug) 

Ideal for small batches of stain & glazes for test purposes. 

Mesh sizes - 40 through to 200.

"Clever Cromartie. 

A complete range of 

kilns for hobbyists, studios 

and schools." 

C1l.330 

" 

• Rugged, reliable and efficient 

• A product of 35 years of 

expertIse 

• Castor$ for easy movement 

• Fast firing-to 1300 C 

• High grade Kanthal elements. 

• low densIty brick and ceramic 

fibre construclion. 

• Priced to suit mosl needs. 

• larger front-opening CRAFT 

and STUDIO ranges ava ilable 

100 

Also available are controUers 

10 s uit all models of Cromartie 

Kilns as weU as Batts. SiUl?:fS. 

MinI-Bars and a range of spare 

parts for the kilns 

HOBBY 

TECH 40 

tAbo availbbk) 

38cm l iS 'J 

)J(m 03 ') 

50cm flO ') 

61cm (24 'j 

56cm (22 'J 

en 75 (Abow) 

fmni Cham~ 1 

DtmtnSIOftS- 

CapaCIty 7Sl (2 6cu ft) 

[).am 4So:m ( IB") 

H~ 'i"u 45cm (18") 

~r.!l!l o,ITK'IlSIOnS 

Width 6Jcm (25 I 

Dc:pth 79cm 131 ', 

Ht'lghl 68cm {27'J 

BRISBANE (Head OffiCII!) 

:.i126 BlTubt Street, Coorparoo 41 5 1 

Postal I\ddress; P.O. Box 2bO. 

Coorparoo. Qld 41 5 1 

Telephone (07) 394 3833 

Facsimile (07) 394 3836 

en 109 

(Also illVlUlabk) 

lQ9l{39cu ft) 

46cm (IS", 

69cm (21 'J 

6:km (25'" 

79cm (31 ') 

9 1,m (36") 

.~~~ 

en 182 (0\ .... ) 

ftnfTi Chambef 

OImtns\Offt - 

~t~~~2~6,~u n } 

H ~ I S:h t 69cm (27 ) 

~I;sII DUrn!n~tOm 

Width 76cm ()(I") 

Dt:pfh 9 1cm 136"', 

Hc!tih1 9h:m (36 'j 

en 120 

(Also INlIllilbll') 

1201.. (4 Jcutt) 

58cm (23"1 

46cm l la-') 

76cm (30"') 

91cm (36") 

68cm (21'"' 

svnNF.VINSW) 

10/ 12: H..,ky C' t!Kt:nl 

cOOtJt,JI P ... k. Syd

POTTERS WAREHOUSE 

All Pottery and Ceramic Supplies 

KILNS, KILN FURNITURE, CLAY, GLAZES, TOOLS; 

GREENWARE, SLAB ROLLERS, WHEEL HIRE 

and much, much more 

HILLDAV INDUSTRIES PA- 

108 OAKES ROAD 

OLD TOONGABBIE, NSW 2146 

PHONE (02) 688 1777 

FLETCHER CHALLENGE CERAMICS AWARD 1991 

(Established in 1977 in association with the Auckland Studio Potters, New Zealand) 

Entries are invited/or this international 

ceramics award competition and exhibition 

Entry by slides (up to three) of the actual work. Slides required in NZ by 13 December 1991 

CRITERION: EXCELLENCE 

No category or theme. One entry per artist. 

AWARDS 

NZ$lO,OOO for Premier Award 

NZ$l,OOO each for up to 5 Awards of Merit 

Further Certificates of Merit al the discretion of an 

INTERNATIONAL JUDGE 

Entries to be in New Zealand by 3 May 1991 

All communications 10 and entry forms from: 

The Organiser 

Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award 1991 

PO Box 13195 Onehunga 

Auckland 6, New Zealand 

Catalogues of the 1990 & 1991 exhibitions are available at $NZ88 at the above address 

L...-____ _

* Presenting the best selection of Australian made clays. 

* Manufacturers of the full range of Potter's Workshop 

glazes and slips. 

* We're the biggest in Blythe Colours. 

* Stocking an extensive range of quality kilns, Cowley 

wheels and potter's materials.

Box ?eoaJ Bazacu. 

ART & CRAFT CENTRE 

61 East Parade, Sutherland, 2232 

Telephone: (02) 545 1688 

N.S.W. AGENT FOR 

~!!!!!~.,. . !!!!! . ~'~P'I 

Visit our new BIG showroom at Sutherland - everything for the Potter! 

CLAY BODIES: KEANES, NORTHCOTE, WALKERS, CLAYWORKS. BENNEll"S ... 

MATERIALS: 

EQUIPMENT: 

FULL RANGE OF CESCO GLAZES, RAW MATERIALS, FRITS. OXIDES, 

UNDERGLAZES, BODY STAINS, GLAZE STAINS, ORTON CONES, 

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VENCO POTIERY WHEELS & PUGMILLS, PORT-O-KILNS, TETLOW 

KILNS, GIFFIN GRIPS, BANDING WHEELS, GLAZE SIEVES. 

BRUSHES AND MUCH MORE. 

AGENT FOR CLAY & CERAMICS PRODUCTS PTY. LTD. 

Manufacturers of Australian made high quality kiln shelves. 

KILN REPAIRS • FIRING SERVICE 


We require stockist for our magazine. If you own a 

gallery, bookshop or craft supply outlet and would like 

to become a regular stockist of our magazine, please 

write or phone for details to: 




Telephone (02) 4361184

The Ceramic Bookseller 

THE SPECIALIST FOR YOU, POTIER, STUDENT, COLLECTOR 

The Unknown Craftsman - Yanagai $41.00 

Iznik - Atasoy $295.00 

Bernard Leach, Hamada and Their Circle hlc $98.00 

Clay Revisions, Plate, Cup and Vase - Catalogue $25.00 

Pottery Form - Rhodes $49.95 

Mrican Canvas - Courtney Clarke $125.00 

More Glazes for Australian Potters hIe De Boos $29.00 

Energy Saving - Murray $10.00 

Send for your FREE descriptive catalogue today or phone Penny Johns on (03) 882 2652 

PO BOX 479, HAWTHORN, VIC. 3122, AUSTRALIA 

Incorporating 

Potter's Master Clays 

manufacturers and suppliers of 

PREPARED CLAY BODIES 

• terracotta • white earthenware 

• midfire c lays • stoneware clays 

• grogged clays • raku • porcelain 

• custom made clays 

Pottery materials. Kil ns, Potter's Wheels and Equipment. 

Keane Ceramics Ply Ud 

Box 3971 Debenham Rd 

Somersby NSW 2250 

Telephone: (043) 40 1069 

Fax: ~043) 40 2426

POTTERS EQUIPMENT 

Pty. Ltd. 

13/42 NEW STREET, RINGWOOD 

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. TEL: (03) 870 7533 FAX (03) 879 1799 

~ ~ 

giffin grip 

~ I 

) 


Pty. Ltd. 

Potters Equipment P/L, the 

home of the Giffin Grip and 

Lidmaster in Australia and 

the Victorian agents for 

Talisman Pottery Wheels, 

Glaze Sieves, Test Sieves 

and Glazing Woks from 

New Zealand. Replacement 

parts stocked for Griffin and 

Talisman products.

Exhibition by Julie Bartlwlomew 

November23-Decemberl 

Opening Night November 22, 6pm 

8 King Street Newtown 

Gallery Hours 

Man-FYi 10-5.30 

Thu till 7 

Sat 10-4 

Carey's Bay Fragments 

:""er dty 

~'ery 

WO('I\e-rs 

sa/,sf')' 

Membersofthegroup sharein the organisation, sales, manning 

and learning the skills of running a gallery 

Membership provides the opportunity to exibit work, share 

ideas and plan exhibitions and openings in a now well 

established gallery. It also enables partidpation with other 

potters on a professional level. 

We are currently looking for new potters and invite you to 

submit your resume. 

For more information contact: 

Innercity Clayworkers Gallery; 

corner St Johns Rd and Darghan St Glebe, NSW 2037 

Telephone C02) 6929717

HOT & STICKY JJ1 

steve harrison -kiln & clay technology consultant 

Efficient professional services, 

competitive prices 

.. custom built kilns 

.. custom desig:ned kilns 

.. custom kit kilns available 

.. sole NSW agent for N G Brown & 

Combustion Research & Development 

gas burners, LP & natural gas 

.. :Kiln shel yes 

.. 'Venco' pugrnills 

.. 'Venco' electronic wheels 

.. 2 HP heavy duty electronic wheels 

HOT & STICKY, THE CREATIVE SOLUTION 

old school balmoral village via picton 2571 

048898479 

It is an intriguing thought that the kiln is 

the tool which makes any artist/potter's 

clay creations permanent. so that it 

becomes possible for the work to exist 

into the unforeseeable future. 

63 Dandenong Sf. Dandenong, Vic 317S 

Telephone (03) 791 6799 

NSW registered office: 

61 East Parade Sutherland 2232 

Telephone (02) 545 1688

Ceramics Artists/Galleries 

has been prepared and published by Pottery in 

Australia for the makers and collectors of ceramics. 

Featuring the work of 110 ceramic artists and the 

galleries that show their work, this book is a 

valuable reference to quality ceramics being made 

today. With hundreds of clour photographs and 

thoughful statements by the artists, this 120-page 

book will be welcomed by all ceramists, students 

and collectors of ceramic art. 

For your copy, send $35 plus $6 postage and handling to 

The Editor, Pott:.eIy in Australia, 

68 Alexander Street, Crows Nest, 

NSW 2065, Australia. 

Also available at selected bookshops and ga11eries.

PTY. LTD. 

12 GEORGE 5T, BLACKBURN, VICTORIA 3130 

~ (03) 877 4188 

FACSIMI LE (03) 894 1974 

Kilns 

Furnaces TO 1800°C 

Pottery Wheels 

Spray Booths 

Ball Mills

nareD 

australia pty. ltd. 

REFRACTORY SUPPLIERS TO THE POTTERY INDUSTRY 

THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA 

WHEN BUILDING OR REPAIRING YOUR KILN 

WE CAN SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEEDS 

CERAMIC FIBRE PRODUCTS: 

Blanket, Bulk, Vacuum Formed Board, Rope. 

Tile Modules. Wet Felt. Paper, Gasket Adhesive. 

Cement. Hardener, Mastic. Studs, Washers and 

Ceramic Heads. etc. Small Orders Welcome. 

INSULATING BRICKS: 

2300. 2600, 2800 - Steetley Refractories - U.K. 

K23, K26. K28, K3000 - Babcock & Wilcox' - U.S.A. 

We specialise in giving prompt service and our experience in 

the refrac.tory industry is available to you. We are not manufacturers 

but can supply ALL your refractory requirements at most competitive prices. 

Your enquiries will be welcomed 

AUSTRALIA'S FIRST ONE STOP REFRACTORY SHOP 

TOTALLY AUSTRALIAN OWNED 

SMALL ORDERS SPECIALLY CATERED FOR 

For further information contact: 

Narco Australia Pty Ltd 

Factory 6, 2 Slbthorpe Street, Braeside, Victoria 3195 

Telephone (03) 587 4561, (03) 587 4562 

Fax (03) 587 4563

~~----- .- - ----------------------- 

- - ----- -, 


Pty. Ltd. 

13/42 NEW STREET, RINGWOOD, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA 3134 

TEL: (03) 870 7533. FAX: (03) 879 1799 

WE DO NOT HAVE EVERYTHING FOR THE 

POTTER - BUT WE DO STOCK: 

• Clays - Bendigo. Delclay. Clayworks. Feeneys. 

Keanes. Northcote and Walkers. 

• Glazes - Blythe. Potters Workshop and Walkers. 

• Potters' Wheels. 

• Kiln furniture - shelves, props, stilts and cones. 

• Full range of corks. 

• Range of leather thonging. 

• California Pottools - deco rollers, hand stamps, 

lid calipers, etc. 

• Clay extruders. 

• Bats - aluminium, chipboard, marine ply and 

silicon·treated hardboa rd~ 

• Range of wooden accessories - spoons, 

handles, honey dippers, paddles, guide posts and 

banding wheels (wooden and metal). 

• Cane teapot handles. 

• Keg taps - good range. 

• Raw materials - 50 g to bulk buys. 

• Kemper Tools and Brushes - full range. 

• Cobcraft Tools. 

• Talisman - wheels, rotary sieves, hand sieves and 

test sieves, range of sieve screens, glazing woks. 

• Books and Magazines. 

• Hire Wheels. 

• Kilns and Slab Rollers. 

• HOME OF THE GIFFIN GRIP AND LID MASTER. 

NEW, QUALITY LINES BEING ADDED TO OUR STOCK AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. 

CLAZE POTTERY 

13/42 NEW STREET, RINGWOOD 

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. TEL. (03) 870 7533 

Fax (03) 879 1799 

CLAZE POTTERY not only stocks all the ' 13 Series' base underglazes to enable 

you to blend over 115 beautiful colours but also offers a total colour-blending 

service for both Blythe underglazes and onglaze enamels. 

CLAZE POTTERY, in co-operation with Blythe Colours (Aust.), are still offering 

four sample kits. Each kit contains colour c harts and instructions, including 

information on mixing, application, firing, prices and safety. 

"'i t No.1 Underglazes ... 

24 intermixable colours, most of which 

are stable to 1300· C. 

"'It No. 2 Onglaze Enamels ... 

13 glossy, intermixable enamels. 

"'it No.3 Body Stains ... 

10 interl11ixable colours for porcelain, 

stoneware or earthenware. 

"'it No.4 Glaze Stains . . . 

20 powerful. intermixable stains, most 

stable to 1300· C.

NATIONAL ART SCHOOL 

East Sydney Technical College 

lAIon Barclay. Diploma I - 1990 

Diploma and Certificate Courses in 

CERAMICS 

Inquiries should be addressed to Roswltha Wulff. Head. Ceramics. National Art School, 

East Sydney Technical College, Forbes Street, Dartinghurst. NSW 2010. 

Telephone: (02) 3398630 or (02) 339 8666. Fax (02) 332 2907. 

r_ ~ Include: Tr1cIa Dean (Gldze Technology) • • 

f _ _ Roswttha WullI. Ologenes Fam 

~ Dav1d Stockburn. Alan Lacovetsky 

\lerran Esson (Hmd Bullcllng). David Fairbairn (Drawlns!. Ivan Ouch 

(Industrlall'roasses). Ronda Hartwig (Drawing). Chris Headley (DecoraHng Techniques. Screen PrlnHns!. Eddy jokovlch (Computer 

Design). jenny Orchard (DesIgn). 6111 Samuels (Throwing). Toni Warburton (Art Theory &'l'role5slonall'ractlce). 

Arts &.. Media Industry Training Division 

NSW TAFE Commission T"FE ~

The Potters' Society in association with 

Manly Art Gallery and Museum presents 

Surface Pomdise 

October 18 - November 17 

Greg Daly 

Manly Art Gallery & Museum 

West Esplanade Reserve Manly 

10 - 4 Tuesday - Friday 

12 - 5 Saturday &: Sunday 

closed Monday

Pottery In Australia Vol 30 No 2 1991

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