Pottery In Australia Vol 34 No 4 Summer 1995

The Sydney Teapot Show at Inner
City Clayworkers Gallery
rI The Colour of Stoneware
MaIy-Lou & Chris f4ttard's blightly
decorated stoneware. Article by Jane Kent
m HlroeSwen
Profile by Sue Buckle
II Colourful Stories
kdrrm Pari

Editorial
Amidst the frenzy and
excitement of the Christmas
eason, this issue ' Focus
on Australian Stoneware' will
provide you with some material
for quiet reflection.
Australian stoneware has come a
long way from the brown pots of
the 19705 and we see in this area of
practice all the diversity and
innovation we have come to
expect from our ceramic artists in
Australia. There is colour and there
is subtlety and mystery in the
surfaces. There are forms both
functional and decorative. There is
wood frred, gas frred and electric frred work, all executed
with the same passion by the makers who have spent
years refIning their skills with the clay and with the fife. It
is obvious that working with stoneware is a committment
that goes beyond mere technique and provides the artists
with continuing challenges and satisfaction.
TIle end of the year is always a time of reflection and
planning for the next year and already it looks like being
a busy one for us widl the production of the 1996 Potters
Directory (to be part of it you MUST post off your deposit
NOW!) and the National Ceramics Conference in
Canberra 6-9th July 1996.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many
people who are involved in the production of this
magazine. Firstly to Chris James, the President of the
Potters' Society of Australia and the Committee,
particularly Leonard Smith, who give me practical support
in the production of all the issues and the running of an
ever growing business.
Sandi Cullen has been our Business Manager for two
years and has recently left to take up a full time job. She
has done a superb job getting the business organised and
working with our advertisers and I thank her. She is now
replaced by Christina Fitzgerald whose head is no doubt
swimming with all the new infonnation but is taking it in
her stride very capably and enthusiastically.
Our designers, Bybowra Design,
have now been working with us for
12 months and I know from all the
comments I get about the look of
the magazine that you appreciate
their enormous talents in this area.
atalie Bowra and Suzanne
Elworthy, assisted by Amanda
Sweeney, form a team that are not
only very creative but wonderful to
work with and I thank them most
sincerely for their profeSSionalism
and committment to this magaZine.
The technical areas of organising
the film and printing of the
magazine are overseen by Elena
Clarke from RT Kelly. She is a pivotal person in this
process and her integrity and honesty is a crucial part of
the smooth running and high standard of each issue. Our
printer, RT Kelly and film separation company, The
Graphic Colour Company, both ensure we get the highest
quality magazine which is what Australian ceramic artists
and all those interested in Australian ceramics deserve.
To all these people I say a heart felt thank you and I
look forward to our furure association as this magazine
goes from strength to strength.
I also want to thank all our contributors and readers,
without whom the magazine would not exist! A special thanks
to Karen Weiss who invented and researclJeS our Tools of the
Trade' feature. She is a master of the spreadsheet (even if they
don't always entirely fit on the pageO Also, again a thanks to
my harclwoOOng State Representatives.
I trust you can fmd a quiet moment in the next little
while to soak up the beautiful work as well as the news
and technical infomJation in this issue.
I hope the next few months will provide you with the
peace and rest that will revive you and keep those
creative juices flowing! A Happy CS d successful
New Year to everyone. 00
kO
2 POTTERY IN AUSTAAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER I99S

The Stoneware Enigma
Willi Michalski's worK has always been an exploration of the subtlety and strength of
stoneware glazes. Article by JENNIFER MANNING.
6 POTrERY IN AUSTRAIJA + ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995

Not long after Michalski's arrival from Europe in the
1960s, he met Ivan Englund and his then wife
Patricia. Both were stoneware potters and they
introduced him to the Australian studio pottery scene. His
passion was ignited. He began by collecting ceramics and
then training, working with stoneware clays and glazes.
This was a new approach, quite different to that of his
own counuy where folk an painting on pottery and the
highly ornate Meissen and Dresden porcelains were
popular. In Australia, the philosophies and practice of
Hamada and Leach had great impaa leading to ule revival of
studio pottery with an emphasis on truth to materials. nJis
was exemplified by potters such as Peter Rushfonh , Col
Levy, Ivan McMeekin, Lea Blakeborough and Milton Moon.
Taken by the subtleties and quietness of stoneware
glazes, Michalski saw the strength that these pots
transmitted. In particular, Japanese pottery fascinated him.
The humanity of this craft was exemplified by his meeting
with Shigeo Shiga whilst he was working in Australia. His
icy chuns, deep whites and rich tenmoku glazes, decorated
with free spontaneous brushstrokes, had a profound and
lasting effea on Michalski's making.
After establishing a workshop at Church Point in Sydney,
Michalski attempted to emulate these glazes. The results
were both exciting and disappointing. The enigma of the
glazes was intriguing. No other glazes can produce such
depth and also combine with the
form to fuse into a unified whole.
The pursuit for understanding
these glazes has been the basis of
Michalski's practice. Formulating
glazes has led to curious results -
from time to time a 'fault' becomes
the beginning of a new idea. Each
firing comains tests with their own
potential to be explored.
Michalski's European heritage has
always influenced his work but so has
the Australian landscape. The VdStness of the outback and
the coastline are in stark contrast to the more confined
landscape of his youth. Large platters allow him to express
the vast ness of landscapes by spraying, trailing and
brushwork. However, unlike the painter, the potter has
always to visualise the images which are not realised until
after the firing.
His forms are nO! necessarily functional. His large round
vessels are almost completely closed off emphasising the
purity of the forms.
A recent influence has been a visit to Venice. The
sculptured prows of the gondolas, the rich golds and enamels
of the Byzantine mQSiacs and the textures and colours of this
magic dty will provide inspiration for the development of
forms, designs and new stoneware glazes. 00
Willi Michalski,
93 McCarrs Creek Road, Church Point 2105
Jennifer Manning, M.A. Visual Arts teacher
Opposite: Plate. Stoneware chun and copper,
reduction firing 1300·C, Venetian motif. d350mm.
This page: Vessels. Stoneware, 1300·C, black glaze
with gold lustre and enamel. h300mm.
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POITERY IN A USTRAUA 7

The Colour of Stoneware
Mary-Lou and Chris Pittard produce a wide range of brilliantly hand decorated stoneware.
Article by JANE KENT.
Not just pots for your table, though there are plenty of
those, painted and panemed, cut-out and coloured,
but pieces for your walls and floors, even toilets so
bold and brilliant it would seem a crime to let Niagara fall.
It's clay, kiln, brushes, colour and action! And plenty of it.
Mary-Lou graduated with a degree in ceramics from
Phillip Institute in 1983 and began to explore ways of
painting colour onto stoneware. Motivated and dermed by
colour and panem, her designs were in total contrast to the
earthy browns and greys favoured by other potters
working in stoneware at the time. A decade down the track
we no longer bat an eyelid at brightly coloured stoneware
as developments in ceramic technology have brought
convenient little tubs of colour to the shelves of ceramic
suppliers. Things were not always so easy. Mary-Lou began
producing this work at a time when accepted wisdom said
earthenware was the appropriate clay body for colourful
decoration but her early trials with earthenware had ended
in frustration, with crazing glazes and pieces too easily
chipped. Inspired by the magnificent colour of majolica
ware, yet seeing durability as a key reqUirement in
functional work, she found herself with one foot each in
the earthenware and stoneware camps determined not to
compromise on colour or durability.
Using glaze stains, American hobby colours and
anything else on offer, trial and error met with gradual
success and her palene steadily broadened. She achieved
her goal and her richly decorated, colourful stoneware was
enthusiastically received. With popularity came demand
and, responding to that demand, saw the studio grow to
employ five full-time staff at its peak.
Chris completed a post-graduate degree in painting from
Viaorian College of the Arts in 1988. Long involved with
Mary-Lou's work in various capacities behind the scenes, in
recent years he has begun making and decorating his own
pieces. They work closely, bouncing ideas off each other
and collaborating on most designs and, in some instances,
both take up brushes and decorate the same pot.
Over the past couple of years the pair have rationalised
stUdios and made the decision to scale down the volume of
produaion to enable them to focus their energies on the
creative side of the business and to give themselves the
flexibility and time to go where their ideas lead them. Long
time friends, we have shared many evenings over many
bo!tles of wine and their work is never too far away from the
conversation - food, interiors, garnes, art, architecture - are at
8 POffiRY IN AUSTRAIJA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER I99S

ISSUE :M14 SUMMER 1995 oJ. POTIERY IN AUSTRAUA 9

Above: Chris Pittard, Urban Jugs. SIW underglazes and body stains. h25cm.
Below: Chris Pittard, "Looking Back to Wesgate". d40cm.
once sources of inspiration and arenas for new products or
designs. They are always tossing around ideas for new
work, talking of plans and possibilities and one is struck by
their endless drive, their compulsion to keep up the pace
and rum the talk into pieces hot and fresh from the kiln.
This vitality was refleaed in an exhibition of their work held
at DisrIefmk last year. A joint show, with pieces made by each
of them individually and in collaboration, it was engaging not
only for what was displayed but for what nut work promised
for the furure. Whilst individual pieces were of the quality and
completeness required of exhibition works, there was a sense
in which, considering the show as a whole, one was getting a
keyhole view of works in progress - this was a beginning
rather dJan an end and there was more to come. There were
both functional and decorative pieces, hand-carved candle
sticks, wrought-iron gates embellished with ceramic
medallions and figures, platters and wall sconces acting as
canvases for Chris's figurative and scenic depictiOns and as
shapes to be wrapped in panem by Mary-loU.
The energy brought to their quest for the novel product is
well-matched and well-balanced by their enthusiasm for and
conunitment to the eXIenSive range of tableware nley continue
to produce. Both have worked in the restaurant trade and love
preparing, presenting and eating good food and this is
refleaed by the inclusion of such practical pieces in the range
as olive pip bowls, lasagne dishes and salad bowls sized
according to the number of servings they will hold - practical
and beautiful, they look good widl and without food. At a
birthday dinner for Chris a year or two ago the twenty or so
guests were treated to a great meal served entirely in and on
Pittard CeramiCS and each of us was given the bowl from
which we had eaten our soup, decorated complete with our
name, to take home as a gift. Great idea, great food, great pots.
In an impottant sense, to talk of a range of work Mary­
Lou and Chris are producing is a little misleading because
'range' connotes limits and a static completeness when, in
fact, the Pittard range is open ended, evolving in response
to commissions and the tide of their ideas.
Having already filled and moved beyond the dining
table and Sideboard, the ongOing pemlUtations of product
and design can only be guessed at. Their coloured
stoneware continues to serve ulem, and us, well. 00
Chris and Mary Lou Pittard
66 Glen Park RO'dd Eltham 3095 Ph: (03) 9431 0401
Jane Kent is a freelance writer and an occasional designer
Idecorator for Merino Ceramics and previously for Kripton Design
in the same role. Freelance writer (03) 9391 0435
1 0 POTIERY IN AUSTRAUA + ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995

Hiroe Swen
Hiroe Swen was bom in Kyoto and arrived in Australia in 1 968 as a young but well established
woman potter, to a life and culture very different to that she had experienced in Japan.
Article by SUE BUCKLE.
In the Studio
H
iroe had originaUy trained in art and teJ>.1ile design
and worked as a freelance textile designer. In the
J 950s her interest grew in ceramics and she enrolled
at me Kyoto Crafts Institute and worked as an apprentice
to master poner Heillachiro Hayashi.
Ceramic practice in Japan at this time was male
dominated. There were very few women potters and they
worked more as decorators or as their husband's assistanl~
than in their own right. TIley were not generally accepted
as studio potters, in fact prejudice against women was
deep. As a woman interested in becoming a potter, Hiroe
Swen was, to say the least, unusual.
At this time, being apprenticed to a Master Potter did
not necessarily mean long days in the pottery acquiring
the skills and knowledge to develop your own practice.
It could have meant shopping, babysitting and being
the maid as well as wedging and cleaning in the
pottery. However, Hiroe was already a highly successful
textile artist/ designer and her Master, Hayashi, treated
her very differently. Hiroe was his first female
apprentice. This apprenticeship, from 1957-62, not only
taught her the skills necessary to establish her own
career as a studio potter, it also instilled a strong sense
of discipline which is still an essential part of her
professional practice. A commitlmem to clay as the
chosen form of artistic expression was also weU tested
by her time as an apprentice.
After establishing her independent pottery studio in Kyoto,
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POffiRY IN AUSTRAlJA 11

Coil built s/w. abstract relief decoration
14 x 14 x h15cms.
'Genroku - 2'. Coil built s/w, incised arabesques and
relief decoration. 30 x 30 x h20cm.
Hiroe exhibited regularly and was a founding member of the
ational Woman Ceramic Artists' Group of japan.
She married artist and designer Cornel Swen in japan and
arrived in Australia detennined 10 continue her art. What a
shock it must have been for her both culturally and
artistically. Hiroe admits to being quite unprepared for what
she found here in terms of ceramic practice and it's
promotion. The fact that, in Australia at the time, the
majority of the potters were women, was totally unexpected
but positive. She was also surprised at the extent of the
influence the Mingei traditions had here, introduced by
English potter, Bernard Leach and his writings.
less encouraging was the fact that, in Australia, ponery
was considered a 'home craft', with linlesense of it's value
as art. There was no critical debate and prices were
comparatively low. Most galleries did not have the skills or
experience of exhibiting or promoting ceramics as art. She
had come to a country without the long tradition of
ceramic practice found in japan and had also left the
support provided by a large number of highly respected
ceramic artists making works for a well educated and
critical audience.
In the early 19705 Hiroe and Cornel moved to Canberra.
Still there were few g-Alleries showing ceramics. The Beaver
family owned the first local Gallery to mount major
exhibitions of a purely craft nature. In other cases craft
work was displayed as a commodity rather than as works
of value and uniqueness. Hiroe held her ftrst exhibition in
Canberra in 1972 and was given the publicity to help
promote her work widely in the general press. The
response was enormous.
Setting up a gallery became a priority for Cornel and
Hiroe. They built Pastoral Gallery atop a hill on the
outskirts of Queanbeyan. Detennined to show the public
the an of pottery and to set an example by both the quality
of the work and the type of display, they carefully
designed and built the gallery space and their home. There
was a need to not only provide the right environment 10
exhibit the work but to develop a personal connection
with the buying public.
Hiroe's work at this time was very differenr to the
experience of the viewing and buying public in Australia.
The Gallery became a mecca for those seeking excellence
in ceramic design and craftsmanship. Hiroe's technique of
coil building was seen as unusual and people responded
positively. As her reputation grew the Gallery became
increasingly popular and all her exhibitions and open days
were highly successful.
Since the 19705 Hiroe has also been involved in teaching
ceramics, firstly at Canberra Technical College and then
later when it became known as the Canberra TAFE. In 1980
the Canberra School of Art was formed, the brainchild of
German-born Printmaker Udo Sellbach. Hiroe holds the
permanent position of Lecrurer-in-Ceramics out of respect
for her considerable reputation as a ceramic artist.
She has strong ideas about teaching, particularly after
her own experiences in japan. When she began teaching
in Canberra there was no glaze research as part of the
ceramics course. All the glazes were commerdally made as
were the kilns. Ceramics' training was seen as a hobby
rather than as a career. Hiroe, never one to accept the
limited expectations of others, brought her own high
standards of profeSSional practice to the course. Students
responded positively. To this day, as a Lecturer in ceramics
at Canberra School of Art, now part of the Australian
National University, Hiroe applies her high standards,
always expecting more if there is apparent talent in the
students. Developing the students' commitment to their art
and encouraging their enqUiry into materials and
techniques is a priority. A high standard of art is only
developed and maintained by constant questioning and
exploring of oneself and one's materials.
12 POTTIRY IN A USTRAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

Ikebana pots. Coil built, oxide tinted,
wire cut areas on mati black body, S/W
average size L20L x w13 x h21cms.
Hiroe's teaching is obviously a
very important part of her work as a
ceramic artist. Giving the best of her
acquired knowledge to her students to
encourage their development as artists is a
priority. She is part of a committed team of
ceramic artists/ teachers at Canberra School of Art
under the direction of the Head of the Ceramics
Department, Alan Watt and the School Director, Professor
David Williams.
For her own work Hiroe has always fired to stoneware,
liking both the durabiliry of the finished pieces and the
subtle qualities of tlle glazes. Glaze research is a continuing
interest and testing new glazes, a regular part of her
professional practice. She is currently researching oil spot
glazes and we looked at several examples where the texture
of the glaze subtly changed and swirled, forming its own
movement across the surface of the piece. Just as there is a
subtle texture to the clay surfaces of her work, SO there is
also texture to the oxidation glazes she uses, fired to 128O·C.
Hiroe's practice has spanned many years and she has
seen many changes in the the practice and promotion of
ceramic art in this country.
At 61 Hiroe is reassessing her work. She is more
focused on her own needs rather than others'
expectations. She is looking for peace and personal
satisfaction with her work. There is a sense of nostalgia
combined with a determination to express her own
aesthetic in a quiet, confident way. She is prepared to let
her emotions rather than her intellect rule her work and
speak loudly through her fonns and glazes. Hiroe works
with
the clay,
not dominating
but being open to all
possibilites. Her fomlS are mostly coil built. Each piece
has its own rhythm and a gentle presence that demands
quiet assessment, that never loses the touch of the maker
or the rhythm of the process.
There are no drawings that preceed the clay work, as these
focus on line rather than on the clay and the three
dimensional nature of fonn. All the pIanning goes on in the
heart and the mind and is expressed througll the fmgers
directly working with the clay. The technique of coiling
encourages this, each touch being recorded in the clay
surface long after the g1aze and the fire have done their work.
Working with clay is an integral part of Hiroe's life - it
blends with her love of music - (every comer of her studio
resounds to wonderful music), her love of food, cooking,
reading and the important people in her life . The
expression of a current desire to design and make beautiful
bowls to eat from, is a strong example of how inseparable
these aspects of her life and creativiry remain. G>!I
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTTERY IN A USTRALIA 13

Colourful Stories
Andrew Parker's ceramics cany on the ancient art of storytelling through surface decoration.
For many yeatS now I have been drawn to the ceramic
work of the Mediterranean Basin. Not jUst their recent
maiolica work but work stretching back thousands of
years to the height of the Greek and Roman Empires.
Because of the enduring nature of the medium it has been
through the ceramics that their stories have been able to be
constructed so vividly.
Technically I have found the drawback with tin maiolica
glaze is that, being an earthenware product, it is not as
durable as it could be. It is for this reason that I have
adapted my tin glaze to fICe at a high temperarure to give,
what I believe is, the best of both worlds, that being the
rich colours of traditional maiolica ware with the durability
of stoneware clay.
I have had a bias towards stoneware from the beginning,
the legacy of Hamada and Leach's teachings which were
so influential in New Zealand in the seventies.
14 POITERY IN A USTRAUA + ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995

However, when I moved
to Australia I began
working with earthenware
white glazes. I began with
cobalt brush work and as
my confidence grew so my
pallet increased.
In 1984 I moved to Uralla working
for a time with terracotta clay,
decorating with slips and clear glaze. This
was the beginning of my passion for a
brightly decorated surface. The
layering of clay, slip, glaze and even
enamels was very appealing. However,
keeping up with the stip process proved
difficult in studio production and so I
looked again to using stoneware but
at a slightly reduced temperature,
Cone 6. My work and research
today still show a hankering
after the spontaneity of
painted slip but I am totally
seduced by the high
temperature satin surface
that gives to glaze a certain
luminosity and enriches the
colours in the designs.
Over the past five years
the studio at Uralla has
operated as a partnership
with Rosemary Rich. Rosemary
has trained on the job
developing glazing, decorating
and business skills. I do all the
throwing and work on my one-off
pieces. We also employ people on a pan
time or casual basis as needed. We produce
two main ranges of functional ware as well as
platters, large jugs, teapots, vases and tiled
tabletops for exhibition.
The themes in my work are an ongOing dialogue
between me and my environment. There is harmony,
fantasy and hwnour in the images I use. Some are spin offs
from popular romantic images, others are more personal.
They translate onto my work at both a conscious and
subconscious level.
I feel very comfortable using vessel forms as tlle medium
for my message. I see myself in an historical context
continuing the age old lineage of people telling stories
tlJrough ceramics. The work is designed to be used, to be a
part of life and not set apart from it. 00
Andrew Parker
Over the Bridge Ponery, 9 King Street, Uralla 2355
Ph/fax rx,7 78 4482
Top: "Praise of Godess", h47.Scm.
Above: Teaset, 1994,
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTTIRY IN AUSTRAUA 15

The Sensual Surface
Combining visual and tactile appeal is an important element in the design of
Malcom Cooke's stoneware forms,
Carved bowl, Satin copper, SIW. h45cm.
My introduction to clay began in 1968, I was in my
second year of my Diploma of Fine An, majoring
in Sculpture. One day a huge square object with a
plate on the top appeared in the sculprure room, This was
my fIrst sight of the machine which was to playa large part
in my life • a potter's wheel.
My teacher Barry Singleton showed me how to make a
pot and I was fascinated by the transformation of plastic
spinning wet clay responding to the lightest touch. One try
was like putting on the gloves· I was hooked. Twenty
seven years later I am still hooked. Coming to clay through
my experience with sculpture, painting and graphics has
had a strong influence on my approach ro form and
decoration. The foundation of the form must be right
before the decoration can enhance and complement it.
Using a wheel to make pottery is akin to the art of a
musician/composer. Each time a musician plays a piece of
music it is similar, but always there is a slight difference, The
art of the potter, like that of the musician, comes not just from
the mind but from the heart and so every performance or pot
is an improvisation and belongs to that momenr in time.
I make pots quite casually and fast but to the observer
they look quite precise, I find this contradiction a fascinating
one. This speed is essential to capture the moment of the
flowing fonn. For me, pots which are laboured over are
usually 'dead' and wind up on the scrap pile.
In the last few years I have been developing several
different types of work. I enjoy the challenge of using
different techniques concurrently,
The main body of work I make is a range of pots for
the table.
These pots need to be comfortable to handle and use as
well as looking good on the shelf. There is something
about that fIrst touch of a piece which leaves a lasting
impression. I am striving for a look in my work that makes
a person want to not only pick it up but to linger over it,
feeling the fonn and texture of the surface and turning the
piece over to appreciate all it's aspects, These pieces are
decorated in the soft colours of the Australian bush. Simple
lines and a few strokes are evokative of gum leaves. These
flow around the piece drawing the observer's eye to the
other side,
16 POnERY IN AUSTAAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER I99S

Round fonn, Satin Glaze. d35crn.
I use stoneware glazes on a white stoneware body
because of the soft feel of the surfaces and the subtle
colours thai renect so well the colours of the bush.
Stonewa re clay and glaze also has a durability that is
important when making funClional ware.
The bush has always strongly influenced my work. Most
of my life I have lived in the country, close to natural bush
areas. Currently our studio and gallery, which I built with
my partner Marily Oppermann, is in the country on the
outskins of Canberra.
Other work which I have been experimenting with for a
few years now is a series of pieces, usually thrown, with
carved rhythmiC lines incised into the surface. Originally I
was paddling the sides of the pots and carving into the
panel it formed using free lines contained in a formal frame.
I was also at the same time doing a lot of work with stamps
impressing the pattern all over the surface of the piece.
A change to this came about on a working trip to
Arandelovac in southem Serbia in the old Yugoslavia. I
was fortunate enough to spend a month working in a
porcelain faClory to make work for a group exhibition to
be held in the Museum of Contemporary An in Belgrade.
One slight problem - there were no wheels to throw on!!
Luck would have it that I had some carving tools widl me
and worked on carving porcelain insulators which I had
turned into cylinders, about 1 meter high. J developed
quite complex patterns using abstract birds and flowing
lines. When I returned to Australia I adapted these to my
full, thrown, forms. The carved decoration is geuing more
simplified as lime goes on. (Less is moreO
Currently I am using lines which give the illusion of
altering the visual shape with the play of light and shade
on the regular lines. This combines well with the colour
changes of the reduction glaze over the ridges of the
carved areas. Again, stoneware glazes provide me with the
qualities that enhance the forms I make.
Clay has limitless possibilities. It is a medium which can
express all the ideas of the potter, it's potential only limited
by our own imagination. 00
Malcolm Cooke, 7 Naas Road, Tharwa ACf 2620
Tel (06) 237 5144 Fax (06) 237 5117
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTTERY IN AusTRAUA 17

Rich, Sensuous Colour
The mysteries of glaze on glaze at stoneware temperatures still
provide challenges for UNDY ROSE SMITH
I
began potting in 1970 at Auburn Evening College and
from the beginning there existed an implicit hierarchy
within the ceramic community. Reduced stoneware,
preferably in a wood kiln, was at the top and low
temperature firing, such as pit firing, at Ole bottom. The
area one worked in reflected how seriously one was to be
taken, and to be taken seriously, stoneware it had to be.
Thank goodness all that has changed now.
From tills background, I still consciously chose to work
in stoneware, despite tile problems of warping, plucking
and glazes running onto shelves. 1 guess there is a
perversity in my nature as 1 do not like things to be too
easy. There is a real challenge to working in stoneware -
solving problems with glazes and firing etc. I like the
inherent strength achieved from stoneware's vitreousness;
its resilience to chipping and cracking; the be-dutiful ring of
a well fitting g1azelbody fit and my passion for the son of
copper reds, which can only be best achieved in stoneware
reduction firings. These are the reasons for my continuing
struggle to pursue these illusive qualities, to find an
expressive palette in stoneware when lower temperatures
would have made it much easier.
I have always had a desire to decorate, to embeUish, to
cover surfaces with pattern and colour. Althougl1l didn't
know exaaly what it was that 1 wanted, I knew 1 wanted rich
surface qualities and a broad palette of colour to work with.
For many years, I had a hankering to salt glaze - I was
captivated by the surface qualities, where glaze and body
interface intermingled and subconsciously, tried to
emulate this by the glaze on gla ze technique. Trailed
glazes give a soft, sensuous , evocative quality to the work
and as one glaze melts into another through the
rransfomlation of fire, some beautiful effectS occur which
otherwise could not be achieved.
In 1983 Janice Tchalenko, an English potter, published
the results of several years of experimentation into
coloured stoneware glazes. This had a huge impact on
many people working in stoneware. No longer were we
tied to tenmokus, celadons, shinos and blue on white
decoration. Here were bright luscious colours - yellow,
pink, green and a deep, rich blue with iron crystals. When
1 was fllSt introduced to these colours in 1987 at Brookvale
TAFEl was excited by them, but scared and intimidated at
the same time. They were so brigl1t and bold! At the time, I
didn't have the confidence to use them and as if to reflect
this feeling, my first trials were not very successful!
18 POTTERY IN A lJSTRAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

'Camellia' bowl 35cm diameter 15cm deep
SIW glaze on glaze
Vase, 'Pink Persian' h50cm
SIW glaze on glaze
The next two years , 1988-1989, saw me working
towards a degree at Sydney College of the Ms. While still
being influenced by the richness of Janice's glazes and
decor'Juon, [ developed a range of my own pastel colours
of blue/mauve, green and an eanhy yeUow from iron in a
clear glaze. As confidence in my designs increased, my
range of glaze colours expanded and I happily added
Janice's bright, bold colours to my own range. In
combination with pigments, underglaze colours and
glazes, [ now have a wide palette of greens, blues, pinks,
yellows and reds from which to choose.
Developing my imagery was another creative journey.
Ever since I can remember, I have had a love of nature. I
have also always been fascinated by geometry and the
varied patterns achieved by intersecting lines.
Whilst taking most of my inspiration directly from
nature, in many cases straight from my own garden, the
discovery of American painter, Georgia O'Keeffe's giant
flower canvases was an added stimulus. I was impelled to
explore the richness of Celtic art, so scrolls, swirls and
dots began emerging in my work. By chance I stumbled
upon a book on Islamic design which explored the base
geometry that underlies the patterns in Persian carpets,
tiles and architecture. This was an added bonus and J now
delve freely into all these cultures and incorporate them
into my decoration.
For many years, J felt these two divergent forms of
decoration - that of the flowers and geometry - to be at
odds with each other and kept them separated. Then one
day, [ decided to integrate them. This resulted in a series of
platters, with a central geometric pattern, surrounded by a
floral garland. I came to realise the geometry represented
structure, restraints etc. , while the flowers represented
growth, freedom, joy, the life force. GraduaUy the central
motif transformed into a mandala-like star, emanating
outwards, while the border between the two motifs
dissolved. This was an integrating process for me inwardly
and outwardly.
The development of personal imagery can be a
frustrating process at times, but ultimately a rewarding one.
The area of glaze on glaze still holds challenges and
rewards for me, so J will continue to explore its mysteries
for some time to come. QI)
Undy Rose Smith
10 Marrakesh Place, Arcadia 2159
Ph/Fax 653 2507
ISSUE 3-4/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERY IN A USTRALIA 19

Twenty Years On
Twenty years ago ceramist Graeme Wilkie set his studio at the foothills of the Otway Ranges at
Allenvale, one kilometre from the picturesque village of Lome in Victoria. Connie Dridan reports.
In the studio.
The studio nestles into an idyllic bushland setting
where flora and fauna abound. The large windows
look across an open area amongst huge gumtrees
where Graeme is constructing an amphitheatre. Creative
landscaping is under way. This will set the stage for
performance and continue Graeme's search for the
ultimate in creativity. His sculptural forms are part of this
scene, and show Graeme's ability to stretch the material to
it's limits. It is a constant vigil for diversity, the challenge of
working with clay, seeking not only to attain expression
and excellence but technical competence. He once quoted
to me the essence of his pursuance: "Truth is in the
discovery, not in the discovered and to discover, there is
no beginning and no end.'
Graeme began his serious discovery as a student to the
late Doug Alexander, who was a highly respected, creative
produaion poller at Creswick Viaoria. There, they n1.1de an
excellent range of domestic stoneware, brushwork being
the force of both potters. In 1975 Graeme moved to Lome
on the Great Ocean Road to start his own production. His
wares were sought after, they were an essential ingredient
for enhanCing the enjoyment of cuisine. He developed an
individuality and unexpected freedom which was very
appealing. This is still the case, as Graeme likes a break
from his sculptural commissions and enjoys throwing an
occasional range of domestic wares, but each time he
explores new fomlS of utility with an emergence of twists
and sculptural overtures. Recently, he was one of a group
of six Australian potters to exhibit in Tokyo and Kyoto as
part of an introduaory exhibition of Australian tableware in
the galleries of the famous Tachikichi craft stores.
One of Graeme's insignia's is the golden ball. It appears
quite often in his sculptural worl

REFLEcnONS - GRAEME WILKIE
At times I feel so alone in the world of art/ceramics.
Sustaining a passion for ceramics for ne-arly two and a half
decades becomes difficult at times. It's easy in the ea rly
days when the learning curve is steep and the procedures
of metamorphosis are exciting. owadays, as I look back
over the receipts for tonnes and tonnes of clay purchased,
and the visual diary I've so inadequately kept, I ponder the
diversity. The question of ceramics as an intellectual
pursuit has never been a big one for me, nor has that of
technical virtuosity.
My pas.-;ion lies in the act of creating. Creativity is for me,
the barometer of my spirit, the gauge of my emotional state,
the indicator of my spiritual freedom or lack thereof. Bernard
Leach was quoted as saying: "The pol is the extension of irs
maker". A statement of one's state of mindlhean.
I watch the world of ceramic/art with interest in the
hope to be astonished, yet rarely am. I retreat to the studio
to push clay into places it doesn't want to go, heightening
my frustration and depleting the bank balance in the name
of an. The thought of making 'High Art' or an for a market
place does not come into it. My thoughts are more of
timelessness, monumenrality of any St-ale, even of beauty.
These are the motivating stimulii. More often than not I am
left unsatisfied and the backlog of works in the studiO
seem like constipation until I empty my work space again.
The fascination I have with my work is to see what
comes next: what comes from the spirit. Like Nature,
growth of any kind, the changes, are the reward. Perhaps
unliked or unwanted, the works are not designed for an
audience but most eventually are exposed. Peer group and
public scrutiny is another form of evaluation of the self.
The introvert nature of those days on the steep learning
curve have likewise changed for me. TIle eight years as
director of Qdos Arts in Lome has altered all that to
another, an an education curve. Evaluating the works of
others, promoting the arts to a fairly naive pUblic. All
enhancing my greater understanding and where that's
leading me. I don't know!
At least it's heightened my awareness of the labyrinth of
crap and narcissism in the arts. Back in my studio I
surround myself with young artists with the same heated
passion I have for knowledge of dle ceramic arts. I gain
immense pleasure from witnessing my students'
accelerated groMh in their ceramics yet so disappointed in
the lack of appreciation for ceramic sculpture in Australia.
The love and passion for ceramics I see in so many young
and gifted people in this country, saddens me, knowing
the expense and doggered commitment one must sustain
to establish oneself in Australian ceramics. 00
Graeme Wilkie
Qdos vallery, 60 Mountjoy Pde, Lome 3232 Telephone (052) 891 989
My working partners are Giovanna lnserra from R.M .I.T.
Melbourne and If.ni Salvo from B.U.C. Ballarat.
Top: Shell form, Stoneware 68 x 45crn.
Above: Untitled. Stoneware, gold lustre. 135x62cm.
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTTERY IN AusTRAlIA 21

Fine balance
Balance between intuitive delight and intellectual rigour characterises the work of Marianne Cole.
Written by RITA HALL
Right: Vase.
Dry cobalt glaze,
gold lusture,
oxidised. MOcm.
Left: Dragon
Teapot. Turquoise
glaze, oxidised.
h30cm.
Marianne Cole is a woman in balance. Sometimes it
may seem to be a precarious position to be in.
Occasionally one element of her being may tamper
with her equilibrium, but she usually maintains a persuasive
stability. Her balance is palpable as she discusses her
inulitive delight in the surprises offered by her ponery, and
then reveals her intellectual rigour in understanding the
technicalities which made them possible. Similarly, she
counters a desire to abandon herself to a new series of work
by Ule continuing reqUirement of maintaining an income
duough her client base of galleries. Somehow she manages
to juggle these seemingly inconsistent pressures within her
practice and fulfil them all to her own level of satisfaction.
Marianne Cole's progress as a professional potter has
been adequately dealt with in other articles. This profile is
an attempt to gain a deeper insight into her personal
philosophy. One element of previous writings must be
acknowledged however. This is Cole's consistent claim of
the value of colour in her work. Colour has been the
mainstay of her 25 years of pottery production. It has been
the vehicle for all of her creative expression.
In the early 1970's the fashion was for brown pots
imbued with subdy reduced glazes and fired in gas kilns.
The pots were functional, the influences were Oriental, and
the ideas reflected the known world of pottery as rustic,
handmade and useful. Cole defied the trend by making
white stoneware forms with touches of bright colour as
decoration, and she always fired in electric kilns. She went
further by making her pots non-functional, useless except
as carriers for her decorations. There were no mugs, no
casseroles, and no plates.
Cole was excited by the possibilities of making pots with
no function in the conventional sense. The chance to make
exquisite objects in their own right - with no meaning other
than their existence as beautiful things, and colourful in the
extreme - was too much of an opportunity for Cole to
ignore. It was to become a bold move. She says of that time:
"I did some elegant Iinle bowls in a man satin, loud cobalt
blue glaze. They sold well in Sydney, but were too bold for
Adelaide. My contemporaries wondered when I would get
serious and begin to u

---------------------------------- --
--------
Right: Black glazed bowl.
Onglaze enamels and gold
lusture, oxidised, cone 8.
d30cm.
~~~II~~II~~~~IIII~~~
two years throwing
pots She for worked Dot and for Eddie
Andrews at their Paris
Creek Ponery. Her job was to
systematically throw pots to "
specification for money. Bad pots earned
no money. Sustained by necessity, her skills
developed quickly. The contact with Dot and Eddie
confirmed her professional aspirations.
Later she spent a yea r at the Jam Factory Ceramic
Workshop developing glazes. It was a year of recipes,
experiments, dazzling colours, technologies for perfeaing
hues on pots. Hundreds of glazes were celebrated finaUy in
the blazing ultramarines and ochres of her now iconic
outback landscape series.
This period also saw a careful pursuit of her photographic
and sketching skills, a delicate refinement which has
become one of Cole's less weU known oeuvres. She was able
to record her outback travels which in turn became the
impetus for the landscape pots. She researched the American
Indian designs - particularly the Hop~ Mimbres and Navajos -
and studied images from Crete as well as Chinese and
Japanese embellishments. All Ulese observations were flfSlhand
as she made it her business to visit the countries with
the museums which had the comprehensive collections.She
saw them in the streets too, and in the market places, and she
bought them back to look at, to feel and to live with.
Cole recognised the sources of the decorations on these
pots she had collected as being the same as those she
sought for her own pots: the basic human desire to
decorate th e
world and celebrate
the ritual of daily
living. Her work is an
assimilation of these ideas and
infiuences, particularly her series
of decorated black bowls. This work,
alulOugh high-fued, embraces the scope of onglaze
enamels and lustres to extend the colour palate much
further Ulan is possible with glaze alone.
Ritual has become an important element in the
conceprual development of Cole's work. Although colour
nlaintains it's presence in all mailers pertaining to her pots,
the rirual of repetition is evident in her produaion pots and
her pallem making. The discipline of allowing every new
pot to inform the direction of the next is part of the
momenrum inherent in her aa. She equally relishes the
ritual of the family meal, of cooking, of planting her
beautiful garden, and conversations with friends.
What next? Marianne Cole needs to keep working for it's
own purpose. Sure, it can be like being on a treadmill, but
it is always a delight. Opening the kiln is never a bother. It
would be nice to spend more time being dean, painting in
the contemplative environment of a warm room with the
bright colours on the black pots, but the labour of making
the srudio prociuaion pots keeps her mind in order. The
need to find the perfect pot, the sharpest colour, the
essence of what it means to be alive sustains her ponery
and her life. Her life is balanced by her pots. 00
Marianne Cole, 86 Emmett Road, Crafters 5152 (08) 339 4271
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTTERY IN AusTRAUA 23

The Passion of Hi-fire Wood
Working with a large wood-fired kiln at stoneware temperatures is an aspect of pottery
that seems to raise the passions of anyone who comes close to a firing .
Article by IAN JONES.
Vase. Anagama fired h500mm.
TIe look on the races of passersby who stroll around
the comer to see the cause of all the smoke, and peek
through the stokehole to see the twisting passage of
the reduction flame and the glowing yellow of the
glistening ash coated pots as the flame pulls back towards
an oxidising atmosphere, indicates the power of
experiencing this comrol of elemental forces.
Stoneware, hi-fire, porcelain, this control of primeval
forces delivers a dense, durable product cool and smooth
like a river-washed rock that rings when struck.
In the wood kiln this pot can bear the mark of the
passage of flame as a permanent map of its journey
through the kiln. And it lasts when used. Today a customer
who came into my shop said that she was still regularly
using a set of soup bowls I made between ten and fifteen
years ago. 1 personally doubt that much earthenware in
regular use would last the distance.
It's hard to get passionate about earthenware. I like
making earthenware pots, but I use adjectives like
'colourful, fun, consistent, casual, modem,' etc. Firing in an
electric kiln is easy, cheap, practical, efficient and you tum
it on and go to sleep; but it's hard to get passionate.
And without the passion I would have no reason to
continue to make pots. So, a couple of times a year I collect
and split 30 cubic metres of waste pine from the forests
near Queanbeyan, spend the four days it takes to pack the
8 metre long kiln, and the 100 continuous hours firing with
only a few hours sleep snatched while friends are stoking. I
wait 4 or 5 days and unpack in haste, looking for those
elusive pieces in which the processes of forming and firing
have joined together to produce a pot which 1 might be
able to describe with adjectives such as 'grace, strength,
quietness and honesty to process', reflecting a blend of
artifice and natural processes that occasionally 'sing'.
I can get passionate about stoneware. 00
Ian Jones, liiughing Frog Pottery
Cork Street Gallery, Gunderoo (06) 236 8217
24 POTIERY IN AU5fRAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

REVIEW
Stephen Benwell
'Over the last two decades, his gift of artistic renewal is revealed by the increasing range
of his imaginery, his development of an idiosyncratic lexicon of abstract pattem, and the variety
and inventiveness of his forms,' Review by CHRISTOPHER SANDERS,
Above: "Tree Sculpture",
1995. Handbuilt, underglaze decoration, s/w h54cm,
Vewing Stephen Benwell's recent exhibition at Flinders
Lane Gallery, Melbourne reminded me that he has
worked as a ceramist since the early seventies, Within
his past seventeen or more solo exhibitions, Benwell has
developed and maintained a distinctively original and
recognisable style, which continues into this most recent
exhibition, Stephen Benwell's ce ramics roughly divide
between pieces which are (small scale) sculptural or vessel
based, Functionalism is often a touchstone in Benwell's
works, It is used as a dialogue between contemporary
preoccupations with the vessel as object, and the long
lr'Jditions of ceramic making, It is a lifeline of communication
which Benwell has Wisely never abandoned,
This exhibition of 21 works consists of large open
vessels, smaller vessels, figurines, and what the artist tenus
'Trees', which are open-ended cylinder constructions with
complex tree-like superstru ctures, Benwell's style
characteristically alternates between 'looseness', and
control. In this exhibition, the 'looser' larger pieces make
no attempt to hide modelling techniques, and have an
impressionistic and scumbled painterly sutface treatment.
The outline of form and the linear pattern-like decoration
is carefully controlled in the smaller items, The larger
works are generally symmetrical, some more obviously
based on functional fonus of simple configuration,
Benwell has no hesitation in introducing and disposing
of imagery and motifs within exhibition cycles, On the
other hand, formal elements in decoration continue to play
their imponant role in harmonising su rface with form,
Decoration is frequently a process of rigorously dividing all
external (and sometimes internal) space into appropriate
cells, which are then painted with motifs and pattern, These
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERY IN AusTlwJA 25

are linked to the underlying structure by a grid of strong
verticals and horizontals, usually through the device of
contrasting lines of body colour. By this means, the often
complex 'Benwellian' decorative imagery is supported and
ordered without being dominated by overbearing structure.
The large vase, Number 4, is a simple cone shape. Tension
is created between this formaliry and the casually textured
surface of it's hand-built construction. Large panels,
organised in bands around the body, are brushily painted in
with patches of thin pink, blue, and yellow, which
occasionally foms into pattern when overpainted with black
or tan calligraphic linework. Abstract motifs are semidissolved
in thin colour. On each side, a head, sketchily
exemted in thin black line, stares inlpassively from near the
top rim. Linework here has a more haptic quality than in
other pieces on display. Colour is subdued, pattern less
bold. This piece seems to hint at anxieties and darknesses
not readily detected in earlier works.
While symbols and patterns are constantly changing in
Benwell's oeuvre, the use of the human face and figure as
motifs has recurred, particularly since the mid-eighties.
These strike familiar chords with the viewer, as they emerge
from the matrix of abstract panerning and symbols. They
alternate between simple, almost stick-like renderings and
more elaborate tonal treatments. Mostly tlley are passive
and static, frontal, profiled or obliquely posed . The
inclusion of figure and bust motifs in earlier works often
echoed classical sources: for example, the promed head of
a boy placed on a kylix-like form, in similar traditional
spatial arrangement. In this sense, figurative references had
a straight forward decorative function. TIlls continued in the
1993 'Icons and Effigies' exhibition at Craft Victoria, with
high colouring, and clear line work, and eclectic references
to a variety of religious traditions.
In this Flinders Lane exhibition, figurdtion is not specifically
referential to traditional sources, and takes on a range of more
personal meanings to the artist. In the Slr&ngely squat and offform
ripple-shaped vase used to illustrate the exhibition
invitation, a frontal, lumpen female nude is tonally rendered in
black on the grey-white SIOneware body. She is surmounted in
a separate panel by a male head. Specimen-like, they are
placed, or rather, squeezed, onto tapering panels which
conform to the vase's tiered shape. The diSlorted rhythmic line
of the vase echoes tile strangely bloated figuration. This does
not pretend to be a pretty or charming work, rather it is
immediately confronting, even disquieting.
By compa rison, a sense of disconnection occasionally
exists between the artist's surface imagery and it's underlying
form. For example, the orienralising shape of stoneware vase,
number 6, recalls some of Benwell's fine early eighties works.
This piece alludes to, rather than emulates, oriental forms.
Nonetheless a sense of formality is inherent in oriental
aesthetics, and tile loose style of construction of this piece,
with its very obviously worked surfaces, sometimes seems out
of phase. The surface patterning is broadly, almost roughly
Large Vase Number 4, 1995
rendered. An unfOlrunate lean in the pO! is distracting, and is
further emphasised by the lack of defmition in other parts of
the form. Amongst the decorative motifs, one of Ule more
deliberate, a simply drawn pot, is placed on the shoulder of
the vase, and may, on the pan of the artist, signify an element
of game-playing with the formal elements of this vessel.
In contrasting and more c1earcut mood, the terracott3
'Trees' are reminiscent of the gaudier elements of Latin
American religious pageants. On closer inspection, the
cylindrical structure of Large Tree, no. 10, is vaguely
referential to vessel structures, with hollow foml, vestigial
loops, and nascent handles on its trunk. The Tree
SUperstrulture is painted with white slip and underglazes,
with reserved strips of bright orange terracotla revealed
beneath a glistening clear glaze. Motifs don't quite gel; Ule
shapes of heartS, figures, heads, road maps, trees, almost
materialise. These are lighthearted and effervescent pieces,
witll their amalgam of colour, form and Iinework tied in
with the artist's play on symbols.
The smaller works are typified by Animal Pot, number 18.
The four-legged semi-enclosed container with handle, is
distinguished by an animaVhuman head, shaped like a two
dimensional piece of jig-saw, and applied as a 'prow' on the
main body. This piece has an undertiable charm, a quality
which is echoed in a number of other smaU works, including
26 POlTERY tN AUSTRAlJA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER I99S

Large Vase Number 6 1995, Stoneware
vases, lidded jars, figurative and free-standing abstract
sculprures.These small works hark back to Benwell's e-.!fly
seventies period, with its ani morphism, limited colour
palette, reliance on pattern and meticulous fmish. Many of
Benwell's earlier works were ornate and highly structured,
yet their simple technique of oxide decoration painted onto
a matt or gloss glaze, tempered their sometimes flamboyant
tendencies. Benwell's fairly eclectic range of influences
distinguished his works form dIe then dOminant Australian
orthodoxy of materials-based oriental style ceramics. I-lis
increasingly sophistiC'dted and wide-ranging use of eX1ernai
cultural sources sat comfortably with his allusion to
functionalism. In this sense, these one-off pieces prefigured
the collectable vessel object,Cat least in Australia,) which
emerged in the Post-Modernist eighties. Then, as now,
Benwell's works demanded anention simply on their own
terms, and defied easy categOrisation.
In this exhibition, Benwell occasionally shows signs of
difficutly in maintaining tension between formal elements.
Benwell is a highly professional artist, and at times
deliberately chooses to play with formal structures, to the
point of weakening them. In certain examples, the game
does not always fully succeed. Benwell's works take on
dleir greatest power where the vessel's sculptural elements
are tightly controlled and integrated with surface treatment.
Vase, 1995. Stoneware, handbuilt, underglaze
decoration. h38cm.
It is faindy ironic that the artist seems at times to want to
deny or subvert the strengths inherent in the forms to
which he is attracted, and of which he is demonstrably
capable of constructing, be they classic or otherwise.
Benwell has re-instated the vessel as the major theme
within his oeuvre.
Where in his 1993 (Shrines and Effigies) exhibition at Craft
Victoria, the mood there was celebratory, this recent Flinders
Lane Gallery exhibition is distinguished, particularly in the
larger works, by an occasional suggestion of introspection,
even a hint of subdued transience. It is impossible to go to a
Benwell show and to fail to be intrigued by its various and
varied elements_ Benwell has never limited his range of
ideas, or me-Jns of expression; indeed the surprises he offers
are a key element in his oeuvre. Benwell, mid career, now
has a wider grasp of ceramic technique, which allows him to
move across a range of expressive possibilities inherent in
gaudy termcooa, chalky white earthenware, and solid greywhite
stoneware. H is is an art of various moods, often
playful, and sometimes serious, yet never ponderous.
Benwell courageously a voids being safe. 00
STEPHEN BENWELL EXHlBmON,
Flinders u.ne Gallery, Melbourne
28 JUNE-15 JUI.Y, 1995
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTTERY IN AUSTRALIA 27

The Re-establishment
of a Collection
The Newcastle Region Art Gallery Ceramic Purchase Award presented a great diversity
of contemporary ceramics from around Australia. Sue Stewart reports.
re transformation of such a common and abundant
material, clay, into useable and decorative objects,
always conjures up thoughts of alchemy. This 'magical'
process has again produced a refined and diverse array of
works dJat proVided a visual smorgasbord at the Newcasde
Region Art Gallery. 'l11is exhibition was also an important
edification for practising ceramists and gallery visitors on the
situation of Australian contemporary ceramics.
The countless hours spent learning to control the
elements plus experimentation in new directions show the
continuing evolution of ceramics on many levels.
The pieces that were purchased will add to the
considerable collection of Australian ceramics acquired by
the NRAG sinoe the 1950's. The collection should continue to
grow as it is intended that this Award will be a biennial event.
Works were also bought by the many visitors to the
exhibition and I would like to extend my congratulations
to all the exhibitors for such a high standard of work.
The judges were Grace Cochrane, Curator of Decorative
Arts and Design at the Power House Museum, Carl Andrew,
Senior Curator - Collection Development, also from the Power
House Museum and David Bradshaw, Director of NRAG.
The Award was divided into the follOWing sections.
The Open Award: All paid tribute to nature, Pippin
Drysdale's vessels defme the beauty of the harsh Western
Australian landscapes; Alan Watt's volcanic shard-like
pieoes pay homage to the creative forces in nature; while
Les BJakebrough has been inspired by ice patterns in his
porcelain bowls.
The Functional Award: Illustrated the infinite
approaches to what would seem a limited domain.
Bronwyn Kemp presented an unusual blue and white
28 POTTERY IN AusTRAUA + ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995

Opposite: Kevin White,
Tea Set. Limoges
porcelain. Teapot
h16.21cm.
JOINT WINNER ­
FUNCTIONAL AWARD.
Below: Derek Smith,
Cylinder. SIW, applied gold
and sandblasting. h66.7cm
d13.4cm. JOINT WINNER
- FUNCTIONAL AWARD.
Above: Sue Stewart, "Dancing with the Devil". Recycled clay, perlite,
barium matt glazes, gold paint. h37cm d8cm w21.4cm.
JOINT WINNER - LOCAL AWARD
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER I99S + POTIERY IN AUSTRALIA 29

planer with an undulated surface; Kevin White an elegant
red, white and blue teaset. Andrew Halford's inlaid vase
displayed the usual meticulous craftsmanship as did the
splendid lustred cylinder by Derek Smith. The copper red
lidded jars by Christopher Sander's were a fme example of
the mastery of the reduction firing process.
TIle Non-Functional Award: Alan Peascod's 'Academic
Series:Vice Chairman, Dead Fish Society 1995' and Rod
Bamford's 'Casual Appliance' 1995 require intellectual
contemplation. A second award was bestowed on Alan Wan.
The Local Award was shared by Kevin Flanagan and Sue
Stewart. Flanagan's 'Bird Tamer' expresses an affectionate
relationship and regard between the tamer and the bird and
is an allegory for a father/son relationship. Stewart's social
comment on irnmordlity 'Dancing witll the Devil' indicates
the reluctance of the devil to participate in the dance.
With so many well respected poners at this inaugural
exhibition the standard of work was very high but in
general there were no surprises - maybe a liule risk taking
could add a little excitement in future.
The 1995 Award was sponsored by David Sayers and
Associates, the Newcastle Council and Newcastle Art
GaUery 00
Sue Stewart
30 POTTERY IN A USTRAlJA + ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995

Opposite top left: Alan Watt, FISSU'ed Plateau. Earthenware,
black fired with terra sigillata soda/copper fuming.
h6.4cm x 221.5cm. JOINT WINNER - OPEN AWARD.
Top right: Christoper Sanders, Lidded Jars.
Porcelaneous stoneware with copper reduction glazes.
JOINT WINNER - FUNCTIONAL AWARD.
Bottom left: Andrew Halford, Diamond Inlay Vase.
SIW, fumed. h20.5cm w23.6cm.
JOINT WINNER - FUNCTIONAL AWARD.
Bottom right: Roderick Bamford, "Zone 7 - Casual
Appliance". h46.7cm w22.2cm d25.7cm.
JOINT WINNER - NON-FUNCTIONAL AWARD
This page top left: Kevin Flanagan, " Bird Tamer".
EIW, slips and oxides. h34.Bcm w49.3cm.
JOINT WINNER - LOCAL AWARD.
Top right: Bronwyn Kemp, Untitled Bowl. Porcelain.
h6.3cm w51.4cm d3B.6cm.
JOINT WINNER - FUNCTIONAL AWARD.
Bottom right: Les Blakebrough, "Southern Ice". Porcetain.
h9.5cm d31 .Bcm. JOINT WINNER - OPEN AWARD.
Bottom left: Alan Peascod, Academic Series: "Vice
Chairman, Dead Fish Society". Vitreons, EIW, gas
fired. h45.9cm wI6.7cm.
JOINT WINNER - FUNCTIONAL AWARD.
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER I99S + POTTERY IN AUSTRAUA 31

REVIEW
Objects, Concepts and Archetypes
From classical objects to conceptual installations this diverse group of ceramic artists explores
the human world and IT'S complex relationships of matter, mind and spirit.
Review by JAN ALTMAN
Irene Poulton, Figures in an Exhibition, Various sizes h84cm to h14Ocm.
first came together for an exhibition entitled
"Thermal Shock", which referred to the impact of
T:ey
combined heat and maner. In their latest exhibition,
called "Aftershock", they continue to explore this impact, and
as they do so they add also the heat of their imaginations.
Three dimensional artworks can be said to establish an
immediate engagement with the viewer because work and
viewer share the same space, Such works, however, share
their spaces with viewers on different terms. There are
those which invite a direct engagement by being simple,
well crafted objects, and there are those which invite a
great deal of mediation and interpretation.
This Penh based group includes anists who engage the
viewers of their works on very different terms and levels.
Stewan Scrambler produces works which invite instant
recognition as pan of a tradition going back to the Ancient
Greeks. His simple, elegant classical forms suggest the
same direct integration of earth and spirit which was
experienced in earlier times. Graham Hay, on the other
hand, creates works which are more like contemporary
installations, and which raise post-modem issues such as
the complex ways in which we humans construct
ourselves and our relationships with SOCiety.
Stewan Scrambler states that his tools are the poner's wheel
and the woodflred kiln, and his works reflect the resulting
essential involvement of the craft maker widl his materials
and techniques. His pots are in lI'dditional shapes reminiscent
of those forms which discover and produce complete
harmony between function and aesthetic sensibility.
Scrambler's vessels have pure, clean lines and their
proportions seem to relate immediately to human
dimensions. They invite handling and sit easily within the
human environment. Most of them have warm, red, speckled
glazes with man surfaces, and circular indentations, which
suggest a lasting impression of the potter's hands. Human
reference points are constandy and easily recognised.
Although his forms are pure and classical Scrambler
introduces touches of eccentricity. A round vase shape can
have a top which eases into a squared opening. Some have
small protrusions, suggestive of knobs or handles, on one
side but not on the other. Paradoxically, these slight
irregularities add to, rather than detract from, the feeling of
lift and balance created by these pots.
Scrambler states that he is concerned with the beauty of
the human spirit, and he conveys this by combining his
own individual spirit with elemental forms and materials.
The outer forms are simple and classical, but the
individualism comes through in the playful eccentricities.
Bill Jeffrey is also concerned with expressions of the
human spirit, but he searches for it by avoiding traditional
32 POTIERY IN AUSTRAUA + ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995

Graham Hay, " High". Paper clay. 35x15x45cm.
foffiJS, or at least by combining them in unexpeaed ways.
Bill claims that he investigates the inner spirit, by not being
'truthful to anyone form'.
Bill's work does nO! adhere to classical forms with their
suggestions of pennanence and intellecrualism. His fomlS are
sculptural, organic, individual and expressive, reminiscent of
those produced by Brancusi. They are pure, and free of any
unnecessary detail. His shapes suggest living organisms, and
they reflect his interest in growth and reproduction by
combining in ways which suggest shapes within shapes and
shapes emerging from shapes. Some of them even have
touches of eroticism . These ideas of growth and
reproduction are picked up in titles such as 'Germination'.
Other titles such as the 'Earth -Space' series suggest tile
subtle and complex relationships between mass and space.
A most striking work in Jeffrey's exhibition was a series of
hands cast in bronze and combined with clay. These are life
sized, and so confront the viewer immediately in his or her
own space. The hands are the positions of clenched fists and
were anranged in two semi-circular shapes on a t:lble. The
impression was of human presence and determination
emerging from tile earth. The title of tltis thought provoking
and mildly disturbing work is 'Broken Secrets of the Earth'.
Also concerned with growth, organic forms and life
forces is tile work of Christine Dwyer. Christine works with
Dee Jaeger, ·'Vorticall". White earthenware & slip. h1m.
combinations of wood, cloth and earthenware. She
produces wrapped fomlS, or forms which still bear the
imprint of a wrapping cloth. Frequently these foffiJS look
like huge hornet's nests - cylindrical but tapered at both
ends. Some are wrapped around wooden sticks. Many, like
the one entitled 'Chrysalis', are concerned not only with
growth but even metamorphosis.
Growth, and harmony within naturJl forces, is suggested
by spiralling forms. Some of these look like large tubular
marine worms, while others take on whirlpool shapes.
Dwyer's work is sometimes functional and sometimes
decomuve, but always evocative.
Whirlpools and spirals dominate the work of Dee Jaeger.
Jaeger's foffiJS are inspired by tile sea - shells bleached and
timeless floating on unseen currents and forces. With titles
such as 'Vorticals' they spiral upwards out of the ground,
expanding and invoking the primal, cre-dtive forces of the
universe. Others spiral around on themselves, suggesting
winding and unwinding, tile rotations of the earth or the
cycles of birth and death.
Jaeger is interested in the nexus between nature and
culture. For this reason she has developed an interest in
gardens. "The garden environment", she says, as a
"contrived fonn of nature" can be seen as natural, social
and cultural at the same time. One of her pieces spirals
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POmRY IN A USTRAUA 33

Christine Dwyer, Theca, Elyton. Earthenware. 65x24cm.
upwards and ourwards, like a cone shape standing on its
pointed end. It then flallens out into a surface which could
be used as a garden table. In constructing socially relevant
objects like this from natuml forms jaeger's an is about the
making of culture from nature.
The works of these women are not ovenly feminist, but
shells usually represent the feminine, watery principle: and
wrapping, weaving, spinning and spiralling are all
associated with the web of life and the veil of the Mother
Goddess. They are, therefore, encompassing female
concerns within their wider interest.
Other primal images and universal forces are alluded to by
the strange figures made by Irene Poulton. Standing like
sentinels guarding the secrets of the various mystery
traditions, these figures are all individuals, but come together
like members of an arcane sociery. Bearing titles such as
"Wiz', ' Dwarl", "Elder", 'Oracle", "Healer" and "Gate Keeper",
they are archetypal manifestations of human eXperience.
Poulton's figures occupy human space, but they are nO!
of the human world. They are human in shape, but they
are only waist high, and so never really leave their own
world of fantasy, mystery and the unconscious. With holes
for eyes they seem to be all knowing, but without mouths
to speak, thei r knowledge is for those who can
communicate without speaking. Their heads are hooded,
Bill Jeffrey, "Earth-Space No.2". Ceramic. h3Ocm.
as if to conceal their true identities, but also in recognition
that they are creatures of thought and spirit.
Poulton's forms are all hand built and either mku or pit
fired. These pieces were all made in three sections and
fitted together, almost as if the sections could be
interchanged amongst the figures.
Whilst Poulton's work suggests a mythological
interpretation, Graham Hay's is intellectual and conceptual.
Reference to the human and socia l environment is
maintained through his use of the chair. Chairs of all
shapes and sizes, made of paperclay, are placed around
and piled on top of each other like scaffolding. In Hay's
own words this relates to the hiemrchical and C'dtegorising
positionings of self and society.
The precariousness of the construction, and the tensions
created within it echo the complexities of human SOCiety.
This is emphaSised in titles such as "High and Dry",
"Topple' and ' Adjust the Balance'.
Chairs also recall Plato's discussions about beds and
tables. Like Plato, Hay seems to be questioning what is
reality and what is image, what is idea and what is merely
named. Across the floor in black sand beneath Hay's
installation is the huge dark shadow of a chair. This seems
to represent the Platonic idea of a c11air, or perhaps it is the
dark underside of our cultural, coUetlive unconscious. GIl!)
34 POTIERY IN AUST1WJA + ISSUE 3114 SUMMER I99S

Sandy Lockwood,
1995. Salt galzed pot
with handles.

Left: Margaret Hornbuckle, Trinket Box. S/W.
10x8cm.
Above: Margaret Hornbuckle, detail. Alkaline Glaze.
cobalt, rutile and titanium oxides.
Below left: Stephen Day, Blossom Jar. Copper red,
gold lustre, S/W.
Below right: Glen Manning, Lidded Vessel. S/W.
h96cm.
36 POTTERY IN AUSTRAUA + ISSUE 31/4 SUMMER 1995

Above left: Paul Davis, Shino Bowl. 1300'C reduction.
w35cm h15cm.
Above right: Lene Kiihl Jakobsen "Japanese Flower"
tableware, 1995. Stoneware, elec. 1280·C, coba~
brushwork on white area clear glazed. Small bowl d16cm.
Below left: John James, Vase. Ash/granite/clay glaze,
woodfired. h33cm.
Right: Andrew Cope, Groved Basket, 1995. Ash glaze
stoneware. h37cm.
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER I99S + POTIERY IN AUSTfWJA 37

Top: Joe Ottaway. "Ovula Series". White stoneware,
satin white glaze 1300·C. 13 x 18cm.
Above: Greg Crowe, Bowl. Woodfired, stoneware shino
style glaze, mu~iple stacked with shells. h70mm, w330mm.
Left: Michael Boulay, Ceremonial vessels. Stoneware
with wood ash, h37cm and h35cm.
38 POTIERY IN AUSTRAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

Top: Suzie Startin, Tiles. Overglaze clolour and trailed
glaze over tenmolan, SIW. 14 x 14cm.
Above: Ric and Judy Pierce, Slab Fonm. SIW.
60cm x 45cm.
Right: Sue Jones, Jug. SIW. Von Bertouch Galleries,
Newcastle, July 1995. h26cm.
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERY IN AUSTRAUA 39

John Eagle:
Stoneware Potter
'What amazes me is that I'm still excited about every firing and derive enormous satisfaction
from the effects of the firing process on the glaze." John Eagle 1995.
Micle by ROSEMARY EAGLE
"We don 't do stoneware here. "
•
This statement was followed by some
incomprehensible explanations as to why, when
John was a student at R.M.I.T. in 1974. Always
competitive by nature, John rose to the challenge and
started working in stoneware. The richness of glazes and
the exciting results of reduction firings at temperatures
above 1300'C were captivating. He became an avid reader
of numerous pottery books, magazines and periodicals. "A
Potter's Book' by Bernard Leach was one of the flfSt books
he read and it strongly influenced his work and attitude in
those early years of potting. John often worked in
cramped, makeshift surroundings such as garages and old
sheds. The cold did not deter him, nor did the need to
work at a nine to five plus job to support his family as well
as their horses, dogs, ducks and one very stupid cat who
used to enjoy sleeping on the top of kilns during the
cooling down period until one day the kiln roof fell in! She
was not hurt but the kiln never recovered. Those days of
living on 'some sort of farm' have long passed.
In the 1980's John became particularly involved with
form and funaion, concentrating on these aspeas in his
work. Shapes were not always successful and I was a harsh
critic, at one time naming his pudding basins 'German
helmets'. However, my criticism was always constructive
despite the shortage of taa! The glazes at this time were
not copper reds, they were a more muted colour range, for
example blue leaves on a soft beige background or black
or brown wax resist decoration. The copper reds
happened partly by accident when one stressful day he
mixed the wrong glaze ingredients which dramatically
altered the flux temperature. The results were fantasti c.
TIlen he had trouble remembering what he had done!
John also travelled to China a few times in the 1980s. He
toured many of the remote areas, seeking out potteries and
increasing his knowledge of produaion techniques as well
as experiencing a very different culture.
During the last five years John has become far more
observant of his forms. His shapes are still traditional but
certain subtle refinements can be noticed by the
experienced eye. The control of glaze movement and the
juxtaposition of softness, texture and riclmess of colour are
a constant concern. TIlis concern is born from experience
which has allowed an intuitive element to become part of
the creative process. The colours are always rich and
varied within the copper red range. 00
John has been a full-time potter for two years now and is
currently working from his private studio.
802 cathran Street, Buninyong 3357
Telephone (053) 41 8354
40 POTTERY IN A USTRAlIA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

Above: Extra tall vase. h510mm.
Below left: Goblets. tin wash and copper. Below right: Casserole. d250mm.
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 19'/5 + POmRY IN AUS11WJA 41

The Art of Function
'I am a maker of vessels for daily use that enhanoe the lives of the people 'Who buy them' ,
ROBYN NOLAN
I
have been involved with clay for about twenty years,
earning my living as a production palter for fourteen
years, after completing the ftrst Clang-awaited) part-time
Certificate course at Brook-vale TAPE in 1981.
I always loved throwing and had a fairly clear idea at
Tech that making a living from ponery was what I wanted
to do, but I also had to fmd a way of doing so, as there was
no question of my not having to earn an income.
Jan Green and 1 went through the course together and
had similar needs as far as making poltery our source of
income. [ know we were both determined to prove we
weren't just 'housewife polters' filling in our days. (which
we felt was how people perceived us.) Thankfully that
altitude now seems very dated.
A few of us had also thrown around the idea of starting
up a co-operative gallery, so without too much of an idea
of how it would all turn out, we just went for it. Jan
Buttenshaw, Barbara Webster, Robyn Stayte, Gloria
Wildash, Jan Green and I established "Claythings" at Dee
Why, a beachside suburb of Sydney, with tons of
enthusiasm and not a lot of experience, which was great.
At the same time, Jan and I found a factory in a small
industrial complex and put up a large sign "South Creek
Pottery". We were on a very fast learning curve. Production
pottery in a factory situation with a monully rent to pay
was a lot different to making a dozen mugs at Tech!
The Gallery was another great learning experience. To
be part of the whole process of making and selling, gives
you a greater understanding of what you are involved in.
Apart from individual buyers, other Gallery owners came
in and placed orders. Being involved in a gallery myself, it
gave me a better understanding of their needs. I am still
supplying most of these galleries and have built up a very
good relationship with them.
Jan and I shared the factory for ten years, until her
move to the country. This time together as twO quite
different personalities who shared all the costs and
facilities as well as our family lives made us deeply
committed friends.
At times it seemed like madness - our friendship saved
many a potentially disastrous situation - the laughter, after
the initial horror, of a trolley load of pots drying in the sun
just before Christmas, blowing over; the day of the gigantiC
plaster spill; overhearing Jan's dad at a dinner party,
explaining to another guest his amazement at watching
someone with a garbage bin full of smashed pots, sitting
there making more after a particularly disastrous firing!
These are things that all potters will have shared and when
you look back it really is ule laughter you remember, not
the screarning and the gnashing of teeth.
Despite all this we built up a reliable production
workshop at South Creek, had a lot of fun and made an
enOllnous number of pots.
Even though [ am asked, [ still don't question my
decision to work as a production polter, rather than make
one-off pieces.
As for the great unanswerable 'Is it Art or is it Craft?' - I
don't spend a lot of time pondering or debating that either.
However I continually search my work for strength,
freshness, freedom, integrity and that super-vitality that is
felt to be the essence of any an.
For me, the joy I derive in my everyday life is from the
paintings collected over the years on our walls, from ule
pots Ulat sit in the house to be touched, looked at, thought
about. From the pots that are used daily by my family and
friends. From the doors, windows and bookcases made by
my son, a skilled woodworker, from the extensions to the
house undertaken by my husband. To the garden, created
42 POTIERY IN AUSTRALIA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

with input from all of us, as well as the interesting
pieces that adom the walls and ceiling of my
daughter's flat out the back. The
tapestry and tablecloths embroidered
by my mother who died far too
young, twenty years ago, leaving us
her handiwork still as fresh and joyful as
our memories of her. For me, litis
is all 'an', created from a
need to express. A search
in life to enhance and
find meaning each
day. To sit and look
and contemplate and
wonder.
There is no hierarchy
involved here, no rules
of what is, and what
isn\ 'arC.
Surely, as indiViduals, we
come to art in exactly that way,
to fmd our own reasons for its existence in
our lives. Our responses to it will be as
subjective and diverse as our experiences as
women and men from whatever background or
culture we come.
It would appear that women and men have always
sought the spiritual as well as an understanding of
themselves through all types of art, since the Renaissance.
I have no use for hierarchies which bar the uninitiated
through language, rhetoric or gender, from the human
experience we all share. To me, that will only be a small
part of whatf experience as 'art'.
I am a maker of vessels for daily use in people's lives.
People don't need these things in a material sense and they
are no doubt made more efficiently by a machine, so
hopefully it is that communication and physkal link from
the hands of the craftsperson, whether they know me or
not, that continues to satisfy and enhance the lives of
people who buy my pots. f don't need any other reason to
continue to make them.
We are now in the midst of an incredible revolution.
Technology has only just begun to change the way we live.
It is exhilarating, frightening, oftentimes overwhelming and
enormously exciting.
The tenn 'Iudclite' is often used in a scornful way. Yet the
Luddites in their campaign against the machine were fighting
Jor the ideas of the inclividualto work with clignity and equity.
As pOllers we are faced with more information and
exciting choices than ever before, but perhaps within all
the different ways potters are working, we still strive to
defme our shared humanity. 00
Robyn Nolan
11 Cardwa Road, Cromer 2099 Telephone 9981 5446
Top: Vase. Stoneware h36cm.
Above: Bowl. Stoneware. d54cm.
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995 + POTTERY IN A USTRAUA 43

A flux of
meanings
What happens to all the pots we make? How do
they operate in daily life?
BERNARD KERR looks at the art of function and
installation,
Looking back over an incomplete collection of slides
of my work that goes back to the late seventies, I
see pOlS that still reside on my kitchen shelf, and
others that disappeared, still warm from the kiln, to the
homes of anonymous buyers, never to be seen again , I
often wonder how many survive, and if they do,
whether they are still serving their function, or resigned
to the dusty ignominy of a rarely opened china cabinet,
or hidden under a lifetime pile of domestic accretions?
Such objects, wrested from plastic clay, nurtured
through a fiel)' birth and orphaned off to a constellation
of domestic spaces take on a life of their own, Like
children, they have been produced by me, but are not
owned by me; they are products of my specific times
and culture,
Dense and durable, reduced stoneware forms the basis
of my work in two senses: firstly as conventional
decorative and functional vessels, and secondly as
referenlS that use them in installations and groupings,
Using stoneware for some of these large works is
somewhat masochistic, especiaJJy for the tops of tables,
but there is something about the SUbtlety of surface and
visual density of the material that make it superiOr.
Stoneware's slightly random, unrefined quality can also
reference the earth, which benefilS the depiction of the
creature comforts of food and drink associated with the
craft.
My prejudice for using stoneware stems from when I
first learnt poneI)' in the mid seventies and Leach and
Hamada were still in their ascendancy in Western
Australia and only reduced stoneware was the 'real
thing', Stoneware had this extra mystique that seemed
to require some form of ritual, that, if pursued correctly,
would manifest in subtle chance effects that were not
reliant on our chemical knowledge or technical skill but
rather on our commitment and belief. Reduced
stoneware spoke of a truth and communion with
natural forces that somehow wasn't present in an
electric kiln or the Seger formu la, I now realise that
many of the effects I took as Kiln God-given are
reproducible and understandable as simple chemical
interactions, but that doesn't diminish their desirabil ity
and presence,
Despite the qualities inherent in the medium, and the
joy of making, I find it increasingly important to
investigate the way ceramic practice operates in our
culture by looking at how it is depicted (in advertising,
magazines and still life painting) and how it is written
and spoken about (in journals, books and conferences)
in order to understand the intellecrual process involved
in these activities as opposed to the perceprual act of
being in the presence of the object itself. I am
particularly interested in the relationship between groups
of objects that work on the syntax of ceramic 'language',
that is, the arrangement of objects in sequential
groupings, much as words are arranged in a sentence,
The negative space, or gaps around the work seems to
be just as important in the way we relate to the work as
the objects themselves, This includes the way we think
about them,
Two things are seemingly apparent: firstly how
ceramics as a craft discipline is massively inflected by the
culture of the table and secondly, much of this ceramic
system, especially as it relates to pots, is codified in
relation to such things as the body, nurturing and the
feminine, in terms of shapes and context. The
significance of ceramics in our culture is seemingly
inextricably linked to social formations concerning
gender issues, This seems to have set up an ambivalence
toward the pot as a container for domestic use, as
opposed to the idea of the pot as an object of
contemplation, For pottel)' to be acceptable (or to gain
prestige) in our patriarchal culture it has often had to
present itself as something else, This includes the
seeming desperation many makers have for their work
being labelled as 'art' and accounlS for the plethora of
'vessel orientated ceramic objeclS' one sees in galleries
and museums, and the essential absurdity of this
intellectual division, 'Vessel orientated ceramic objects'
44 POmRY IN AUS1RAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER I99S

are positioned in a separate 'crafl' section of the
discourse of fine arts because they act as a referent 10
daily life, and by implication, the body, as opposed to
the mind. They are involved with the idea of ponery,
rather than being pottery itself. They are designed 10
be looked at rather than used and their value is
predicated on visua l qualities rather than functional
ones, even though they reflexively refer to fu nctionality.
This is an imaginary division and one that needs 10
be re-examined.
This is also why I fmel ceramic slill life installations so
interesting, in that they C'dn directly address this issue, and
highlight the interseaion and operation of these ideas, and
the way sy tems of representation, politics and power
shape reality.
For these reasons my ceramic still life installations try
10 simulate all components of these structures. I aim 10
focus on the paradox ical artificiality, yet perfectly
nalUralise images of such constructions by making
tables, chairs, knives and food and other trompe l'oeil
objects to intermingle with the expected ceramic objects
of still life in everyday experience such as bottles, cups
and bowls. Whether the work is aesthetically pleasing,
or presents a quotidian jumble, or refers to other
meanings to do with its ceramic heritage is left 10 the
viewer. I like 10 think the dense SlOneware gives all my
work a sense of permanence and persistence and
thereby refers to a certain timelessness that is so
seemingly absent from the disposable ethos of
contemporary life. It is also a reference to the centrality
and importance of the craft. 00
Bernard KelT
52 Thomas Road, GLEN FORREST WA (09) 298 9143
CUlTently I"'-turing in Ceramics and Art Education at Edith Cowan
University and in Ceramics at CUl1in UniverSity.
Opposite page: Bemard Kerr
This page top left: Bowl, 1995. Iron and titanium glaze
stoneware. d25cm.
Top right: Detail, still life installation, 1995. Stoneware.
Above: Teapot, 1993. Stoneware.
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER t 995 + POTIERY IN AusnwJA 45

REVIEW
Victor Greenaway
Vic Greenaway sees himself as an artist - his need is to interpret the world around him.
Review by COREENE KENNEDY
Large plate with four images, White stoneware, d50cm.
Painter, potter, aviator - these are just a very few
of the words that could be used to describe
Victor Greenaway.
As Greenaway approaches the statt of his fourth decade
as a full time practising artist he has cause to look around
and analyse where he has been, where he is today and
where he plans to be in the future.
In discussion with Victor, he reflected that some two
years after he had statted [0 practise as a full time potter
and with a young family, he paused and wondered where
he would be in 20 years time. He might well ask the same
question today.
Certainly as an artist he has been successful - he has
been able to generate a regular income from his
endeavours. He has also provided a positive training
ground for many students who have become successful
artists in their own right.
Thus he could also be described as a Teacher.
His current position as Head of Workshop at the Meat
Market Craft Centre is indicative of the man's willingness to
communicate his knowledge. His preparedness to undertake
lecture tours as well as to perform in a voluntary capacity for
various organisations over the past years co nfirms
Greenaway's belief in the fellowship of the attist's community.
The recipient of many prestigious awards for his work,
Greenaway has exhibited widely throughout the world.
His work is represented in numerous private and public
collections. He has been well reviewed and enjoys an
international reputation.
Yet Greenaway has always allowed time and space to
research and develop his own individual work. Analysis of
his numerous exhibitions shows that Greenaway is not
afraid [0 challenge his own parameters and perceptions of
his work and its place in time.
Since the sale of Broomhill Pottery and it's attendant
training facilities, Greenaway has returned [0 working as a
solo artist developing individual ceramics.
Over the past year he has been working with porcelain and
celadon glazes. TIle fme translucent clay provides the ideal
material for Greenaway's ability to 'throw' classically shaped
46 POITERY IN A USTRAlJA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER I99S

Above left: Turkish coffee set, 1995. Above right: Vase, 1994. Stoneware h56cm.
vessels and plates. His skill as a poner is dearly visible.
In a recent interview Greenaway was quoted "I treat the
surface with a lot of precision. If you look closely there is
still the image of the wheel coming through."
More recently Greenaway has been concentrating on
developing his painting skills on canvas and paper.
Whilst he draws his inspiration for his ceramics from his
colleagues and his wheel, Greenaway finds that his
painting stems from 'personal experiences'.
Born and raised in the Gippsland region, Greenaway
acknowledges that the beauty of the area nnds its way into
his work.
"1 often paint images that come from inside, both past
experience and incidents in my life. I rarely paint straight
from a subject."
Thus, when a potential collector recently asked "But
does he have a catalogue?" Greenaway felt a certain
despair. The comment only served to confum his concern
that too often the arts are marketed as a commodity,
'price-driven' as opposed to the beauty and intrinsic value
of the piece. He sees this as not only a retrograde step for
dIe artist but for the community at large.
For Greenaway sees himself at all times as an Artist.
For him, it is irrelevant whether the medium is canvas,
paper or a clay body. His need is to interpret, as all artists
must do, the world around him - drawing on social values,
the environment and his own experiences.
Greenaway's work today shows a new maturity. The last
vestiges of the old Broomhill designs have been released
from his sub-conscious. His new work shows a greater
freedom of movement and line using crayon and pencil.
He offers the viewer simple, uncluttered forms which
please the eye with their integrity and resolution.
Free now from the constraints imposed on him during
his earlier c.1reer, Greenaway will fmd greater depths in his
expression and creativity. The new workshop and studio in
his beloved Gippsland Lakes region will provide an ideal
setting, allowing him this opportunity. 00
Coreene Kennedy, Director, Without Pier GaUery,
Sandingham, VIC.
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERY IN A USTRAUA 47

REVIEW
Ceramic Sculptures
Recent work by Martin Willis at Raglan Gallery, Manly.
A Review by PETER WILSON.
"Ithaka Dream Boat - Legend" detail.
Post-fire reduction earthenware. 86 x 55cm.
Entering the gallery was like walking into a place of
worship and I felt almost obliged to take off my shoes
and speak only in hushed lOnes, such was the sense
of reverence conveyed in viewing Martin Willis' recent
cerdmic sculpture exhibition.
TIlere were two collection bowls on pedestals on either
side of the entrance as if positioned for the offertory, and
then a variety of shrine-like temples or icons on display,
each one based on the universal characteristics of a place
of worship with strong sense of verticality suggesting a link
to ule divine power. Each shrine exuded an aura of sacred
space and whilst several variations on the same theme are
exhibited, the pervading notion is that these objects are the
earthly link between humans and the divine.
These sculptures successfully attempt to explore " ..... the
spiritual psyche of humankind ..... and are based on timeless
symbols used by cultures to express their beliefs" (Willis)
The works are assemblages of cast, extruded, thrown and
slab built clay, essentially in the form of scaled down structures
of worship. Within them are placed the symbolic elements of
religious rituals, the cup, vessel and altar, suggesting the
physical cleansing process that patrons undergo whilst
present, or panidpating in the same process via the chalic'C.
The surfaces of the works are a unique velvet-like patiml
of lustrous blues, purples and reds which effectively
highlight the rustic and weathered nature of the SlOne
structure and add a timeless quality 10 these temples. This
effect has been achieved by black firing in a mume kiln,
using a combination of waste oils as a reduction agent with
oxides rubbed into the surfaces of the sculptures.
TIle exhibition works fall into two distinct categories;
works associated with temples and the ritual of worship
and secondly, a series of boat-like vessels, some of which
could be seen as mUSical instruments derived from the
medieval lute family . These were entitled 'Musical
Metaphors - [thaka Fleet.'
The dual nature of the forms explores the metaphorical
associations produced by notions of music and sailing. AI;
both musical instruments and sailing vessels, they are
capable of transporting physically and spiritually. The
question of journey might be enlightened by the title
'Ithaka.' Derived from a poem by c.P. Cavafy, it describes
the events along life's path; the adventures, the learning
experiences, the emotion, the disappointments, dle material
bounty, the stores of knowledge learned and the
friendships gathered along the way. The real delight the
poem uggests is in the journey itself, not in the destination.
...Ithaka gave you the splendid journey.
without her you would have nO! set ou!.
She hasn't anydling else to give you ...
(from '[thaka', Cavafy)
48 POTTERY IN AUSTRAlJA + ISSUE 3414 SUMMER I99S

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Right: "Karma Journey".
Post-fire reduction
Above: "'thaka Dream Boat - Legend
Post-fire reduction earthenware. 86 x 55crn
The Ithaka Dream Fleet, epitomised in Dream Boat­
Kama (Kama is an Indian term for pleasure or sensual
enjoyment-one of the four traditional aims of life), are a
reminder through the simple beauty of their aesthetic
qualities, of the joys and pleasures to be gained in the
journey through life. The boat as a womb-like container is
abo symbolic, not only of life's beginnings, but in certain
cultures of the vehicle of trJnsportation into and through
the afterlife.
Wi llis has created his boat forms to represent this
journey and has done so with precision and a
sensitive eye to the detailed fixtures of the sailing
boat and its rigging. Here he has sculpted the vessel
forms and hand carved the ornate bow and stern of
the boats, adding the additional fittings with a variety
of multi-media materials. All combine well to present
the aesthetic.
This exhibition provides many opportunities for the
viewer's contemplation; the rich symbolism , the
underlying conceptual basis of the work and the quietness
radiating from these sacred structures. Many viewers would
be excited at the prospect of witnessing the next phase of
the Idlaka journey. 00
Peter Wilson is a poner a and a lecturer in Ceramics at Charles
Stun University in Bathurst, N.5.W.
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERY IN AU5TRAUA 49

EXHIBITION REVIEW
Potters' Society of Australia
Eighteen Exhibitng Members of the Potters' Society of Australia participated in an exhibition held at
Manly Art Gallery and Museum and curated by the Society's PreSident, Chris James,
Review by CHRIS JAMES,
Above: Stephen Hatrison, Wood fired platter. d45cm Opposite: Simone Fraser. DIy Glaze Ceramic form with gold leaf, h62.5an.
Each poner's interpretation of theme
for this year's exhibition "juggling
the Elements" was as varied as the
work on display, Some juggled the
chemical elements, others elements of
form and design, One aspect was
predetermined dlOugh, and that is, to be
a ceramist one can not avoid juggling aU
of these elements at one time or another,
Sandy Lod:wood's work has, to me,
always captured the true essence of
clay's unique properties, That
mou ldability, flUidity and plasticity
present in moist clay is still present in the
finished examples of her woodfired, salt
glaze pieces, Viewing the work I would
not have been surprised if one vessel had
stooped down to gather some imaginary
bags with its handles and wandered off,
such was their feeling of energy,
Ted Secombe exhibited a very different
style of work drawing on traditional forms,
Ted demonstrated his technical expertise
and science background with his mastery
of Ox Blood and crystalline glazes, the
surface texture of the laner being extremely tactile. In some
instances the strong forms were highlighted with gold and
platinum lustre, Ted commented that he mistook the tide for
"juggling the Elephants" a Freudian hint to the vast
Above: Bill Samuels, Wood
fired shino dish. d45cm,
Above: Yvone Bouwman, Raku
platter. Clay, 35 x 23cm.
possibilities we all juggle as potters,
Bunty Mitchell's style of work makes
clever use of translucent porcelain, A
clay more often associated with Chinese
ceramic tradition, She has chosen to
utilize it's air of preciousness in a clearly
contemporary manner,These translucent
slab fonns were not unlike the pages of
an open book in their stance, and lent
themselves easily to group display with
dIe interplay of light, shadow and form,
For some time now Steve Harrison
has been working with the bowl form
as the messenger for his feelings about
bodl global and personal issues. In the
past Steve has used his cryptic scrawl
inlaid into a Shigeraki style clay to vent
his very real anxieties about the
conservation of our forests, This series
of bowls concentrates on the alarming
recent re-establishment of nuclear
testing by the French Government The
scrawls on one bowl read "Full gloss
rhetoric-No leakage-Buil shit" and
another "I'm allright jacque"sum up his
feelings, and those of most of us,
Queensland artist Yvonne Bouwman combined
hollow forms wi th flat slabs. Nat ural textures
embellished the surfaces of the ten pieces on display
50 POTTERY IN A USTRAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

creating miniature landscapes.
Yvonne has successfully
balanced shadow and lOne on
these forms which invoke the vast
distances experienced by travellers
in this country.
Ljubov Seidl draws on her interest in
historical and religious architecture for her
inspiration and combines a plethora of
underglaze colour in the decoration of her
bowl and planer forms. Sgrafino is
combined with gold lustre to add
highlight, and an air of preciousness.
Traditional influences are
drawn from the other side of the
globe in Bill Samuels' work.
Using glazes inspired by the
traditional Shino wares of
16th century Japan, Bill
enjoys a certain level of self
reliancy by seleamg his own
glaze materials and clay
body. These materials
combine well [0 produce a
glaze surface not unlike icing in
its appearance. Iron brush work
combines nicely with a hint 01
fire colour to added depth and
mystery to the vessels exhibited.
Roben Reid exhibited five pieces
that showed his development both
during his time in Scotland as well as
in Australia since emigrating in 1988.
Two lustre coated slipcast forms
showed his development within this
elusive technique. These were
smooth and refmed in their surfaces. A
quietly thrown woodfired bowl was
joined by two other forms using the
technique of terrasigilana and a soft slab
vase that strongly alluded to the clay's
initial plasticity.
Megan Patey has devoted the last
thirteen years to the exploration of the
Maiolica technique of a tin glaze over an
earthenware clay. Moulded platters are
coated in the luscious white glaze, these
are well utilized as canvases for the
fresh brush strokes used to create
the stylized fruit. Sgraffito adds
some variation in line thickness
to the platters. These pots have a
joy about them which has me
reaching for them time after time
for every day use.
Fresh brush strokes also coat
the soda fired work of Sydney
potter Gail ichols. Choosing this
chlorine free alternative to salt firing
has led to a new firing method which has
helped her produce pots with a uniquely
Australian character. A su mmer warmth
blessed the ten pieces on display, the cracked
slips, both gloss and matt, mingled well with
dots and slashes of black slip, comet marks
decorated the surfaces, footprints which
leave a clue 10 the direction of the
draught during fuing.
Kate Lisyak presented a
selection of salt glazed
stoneware platters, compote
and candle holders. These were
decorated with a pattern
representing the fenilization of
eggs. The characteristic orange
peel effect was present on the
surface of the fonns, with the
slips picking up some lovely
inidescence in places.
Janine King works from
Loopline Pottery in Ule Southern
Highlands of NSW. Working at
stoneware temperatures her lunch
setting was adorned with a
sunflower motif. An exerpt from the
exhibition catalogue describes a
deeper meaning in the choice of this
pattern. "I was reflecting on the nature
of the flower image itself and seeing in it
the reproductive or sexual symbolism in
its shape and contour. While I had never
expected to present my own sexuality on a
plate to anyone before, I felt I had begun to
make some connection between female
sexuality and the seductive nature of the
flower. I felt like I was coming of age ."
For my own work I chose to concentrate on
the woodfored style of stoneware firing for the
show. Lidded containers were loosely ulfown to
set the foundation for the application of natural
slips. These were layered one over Ule other to build
up depth. A sense of life and energy was the ainl
in each pot, the frozen slip leaving the dues
to the moment of application, the seashell
scars the imprint of the fuing.
Merran Esson exhibited 5 pieces at
Manly, these were an extension of her
past work exploring Pictish symbols,
Aboriginal motifs and marine
landscapes. Coated in dry glazes the e
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTTERY IN AUSTRALIA 51

Above: Bunty Mitchell · Plein Air Metamorphosis". Below: Uubov Seidl. Underglazes. lustre.
vessels gave an impression of timelessness, pots
rediscovered after years on the 5e'd bo([om or time spent
standing sentinel within a jungle.These forms were clever in
their arrangement with several separate vessels combined to
complete the whole. The fossilized fISh sgraffito combined
with metallic leaf left much for the eye to explore.
Another body of work representing exploration into dry
glazing was exhibited by Simone Fraser. These classic
forms were often long and slender flaring at the foot to add
stability and presence. Sprigging decorated the surfaces,
slips and dry glaze coated the forms leaving a worn and
timeless fee l. Hints of gold added to tlleir mystery.
Pippin Drysdale exhibited porcelain bowls which were
extremely elegant in their shape. Soft curves ran down to
teetering bases giving them a sense of floating in space.
The inside and outside su rfaces had been coated in
contrasting glazes, often a marbled effect had been utilized
within the form, with a contrasting metallic pinlining in
circles on the exterior. The purity of tlle colours and forms
were reminiscent of blown glass.
A metallic feel and look was present in the soda glazes of
Clare Barrlen. TIlese potS reminded me of wrought iron in
their surface appearance. Clare states "This work is a
representation of a number of my interests. They link my
admiration for the fluidity of ancient Celtic metalwork, certain
styles of early architecture through to tlle geometric hard edge
structures which we fmd in Our dty environment today".
Regardless of how the theme was interpreted, the same
qualities were present in the work of each exhibitor. All
combined a strong sense of individuality with personal
exploration into the methods used to create the forms,
surfaces and ftring techniques.
Cataloges of the exhibition are available for a small fee
from Manly An Gallery and Museum. I would like to thank
Michael Pursche, the staff at the gallery and the Exhibiting
members of The Potters' Society of Australia who
participated in this year's show for helping make "JuggJing
The Elements" such a success. 6\!)
52 POTTERY IN AUSTRALIA + ISSUE 3414 SUMMER I9'lS

Above left: Christopher James, 1995. Woodfired with slips. h440mm w170mm.
Above right: Merran Esson "Oceanic Forest", 1995. h4.25xm w30.5cm d16.5cm.
Below: Pippin Drysdale "Cloudspin", Pinnacle series, 1995. Porcelain bowls.
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERY IN A USTRAUA 53

54 PoTm\y IN AI.JsTIw.JA + ISSUE 3-414 SUMMER I99S

Opposite page: Sally Khurshed, NSW.
Winner - An Artist's Teapot
Top left: Nicola Purcell, NSW.
Centre left: Bruce McWhinney.
Winner - Memphis Teapot.
Bottom Left: Jo Murray, NSW.
Winner - Mystical Teapot.
Right: Bill Kelly,
NSW.
Below right: Keith
Yeo, Character
Teapot. Winner­
Lambert
Development
Prize
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER I99S + POTTERY IN AUSTAAUA 55

TECHNICAL UPDATE
Rock Glazes from the Granite Belt
Research by ALBERT VERSCHUUREN
Granite Tor.
The Granite Belt, an area in South-East Queensland
near the town of Stanthorpe, is best known for its
wineries, for its cool climate and for its beautiful
mgged landscape of granite mountains and rocks, These
outcrops of granite form part of a massive plateau ,
extending to the New England Tablelands of Northern
New Sou th Wales and mu ch information has been
published about the location and composition of the
various rock fonnations,\
One type, the Stanthorpe gr'Jnite, I used as Ole principal
ingredient in a number of translucent and man stoneware
glazes, I wanted to develop slips and glazes which would
reflect the character of the raw materials in the character
and surface of the work, through combinations of colour
and surface textures evocative of the rich tonal complexity
of Ule rocks, the wann greys and siennas and cooler shades
of green and bluish-black, The surrounding environment,
with its tors and boulders, played an important role in the
resolution of form and image, The clJaracter of the clay and
effect of the firing process also influenced the conceprual
development of the work Fired with wood and often made
from local days containing impurities, fire markings and
freedom from absolute symmetry resulred from fusion and
exposure to ash and flame,
A large quantity of the Stanthorpe granite was collected
in the fonn of crusher dust from a quarry site, its light grey
colour indicating a low percentage of iron and other mafic
minerals, which made it suitable for light-coloured glazes,
All test glazes were sieved through 60 mesh (250 microns)
and fired to Orton cone 10 in reduction, on test tiles of
Feeney's white stoneware clay,
To gain an insight into the fired properties of the
material, the rock was blended with increasing amounts of
calcite, with the addition of 2% bentonite, Up to 4O"A> of the
calcite produced shiny green glazes, further additions
showed a sudden colour change and maning, while even
more overloading caused underfired, powdery surfaces,
TIle glaze composed of 80 parts granite, 20 parts calcite
(+ ZOAl bentonite) has the follOWing molecular fonnula:
KNaO 0,28
ALO, 0.32
SiO, 3.34
CaO 0,72
Fe, 0 , 0,02
This is the type of translucent celadon glaze extensively
researched by Ivan Englund, calculated to include as much
rock as possible"
56 POTIERY IN AUSTfWJA + ISSUE H /~ SUMMER 1995

Giraween, 1994. Granite glaze. 30x30cm.
Bald Rock, 1993. Rock glazes. 25x30cm.
When silica was included in a triaxial blend, best glazes
occurred with 70-800/0 granite, 15-20% calcite and up to
15% silica.
The addition of ball-clay or kaolin (up to 20010) changed
the colour to a softer, deeper translucency and reduced
crazing.
The glaze consisting of 75% granite, 20% calcite 5%
silica, with 200/0 clay added, has the same RO (0.28 KNaO,
0.72 CaO) with 0.56 M.P. (molecular parts) of alumina and
4.16 M.P.of SiliC'd. The batch recipe is as follows:
SG L 3-8 granite 62.5
calcite 16.7
silica 4.2
kaolin 16.6
When increasing amounts of red iron oxide were added
(up to 20010 Fe,o, in 2% increments), to this glaze, a range
of colours from olive-green through rust/ black to
crystalline iron-red resulted. The addition of 8% iron
oxide to the glaze produced a rust/black tenmoku of
excellent quality.
Clear, pale glazes resulted from a blend of granite and
apple wood ash; utis is a soft ash , ltigh in calda and low in
iron, which by itself melts to a nearly clear glass. Equal
parts of granite and ash, with 2% bentonite added, is a
stable, pleasant pale green translucent glaze.
The RO KNaO 0.28 Cao 0.72 was used in a number of
biaxial blends, varying alumina and silica values. Allor part
of the calcia was replaced by magneSia, baria or lithia, in a
number of experiments using the framework as outlined
by Ian Currie in his book on stoneware glazes., This
results in a range of glaze types, dependent on the fluxes
and the quantity and ratio of alumina and silica. l1le limits
of the experiment were in part determined by the raw
material itself. Glazes with the high percentage of grarlite
naturally tend to have a considerdble amount of alumina
and silica; to achieve lower values with the same RO ,
nepheline syenite was used to replace some of Ule rock.
Sets of 25 glazes were tired for earn flux variation. 500g
batches of the four extreme comer glazes were made up
and the intermediate glazes resulted from volumetric
blending of these four. All sets covered glazes with
alumina values from 0.4 to 0.8 M.P. and silica from 2.0 10
6.0 M.P. The limits of the experiment wilh calcia as
principal flux were extended to include glazes with OJ
M.P. Al,o, and between 2.0 and 6.0 M.P. SiO" in order to
cover more celadon glazes. (SGCa-series).
In the SGCa-series as well as in the SGMg-series, where
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995 + POlTIRY IN AUS1AALIA 57

0.3 M.P. of the silica was replaced by magnesia, excellent
flux-alumina matt glazes developed when the molecular
ratio of alumina was 1:4 approximately (e.g. Nos. 7 and
12). The batch recipe for SGMg 12 is as follows:
granite 34.3
nepheline syenite 28.6
dolomite 17.5
calcite 2.7
kaolin 13.5
alumina 3.4
As expected, crazing was less prevalent in the Mg-series.
The addition of 5% titanium dioxide to this series produced
a brilliant speckled iron blue when the alumina/silica ratio
was 1:6 or more, with pale purple-violet colours at low
alumina values. The colour is dependent on a certain
amount of reduction during the firing. The presence of
lithia in the glaze made it more transparent and increased
the brilliance of the colour. When all the calcia was
replaced with baria (SGBa-series), fluidity increased and the
glazes were glossier and more intense green in colour.
Iron-blue celadon colours developed when alumina was
low. The high alumina/ low silica corner produced
interest ing matt and dry glazes. White to mottled ochreyellow,
they displayed tonal variations from grey to muted
soft shades of green, especially when lithia was introduced
as well.
Two factors were found to have a major influence on the
character and aesthetic quality of the glazes, regardless of
their molecular composition: the particle size of the glaze
and the composition of the clay body.
The panicle size, i.e. the degree of fineness, is
determined by the amount of milling. When some of those
glazes containing the maximum amount of granite, seagreen
translucent or semi-opaque celadons, were ground
in a ball mill for various periods, the glazes became more
uniform in colour and more transparent, but they lost some
of their warmth and the illusion of depth created by a more
opaque glass. Those glazes that improved by milling, such
as the tenmokus and the alumina-matts, became
indistinguishable from glazes made with commercial
minerals. The beneficial effects of coarse milling and poor
mixing are difficult to understand for modern potters used
to efficient techniques and refined materials .•
The composition and type of clay body the glazes were
applied on determines the character of the fmished work
through porosity, particle size, presence of impurities and
fired colour. As different glaze types developed, they were
tried on less refmed and coarser clays and on local clays
with the additions of granite grog, coarse potash felspar
and fife clays. 00
Albert Verschuuren Ms recendy completed the Graduate Diploma
in Visual Arts course at Monash University Gippsland School of
Alt. This research was carried out with unit adviser Dr. Owen Rye.
NOTES:
J. E.Cecil Saint-Smith, "Geology and Mineral Resources of the
Stanthorpe, Ballandean and Wallangarra Districts", Queensland
Geological Survey, publication '0.243, Qld. Department of
Mines, 1914.
2. Ivan Englund, Rock Glazes, Englund, 1983.
3. Ian Currie, Stoneware Glazes - A Systematic Approach,
Bootstrap Press, 1985.
These experiments produced a number of glazes of
various types, both functional and decorative.
4. Pamela B. Vandiver, ' Ancient Glazes", Scientific American,
April 1990.
CHFMlCAL ANALYSts
STANllIORPl! GRA."IrrE %
Si02 76.80
Al203 12.30
fe203 1.29
Cao 0.54
MgO 0.09
No20
K20
Mn02
Ti02
zrO
L.0.1.
3.40
4.94
0.04
0.09
0.04
0.33
58 POTIERY IN AusT!wJA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

Is this the end?
Ceramics at East Sydney Technical Ccllege is under threat. The Ceramics Department has
long been known for a succession of renowned potters such as Peter Rushforth, Bemard Sahm, Bill
Samuels, Steve Harrison and many, many others, who have passed through its doors
as either teachers or students. Article by KAREN WEISS.
e
~
Diploma students kiln building with Steve Harrison
current plan is that it should become part of the
new independent National Art School next year. At
first glance, this seems a positive move, giving
ceramics the recognition as an art form as well as a craft.
In reality, it could mean that students would no longer be
able to follow a full-time course in ceramics exclusively. It
might well become one of many subjects in an Arts course,
with drastically reduced hours.
This also means that students would no longer receive
the practical skills in areas such as Glaze and Kiln
tedmology which enable the graduate to set up a studio on
leaving. TIle independent National Art School's orientation
is away from vocational course components.
Ceramics is an expensive medium to teach. It requires
eXlensive facilities, resources and funding for which it will
be competing with many other art subjects. TIle funding
pool itself will be strictly limited as the N.A.S. will not be
part of T AFE, but a small independent body competing
with much larger and well-established bodies for funds.
This may result in students having to pay a much larger
proportion of the costs in fees.
At present, the East Sydney Technical College Ceramics
Department offers the only full-time Diploma Course in
Ceramics in any TAFE in NSW. Futhermore, TAFE is not in
a position to run the advanced Diploma Course anywhere
else in NSW. Once this course is gone, it is truly gone.
TAFE itself supports the continued existence of the
E.S.T.C. Ceramics Department, a valued and wellestablished
centre for teaching and research, as an entity
separate from the N.A.S.
However, time is short. It is intended that the new
National Art School open its doors at the beginning of next
year, but it is not too late for the NSW Government to
reconsider deotroying the E.S.T.C. Cer.unics Dept. in order to
include it in this very different institution, the N.A.S.. "The
death of each man diminishes me.' The death of a centre
such as tills diminishes the field of ceramics as a whole.
If you would like to voice your concern, you can fill out
one of the postcards included in this issue of 'Pottery in
Australia', or you can write to:
The Han. RJ. Carr, M.P.
Premier, Minister for tile Arts,
The Hon. J.,I. Aquilina, M.P.,
Minister for Education and Training,
The Hon. Peter Collins, M.P.
Parliamenr House,
Macquarie St.,
Sydney, NSW 2000 00
A staff and student exhibition 1nterlock' will be held at Artspace,
Cowper Wharf Road, Wooloomooloo, December 11-16. Opening
6-8pm December 11.
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER t 99S + POmRY IN AlISTRAUA 59

THE GLAZE PAGE
Textured Stoneware Glazes
Crawl glazes pose as many interesting aesthetic questions as they do technical.
Article by ROWLEY DRYSDALE.
To begin you will fmd most information pertaining to
this glaze surface in the 'faults' sections of ceramics
texts. This could be seen as indicative of the low
regard authors hold for this glaze phenomena. But
aesthetics change and recycle. Crazing is often seen as a
fault, and yet in the Kuan style glazes so revered by poners
and connoisseurs for centuries, it is highlighted.
Prior to the studio pottery renaissance, Shino ware
stands as the glaring example of
crawling being tolerated if not
encouraged. Ian Currie, points
out that Shino ware occupies a
very odd niche in the
development of pottery. ' What I
find inspiring" he wrote, "is the
way it defies every rule in the
book ... with their crazed, crawled
and pinholed glaze, and the
fragile, porous and often cracked
body all combining to form a
united assault on .. what I caU 'the
machine aesthetic' that has
indoctrinated us to prefer
products that machines make
best." 1
Robin Hopper also contends
that the industrial ideal of
perfection has had a stultifying
influence on the creative
exploration of ceramic surfaces.
"Has one ever seen a perfect face,
or perfect skin' We generally talk
about pots in anthropomorphic terms, with feet, bellies,
waists, shoulders, necks and lips .. we can think of aU the
variety of skin textures which give individuality to the
human race, one can easily see the analogy".'
Hopper argues that more often than not the potter will
recognise the poSitive qualities of imperfection only to be
harassed by retailers. So curators and directors need to be
sensitive to emergent aesthetics and not allow their
intermediary role to transform to a censorial one. But they,
like poners, are subjected to conditioning and educational
processes which will want to delineate between 'fault' and
'special effect', and herein lies a perplexing question. What
is it that elevates a surface type from one side of dlis ugly
dichotomy to the other?
In the case of Shino ware it was a particular blend of
social and cultural influences that led to an admiration for a
surface that can be contended to having amounted to a
failed technical exercise. In a
society such as ours, largely
bereft of the type of substantial
patronage afforded to the Mino
potters by Tea Masters, one is left
to ponder what it might be that
generates quantum shifts in
aesthetic values. Perhaps a clue
could emerge from examining
the development of abstract
expressionism, in particular
Jackson Pollock's drip and
splatter technique. Charles
Harrison describes Pollock's
simple act of taking a canvas off
the easel and lying it on the floor
which allowed 'the dictates of
graVity and the increased fluidity
of the paint... to produce
accidental effects which .. freed
both procedure and imagery
from self-conscious attitudes
towards the technology of
painting". ' This development of
a style carried within it a tolerance for its fundamental
component - dripped-paint - yet in other eras and other
places this indicated poor technique.
It seems likely that shifts in aesthetic values will be
instigated by a dynamic generated by individual artist's
visions, the artists skill to project that vision, and the
validity of that vision itself. This will be tempered by the
Willingness of the people and the people's
instrumentalities, government and its funding bodies , to
Detail of Davis Shino Type glaze
60 POTTERY IN A USTfWJA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

Detail, MagnesIa
crawl glaze
nurture the vision. The labels 'fault' and 'special effect' can
only in the main, stille these dynamics. Signifi cant are
those individuals who initiate the remarkable moments in
man's development when the walls of long standing
dichotomies come tumbling down.
High Alumina crawl glazes are probably the easiest to
achieve. Generally, mix them thickly, dip them once, allow
them to dry only to the point where the shine has gone off
the glaze, and then redip them. Remember that at one
temperature, a glaze will be crawled, often at some higher
temperature they will be homogenous. An easy formula to
weigh up and practise dipping techniques, is the old
Aussie Shino type glaze, which combines Neph Syenite
from 60 to 80 percent with Kaolin, Ball clay or Terra cotta
comprising the remainder of the glaze.
Usually when the piece has dried, it will show a network
of hairline cracks. If portions of the glaze have peeled
back, then I suggest you scrape the glaze off, water the
batch down slighdy, and repeat the procedure to a bonedry
bisque pot.
The following Shino type glaze, given to me by Paul
Davis, will work in this manner:
• Neph Syen 41.6 • Spodumene 27.7
• Kaolin 23.1 • Zircopax 4.2
• Bentonite 3.5
The other important thing to consider is clay body. A
relatively open clay body is usually better. You may want
to wedge certain fire clays into your standard clay body.
I've used Feeney's BRT fired to cone 10 successfully.
In addition , glazes consisting of large amounts of
magnesium carbonate or zinc oxide will readily crawl:
• Potash felspar 60
• Whiting 16
• Light magneSium carbonate 24
Fired to cone 10 this glaze will crawl when applied thickly.
You can also incorporate percentages of Kaolin into this
glaze. If you want to follow the zinc oxide trail remember
to test only in oxidisation. 00
Nom
1. Currie, 'Jan 1985 Stoneware Glazes - A Systemati c
Approach', Bootstrap Press, QLD p. 183
2. Hopper, Robin 1984 'The Ceramic Spectrum', William
Colins & Sons, UK p. 100
3. Richardson, Tony & Slangos, Nikos 1975 'Concepts of
Modem' An, leon Edition N. Y. p. 168-210

POSTCARD
Postcard from Gondar
GEOFF CRISPIN has been in Ethiopia for over three months working for Project Ploughshare.
WOleka is the village where the women's pottery is
located about 4 km outside Gondar. I'm providing
technical assistance.
It's a bright sunny morning, very much what I've
come to expect in Gondar. It's been raining during the
past week in short spurts, ending the long dry period,
laying the dust. With moisture, the hills are developing a
green aspect that tends to soften the almost medieval
presence that the landscape exudes. TIle shapes of the
hill in combination with the various shades of brown,
have a forbidding yet striking character. Brown where
the grass has dried out, chocolate brown where the soil
has been tilled ready for planting, and an indeterminate
yellowish brown that indicates something is struggling
to grow.
Today I'm off in search of clay. The potter's
motherlode, Wongamet Wonz, Mizaba and Awaga WOOl
are names only on a field description written some 8-9
years ago by a geologist. The prospect of finding some
kaolinitic clay with little iron oxide associated, in the
middle of the country covered by massive basalt flows, is
quite exciting.
Last week J travelled to the south of Ethiopia to the
province of Sidamo, where a primary kaolin deposit is
being mined. It's about 120 km away so I hope to use as
little as possible in a high temperature clay body. Just
enough to provide the essential refractoriness. If I can
locate this ball clay type material, then perhaps a good
throwing body may be able to be developed.
Setting off from Gondar is just a little ambitious with a
tourist map and a guide who supposedly knows the road
to Chilga. Malarku and Ateka (from the project) also come
along. Ateka to translate and Malarku to provide the
muscle for ule heavy work.
Normally, using the odometer in the car, it is
reasonably easy to follow directions to a deposit, but ours
is not working so we are in the hands of the guide. No
one else has travelled the road before. So off we go,
62 POTIERY IN AUSTRAUA + ISSUE 3114 SUMMER 1995

The first
than safe.
decking on the
logs about l00mm in
for wear. I ask Aleka to
15 metres high
of black a d grey cia
of lignite. Malaku does the "'-
climbing and sam sliding the bags down~
'lilope to teka who the labels. The mat als
look very good at first sight and similar to the
deS9'iption given. The deposit is qUIte extensive alb(tg
the valley for several hundred metres. It woutll
.. amount to hundreds of thousands of tons, Th pottery
will have no problem if the tests p~v t!) be
favourable. Careful mining in small quantities will not
cause any erosion problems,
The drive back to the ponery is uneventful. Overall it
has taken from 8.3Oam to 2.(Xlpm for a round trip of about
120 km, My original estimation of a couple of hours is
hopelessly inadequate but we have achieved the result.
Sometimes small victOries do help to maintain the fifeS of
.... ""', molU', and tomorrow is
(means place of sitting
to- sell pol~ at the market.
ISSUE 3-414 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERt Itl"""""'''-''l 63

BOOK REVIEW
Simple Ceramics: Handbuilt Pots
for Kitchen and Garden
By Dawna RICHARDSON-HYDE
Published by Lothian as part of the Lothian Australian Craft Series, Rrp $19.95
LOTHIAN AUSTRALIANCtii/t SERIES
CEsmtMICS
Exploring" ... rirty cf
• Slah Building . Cui!
• Sgraffito • Nerilge • Coloured '''''' ."'...
DAWNA RICHAIIIJ5OO.HYD£
'" u_"""
is designed as a 'How To' book which offers clear
infonnation to either the beginner or more advanced
T:1iS
poner. The author, Dawna Richardson-Hyde, is well
known in Canada and Australia for her colourful work and
teaches at Outer Eastern College of T AFE in Victoria.
She says about this book Though the infonnation and
projects presented in this book [ would like to encourage
you to explore and develop your creativity, using the
wonderful medium of clay. Why clay though?
One of the most common materials on earth, clay is
cheap and easily available to everyone. When soft, it's
ability to be transformed into a multitude of forms both
expressive and useful, will excite participants of all ages
and levels of experience.
When partially dried, day can be carved, joined together
with slip, pierced and built into constructions similar to
working with wood. In it's fully dried state clay can be
sanded and funher rermed, painted with slip or underglaze
and decorated using a number of techniques.
This book hopes to give the reader a broad
understanding of working with clay and provide some
tools - both technical and aesthetic in order that you may
fulfil your need to work with your hands.
We need to fmd ways to focus and develop skills that
aid us in our expression of creativity. The projects in this
book will provide a structure, set a challenge and advance
your abilities. Skill levels are identified at the beginning of
each project.
The greater challenge is to make discoveries for
yourself. In presenting these projects [ hope to inspire,
challenge, share knowledge and impart to you my love of
clay and all that it encompasses'.
This book is ideal as a teaching aid particularly for
beginners. There are projects that would suit both adults
and children, beginners and those with some experience of
clay. The book includes chapters explaining aspects of the
clay material, tools and equipment required, using plaster,
using colour and glaze and how to set up a workshop
space for yourself.
Each of the nineteen projects is carefully followed from
beginning to end. These include candlesticks, bowls, a
hanging birdhouse, garden planters, spice jars and many
more. The result is beautiful objects hand made by you and
the beginning of your own creative journey. 00
64 POTIERY tN AUSTRAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

, T he use of salt to glaze various types of ceramic
ware has a long and honorable tradition .. .
However, sodium chloride vapour is hazardous
and produces pollution in the fonn of thick white clouds of
dilute hydrochloric acid gas ...'Qntroduaion).
Ruthanne Tudball, an experienced soda firer herself,
gives, in this book, a praaical guide to the basic concepts
of soda glazing which avoid the environmental impact of
salt firings whilst imparting a special look to the clay
surface - a result of the soda interacting with the clay body
and slips.
There are also other praaical benefits to soda glazing
such as less wear and tear on the kiln and kiln furniture
because soda vapour forms a non reactive coating. It is
also less corrosive to metal.
It is possible to duplicate the glaze effects of salt widl it's
distinctive orange peel surface but it is also possible to
exploit other qualities. As Ruthanne says in the
Introduaion There are many possibilities through varying
clay bodies, slips, firing temperature, amount of soda used,
placing pots, etc. These offer rich variation and enough
possibilities to keep one going for a lifetime'.
Soda Glazing
By Ruthanne Tudball
Published by Kangaroo Press, Rrp $24.95
At a time when a11 of us should be giving more
consideration to our treatment of the environment, this
book is a welcome addition. I hope particularly that
educational institutions wiJI use this book to familiarise
themselves with this type of firing which is an
envirorunentally friendly alternative to salt firings.
However, there is plenty of very specific advice in this
book that will get any potter on the path to exploring this
exciting technique. There are soda slip tests, slip and glaze
recipes and clay analysis and of course details of kilns,
including kiln plans, and ways of introducing soda into the
firing. Two Australian poners, Gail Nichols and Valerie
Nicholls have their work and technical information
included as well as soda firers from America and the UK.
There is no doubt soda gives a distinaive linish to work,
emphasising the plasticity of the clay and speaking StrOngly of
dle energy of the firing process long after the pot has cooled.
This is a very practical book with inspirational pictures
and detailed technical information, kiln plans and reCipes
to get you stalled. 00
Sue Buckle
Order your copy of 'Soda Glazing' for just $22 (within Australia) INCLUDING packtlging and postage. (Rtp $24.95) and
save. Ovetseas ( Including Economy Air postage) A$32.
PLEASE pRJN]' UP.ARLY
Name
Address
SODA
GLAZING
Postcode _______ Phone No. _______________
Send me copies at $22 each in Australia, AS32 each Overseas TOTAL $ __
PAYMENT BY 0 Cheque
o Credit Card 0 Bankcard 0 Mastercard 0 Visa 0 Amex
Card Number
Expiry Date __ ! __
Signamre ___________________________
POST TO Pouery in Australia, PO Box 937 Crows Nest 2065 Phone (02) 9901 3353 Fax (02) 436 1681
RUTIiANNE 11JOBALL
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POlTIRY IN AusTRALIA 65

REVIEW
Making Marks - Ceramic Surface
Decoration with Robin Hopper
6 x 30 minute video programs
JBF Distributors, Tel/Fax (09) 3451434
series of six videos is
part of a group of eleven
TiliS
instructional videos
produced by Robin Hopper.
Each video concentrates on
several decorative techniques
giving the basis for further
exploration by the potier in
their own work. The processes
of pottery making and design
are pleasantly demonstrated
within Hopper's own studio,
complete with the odd barking
dog and crowing rooster.
Video I, 'Making Marks'
concentrates on incising and
impression. It also includes
some examples of fluting ,
sgraffito and fmally a technique
known as washed wax where
Hopper demonstrates how to
use wax over slip.
Video 2, 'Marks of Addition
and Impression', starts with an
inspiring method of decoration
using slip coated fibre additions
which are draped across the
su rface to form a textured
relief. Sprigs and impression techniques are demonstrated
as well. Lino cuts are also used in a clever manner,
followed by inlay.
Video 3, 'Liquid and Coloured Clays', concentrates
mainly on slip techniques and starts with Robin removing
the slip from an inlaid vase which he stalled in video 2.
Onda ware, slip trailing and feathering are also
demonstrated in this video. I was really intrigued by a
technique known as mocha diffusion, where alkaline and
acid slips are blended together causing a reaction and
subsequently a marble like patterning within the wet slips.
Video 4, 'Pigments and ReSists', looks at brushes,
underglaze pencils and pastels, ceramic water colours,
sponge stamps and more.
Video 5, 'Glazes and Glazing',
covers many common glaZing
techniques with some good
Ceramic Surface Decoration
examples of multiple glazing.
Video 6, 'Firing and Post
Firing Techniques', is useful as
an overview of the variety of
firing techniques available -
great for teachers.
Throughout each video in
the series Robin explains his
methodology in a clea r and
arti culate manner. Where
possible the work in progress is
shown in its fired state as well,
completing the cycle nicely for
the viewer. Examples of both
historical and contemporary
works are also tied in to the
demonstrations with reference
to the maker and the country
they work in.
Program One
This series of videos is an
extremely useful tool for
Introduction and Surface Removal teachers in schools, recreation
centres and tertiary institutions
as well as those who are self
taught or those wanting to extend their knowledge in a
wide range of techniques. TIle classroom comes to you
and leanning is at your own pace.
These videos are not just taped lectures but are
specifically designed to teach the techniques to the viewer.
They are extremely instructional and entertaining.
It is certainly true that a picture speaks a thousand words
and this set of videos gives all of us access to the excellent
instructive techniques of Robin Hopper, a world renowned
educator and ceramic anis!. 00
Christopher James.
President, Potters' Society of Australia
66 POTTERY IN AUSTRAlJA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

Faced with rhe financial demands of paying
commissions ro galleries, many are now searching for
alternative venues to sell their work.
A market gives the porrer access to a large number and
variety of people who may nor normally visit galleries. It
also enables the poner ro develop business skills without
the huge outlay of money required to open their own shop.
Sydney's Rocks Market has made a name for itself as a
venue for quality Australian arts and crafts. The Market
provides porters with an ever-

MARKETING
The Dilemma
JOHN EAGLE will address some artists/ceramists concems as part of a regular new feature,
exclusive to 'Pottery in Australia'.
Packaged gift pots
When asked to write something about marketing I
decided to focus on wholesaling to a retail outlet.
This area of commercial activity for ceramists is
often a problem and sometimes embarked upon with less
than a clear idea of the total picture.
In defence of retail outlets it is important to understand
that their overheads are often considerable and the markup
on your work is established to enable them to make a
living. The gallery, shop or retail studio that purchases
your work has it in their best interests to tum it over as
quickly as possible. I feel disappointed when I hear poners
complaining of 'rip offs' when they see their work marked
up by 50%, 70% or even more - it is a necessary
component of the market place.
You cannot hope to involve yourself in every aspect of
ceramic production and appeal to every type of customer
and retail outle~ so defIne your market and concentrate on
an area of interest to you and one that you have perceived
will offer you a living. Visit shops, galleries, studios and
depanment stores and be prepared to be broad minded in
your observations and criticisms. This could be the basis of
your production. It is probable that you will have to make
some kind of compromise in your production but the
essential ingredient of the enjoyment of making and the
potential for survival can go a long way to overcoming any
feeling of a lack of integrity. Whatever you produce, it will be
yours and production and marketing are inextricably linked.
I found that it suited me to establish a range of repe-at
items that were as consistent in quality and reliably available
within a reasonable agreed time as I could manage.
Your outlets depend on you and through these outlets
you can develop a loyal personal following of customers.
Once you have established a niche for yourself you will be
feeling more familiar with the market. By constant
monitoring of what is going on with other products, both
hand crafted and commercially produced, your development
of new products to add to your existing range can be of great
benefit to both you and your wholesale customer.
It is essential that you develop an attitude of reliability,
organisation, quality service and the impression in the
minds of your customers that nothing can be too much
trouble. If a particular customer is too demanding and if,
after discussion, you decide to end your association with
them, do it with sensitivity and honesty - don't give in to
tllat inner feeling and reson to abuse - your satisfaction may
be shon lived. The quality and consistency of your work
68 POTIERY tN A USTRAlJA + ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995

o
I
I
Photo presentation folder
must be beyond criticism. If your product is sound and you
are consistent in your manufacture and reliable in your
dealings - as long as your work sells, orders will continue.
As to the business of ordering, Rosemary my partner,
has developed a number of items that make my reliability
more likely and provide a simple recognition and ordering
system for the work I produce. People want to know what
you are about and where you have come from and a
simple biography is an asset of great promotional value
and it also works as a form of publicity. A photo
presentation folder illustrating the basic range of work and
current wholesale price and a work profile is
accompanied by a simple order form that can be filled in
and returned with a minimum of fuss.
The selection of your retail outlelS is something that can
make or bre'A you in ule first few years. You must firstly
assess your work in relation to the work your proposed
outlet is already selling. Many galleries, shops and selling
studios have a particular style of work that is represented
in their display. II is important that you tune into this and
proceed accordingly. Once you have decided to approach
a particular outlet, prepare yourself and them for a
meeting. Gather any written and photographic material
and perhaps a selection of your work if it is appropriate
and make an appointment - do not just appear. When
keeping this appointment, have 'your act together', dress
neatly, be clear about your terms of business, be sure of
your wholesale prices and your delivery from the time of
ordering. Payment arrangemenlS vary but be sure you can
afford any terms that you do. (When selling to a retailer it is
up to them, not you, to set an appropriate selling price.)
When developing a market be aware of the seasonal
aspects and your need to stockpile. Geography can also be
included in the seasonal aspect of your marketing. A
coastal holiday outlet is not likely to be big on salad bowls
in the middle of winter, but they may need plenty of stock
over the summer months.
It is satisfactory for no-one to crowd your outlets. [n a
city like Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane, there is obviously
room for quite a number of outlelS if they are selected well
apart, but for smaller permanent population areas, be
considerate of your retailer and you also will benefit.
We all have different motivations, needs and aspirations,
but some business practises are very similar. Be prepared
to be conventional, thorough and honest, think things
through and persevere. 00
ISSUE 341~ SUMMER 1995 + POTfffiY IN A USTRAI.IA 69

TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Potters' Wheels
Our regular feature this issue compares wheels available in Australia.
Rss?ach ad a1de by 1

the Ford Falcon to the BMW. Words like 'smooth
acceleration', 'quiet', 'staying power', 'more grip' and
'bener control' spring to mind.
Electronic wheels are quieter, with little vibration. Many
have remote pedals attached by a cable to the wheel,
which enables the potter to stand and throw large pots.
They maintain torque at whatever speed, where the cone
drive slips and gives up. The wheel direaion is reversible
(a boon for left-handed throwers). And the 1-11/2 h.p.
motors can handle literally any weight of clay. However,
elearonic wheels stan at around $1700 (incl. sales tax) and
go to over 53500. 111is is cause for some serious thinking.
Maybe now we could approach buying a wheel trom a
different angle. Take into consideration your physical
build. If you are tall, you may find the Shimpo too low for
comfort. Consider the angle of the fOOl pedal on the
Vencos, the length of leg-reach on the Cowley Double
Drive. Try out the seats, fixed and adjustable, and see if
they suit you. You're going to be sining on them for a long,
long time. If a friend has one you fancy, try throwing on it
for an hour and see how your body feels after that. Or if
possible, throw on it in the showroom. Most showrooms
will have a floor model you can try.
The weight and size of the wheel may also be a
consideration if you have to transport it in a car for
demonstrations or lessons, or if you need to tuck it in a
comer in a small flat or house. For those that throw large,
look at the stability of the wheel design. A low, triangular
base will be far more stable than a tall narrow one.
Removable trays and a remote pedal may also be a priority.
When buying a wheel, price should not be the major
consideration. A clapped-out second-hand car will cost you
52000 and might last 2-3 years with constant repairs. A wheel
should last at least 15 yem with linle need for maintenance.
Look for the wheel that is right for you and your work and
enjoy working with it - that is worth a great deal.
BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Some odds and ends of information that it is useful to
know when looking over brochures :-
Torque - the amount of force available to push the
wheelhead around. Electronic wheels have much greater
torque than most cone drive systems. Constant torque means
that the pushing power remains the same at any speed.
Cone drive - very similar to ring cone drive. A simple
drive system which consists of a revolving steel cone
whose point touches a rubber drive wheel. A small drive
wheel will produce less torque than a large one. This can
be compensated for by a double reduction or double
drive system, which uses an extra pulley. As a simple
system, a cone drive is very easy to repair. They are also a
great deal cheaper to make. Most Australian models use a
cone drive.
Permanent magnet DC drive - an eiemonic drive system
used in most models of electronic wheels excluding
Shim po. It provides a constant high torque. Changing
speed electronically instead of mechanically makes it quiet
and smooth.
Metallic Traction drive - an elearonic drive unique to
Shimpo wheels which gives a smaller motor greater efficiency
Ulan the magnet drive. It also has constant ltigh torque.
Grooved drive belt - the upmarket wheels often feature
a belt with grooves which slip less and have a longer life
than the ordinary V belt.
Speed lock - this is a gadget which enables the wheel
to maintain a cenain speed widlOut use of the footpedal or
gearstick. Very useful.
Centering capaCity - theoretically the maximum
amount of clay that can be centred on the wheeillead by a
skilled potter without affecting the speed of the wheel.
Some manufacturers were reluctant to give figures for
centering capacities of their wheels, justifiably pointing out
tll3t centering any amount of clay depends greatly on the
technique and skill of the potter throwing. Treat it as a
rough guide only. 00
My thanks to tbe follOwing suppliers for their generous belp:
NSW
Ceramic Supply Company Ph:(02) 892 1566 Fax, (02) 892 2478
Walker Cemmics Ph, (02) 451 5855 Fax, (02) 451 7ff16
HUldav Industries Ply. LId. Ph, (02) 6SS-1m
NSW Pouery Supplies Ph: (02) 630 0133
VICfORIA
Clayworks Ply. LId. Ph, (03) 9791 6749 Fax:(03) 9792 4476
Northcote Pottery Ph: (03) 484 4580 Fax: (03)480 3075
Walker Ceramics Ph: (03) 9725 7255 Fa" (03) 'l725 2289
W.A.
Venco Ply. LId. Ph: (09) 399 5265
Jackson's Ceramic Crafts Ph, (09) 387 8488 Fax,(09) 383 7612
The Pouer's Market Ph, (09) 337 6888 Fax: (09) 331 2916
S.A.
Compass Engineering Ph: (085) 56 8386
QLD.
Clayeran Supplies Ply.lld. Ph, (07) 854 1515
and many others who gave infomlation and feedback.
In our next issue 'Pottery in AUSlr1llia' will be surveying ELEcrruC
KILNS. I would like to have your comments, infonnation and
observations. Please contact Karen Weiss Ph: (02) 308 439
ISSUE )4/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTTERY IN AUSTRAlIA 71

N ..... 0&IGu< Moroa C£HmuNG S....., ....... SPI'.EIll.ocx DaM; nPI! S.....,CONnOL
c....crrY ......
VENCO
Australia
VencoNo.3 1/2 hp NIA 30-240 rpm Optional Cone pedal. Hand opt.
No.5 1/2 hp NIA 30-240 rpm Yes Cone pedal. ('land opt.
No.6 'COmpact" 1/4 hp N/A 30-240 rpm Optional Cone pedal. Hand opt.
No. 7 Electronic 1/2 o r 3/ 4 hp N/A 0-240 adj.360 Can use pedal Electronic remote pedal
TAUSMAN N.Z. 1/2 hp 11-12 kg 10-200 rpm Yes Ring/cone 2 pedal'
Seat optional.
COWLEY N.Z. 1/2 hp 20 kg 30-240 rpm NO{ at present Cone Pedal
DOUBLE DRIVE
COWLEY N.Z. 112 hp 20kg 30-240 rpm Not at present Cone Pedal wilh
TRADmONAL
gearstick
PACIFICA
U.S.A.
GT400 1/2 &11/2 hp 50 kg 0-260 rpm Bctv¥een 2()().. Electronic remote pedal
GTBOO
SIDMPO MODElS Japan
300 rpm
Metallk
RK-JO Lever 1/ 4 hp 30-35 kg. o-ZOOrpm pedal can be Traction Pedallgearstick
RK·IO Remote 1/ 4hp 30-35 kg 0-200rpm used to maintain Electronic remote pedal
RK-l0 Super 1/ 3 hp 40 kg 0-250 rpm unifonn speed on aU PedaVgearstick
RK·IX Classic 1/2.5 hp Unlimited 0-300 rpm on all models. models. PedaVgearstick
BRENT MODElS
U.s.A.
Model A' 1/3hp 15 kg 0-240 rpm pedal can be Electronic remote pedal
Model B' 1/ 3 hp 12.5 kg 0-240rpm used to maintain Electronic remote pedal
optional.
Model C 1/2 hp 25 kg 0-240 rpm unifoml speed Electronic remote pedal
ModelCXC 1 hp 50 kg 0-240 rpm on slandard Electronic remote pedal
models.
Model 15 ' 113 hp 25 kg 20-220 rpm Ring/cone pedallgearstick
Model 16 ' 1/3 hp 12.5 kg 0-240 rpm Electronic pedal/gearstick
MACWHEEL Australia 1/4 & 1/ 3 hp 7-8 kg. 30-240 rpm No Cone pedal
COMPASS Australia 112 hp N/A 0-250 rpm with hand lever cone pedal
CREATIVE U.S.A.
INDUSTRIES
ModelJR' 114 hp 12.5 kg 0-240 rpm Ped'li can be Electronic remote pedal
Model MP 1I2hp 25 kg 0-240 rpm used to maintain Electronk remote pedal
Model HP 1 1/3 hp Unlimited 0-240 rpm unifoml speed. Electro nic remote pedal
CIA YCBAPT C21 Australi~ 112 hp N/A 0-250 rpm No Cone pedal
KICKWHEELS
Model )" Kick Foot
Model EJ' 1/ 3 hp d riving wheel foot lever
ModelKWWK' kick foot 307mm
ModelKWK ' kick foot
& Available on overseas o rder only. N.B. All suppliers conlac:too stated iliat spare pans and seJVicing were available for all wheels supplied including foreign models,
72 POTTERY IN AUSORAlJA + ISS UE 3414 SUMMER 1995

SI7..£ WllI!.EUU'..U> WEIGHT Du.o:N50NS eo...wm
282 or 333 mm 29.4 kg 692xSl3x564 Most popular Aust. wheels. Very robust, reliable. Good price. Free-wheeling head.
Se:lt optional.
333mm 29.4 kg
..
Stand up Kit avai1. Drive wheel easy to replace.Spares easily obtainable. Seat optional
282mm 25kg 590x487x538 Sear opt.Fold-up. Problems: Cannot run at very low speeds. Fixed tray means less
convenience in throwing on large batts. OiffiOJlty in cleaning under wheelhead. Drainhole
dribbles strAight down.
33Omm. 48 kg. 680x660xS80 Reversible .Constant [orque.Hosepcoof (oot pedal. Sealed ball bearings. Drive adjustable to
360 'Pm.
254 mm. 24 kg stripped 6JOx56ox635 Special screw-up studs for quick fitting of battS. Custornwood cabinet.
Problems: Consumer feedback indicates some quality control problems with current model.
282 or 321 mm 36 kg 53Ox575xJ030 Problems: Cannot run al very low speeds. Fixed seat. Reversible (switch), high torque at
low rpm, less slipping under load.
282 or 32] rom 48 kg 61Ox864xlO66 Wheelhead removable. Problems: Narrow tray.Pedal reach can be uncomfortable for
cera in builds. Fixed seat. Larger wheel with wider lr'dY than Double Drive, seating
adjustable.
333 mm 16.3 kg 800x670x520 Reversible (plug), qUiet,smth with high torque at Jow speed. Seat optional.
24.4 kg 800x67o.520 Seat adjustable with back rest, 5 year warranty. MOlor adtustS to maintaifl speed under
differing weights & pressures.
300mm 42 kg 595x48Ox485 Low speed 0.5-1 rpm, smooth ,precise stopping, high torque at low speed
44kg 595x39Ox485 Remote pedal gives greater freedom, however flex is less durable .
300mm 49 kg 595x48Ox485 More powerful model
400mm 85 kg 73OxS4Ox540 Heavy duty workhorse. All Shimr;s have reversible wheel direction switch. Problems: Low
height better suited to persons 0 a smaller build.
307 mm 21.7 kg 449x423x556 Small wheel suited to hobby o r studio potter. Quiet & portable .
307mm 43 kg 73Ox590x596 Wheel direction reversible Suitable for schooVstudio porter.I.arge fibreglass tray avail. Seat
359mm 45.2 kg 73Ox59Ox596 Quiet, robust, reversible. SiJt:nce .... avail. for electronic mode1s.stops buzz on your radio
from motor, Seat optional.
359mm 54.5 kg 73Ox59Ox596 Heavy..auty model. Heavy steel table. Powerful, rever.)ible, Seat optional. Leg-extension kit
avail. for Models B,C,CXC. Raises wheel to standing height for stressed backs, Adjustable
seal avail. for these models, anaches direct to wheel.
359 nun 54.5 kg 692x59Ox564 full torque al any speed,wheelhead has raised edges for exce..-.s Wolter, Reversible
307mm 135.7 kg 1294x 1140>

Cyber Clay
You have heard all the hype, so what is the reality? What use is the Information Super Highway to
potters and for that matter what use are computers to ceramists. In a series of articles Lecnard Smith
will explore the Internet, review computer software and hardware useful to potters, explain computers
simply and give advice on how to get online.
~
a potter I don't think I've ever been a luddite. When
calculators became available I bought one to take the
rudgery out of long divisions in glaze calculations. I
use an electric wheel and kiln, a slab roller and a de-airing
pug mill. All in all I have no objection to using any tool that
helps me to be creative.
I approached computers in the same way when srudying
for my Masters Degree back in 1983. I bought my own Mac
just to be able to write easily but it soon became obvious
that here was a tool that could make my life easier in many
ways and some times even give me some fun.
1 now do all my writing on it, keep track of my fInances,
my address book, my diary and I use spreadsheets to keep
track of inventory , sales on commission etc,. At a more
sophisticated level I do some desktop publishing, illustration
and graphic design work as a side line. It's certainly useful
for creating promotion material etc. Over the coming year I
will look at a 101 of these uses for you.
To celebrate PIA going Online I will firstly look at
email, through the Internet and list servers and the World
Wide Webb. I will assume that you have some contact
with computers.
MAC V IBM
IBM machines were originally designed for computer
engineers and programmers, not mere mortals like us and
required users to remember codes, like C\ :dir., exec.bat,
etc., where as Macs were meant 'for the rest of us' and
virtually invented the Graphical User Interface. (GU!).
Microsoft, who supply the software for fBMs, realised that
for computers to become universally used they had to have a
Gill and spent the last 8 years developing "Windows".
It doesn't really matter which you use. Macs used to be
expensive but now are relatively cheap, IBMs with Windows
are now easier to use so it all depends on what is available
to you. [f you are starting out fresh then I'd recommend a
basic Mac system as they are still the easiest to use, they
work straight out of the box and they have the most
'creative' software.
EMAIL AND THE INTERNET
Electronic mail is similar to ordinary mail (snail mail) but
extremely fast. I have sent an Email message to the USA
whilst connected to my mail service and within 3 minutes
the reCipient has replied. Usually there is a reply waiting for
me the next time I connect.
74 POTIERY IN AUSTRAliA + ISSUE )414 SUMMER I99S

So how does it work. nlere are three elements. You
need a modem connected to your computer, software to
connect you and a mail selVice provider who can connect
you to the Internet in your area.
1. The Modem: A modem is a device which connects your
computer to the phone line and translates your
computer's messages into elearonic pulses that can be
sem over the phone line 10 another modem connected
to the recipients computer (a fax machine works in a
similar way convening a scanned image of a page across
the phone lines). TIle theory is that you buy the fastest
modem you can afford. Mine is a V Fast 28,000, Banksia
Fax Modem (Australia made).
2. Software: TIlere is a wide variery of software available
for connections and most of it is either free (included in
Windows) shareware ( a small fee 10 the author), or
relatively cheap. Your selVice provider usually provides
software at a reasonable charge. On my Mac I use
Eudora for Email and etscape for WWW browsing
(more about that later).
3. The SelVice Provider: TIlere are now virtually hundreds
of providers who will allow you to connect to the
Internet and provide a mail service for a very small fee. I
use Ozemail and they charge me about $5 per hour. 1
only connect for about 3·5 minutes every second day to
upload and download my mail so my monthly fees are
quite small. The imponam criteria are that they provide
a secure and reliable selVice and that they have a phone
number that costs only a local call. SID connections can
be quite expensive to use.
There are lists of selVice providers in the two Australian
Internet magazines available from your local newsagent. I
heanily recommend that you buy a guide to the Imernet
like 'Internet Starter Kit' for either Mac or Windows by
Adam Engst, it includes all the software you net-'CI plus an
excellent users guide.
Once you have these in place you can start 10 use the
system. Email is the most basic thing to do but you have to
know the Email address of the person you wish 10 write 10.
To stan with you may like to send me a message. My Email
address is .smithl@ozemail.com.au". You must type it
exactly. The 'smith!" is my name no space allowed, the
"@ozemail." is the selVice provider, the "com." lets you
know its a commercial provider, other things here are
"edu." (An educational institution). "gov." (A government
institution) and ' mil." (A military establishment). Th "au"
means Australia; nothing here means USA and 'ca" is
Canada etc., you can usually guess the country.
USTSERVERS
Email is nne but I recommend you subscribe to a list like
'CL1yAn'. A list is like a big patty line - in this case 1600
poners! You will get about 30-50 messages a day and the
best dling to do is just watch and read for awhile until you
get the feel for it before you ask for information or answer
an inquiry. 1600 potters from around the world all
connected to one line seems incredible and chaotic but it
works extremely well. The List is moderated , which means
there are standards set about content like the exclusion of
offen sive material and strictly commercial input. The
Moderators are Joe Molinaro and Richard Burken author of
Hyperglaze (more about that laner).
From here you can make friendshi ps and converse
privately with anyone you like. You can make enquires or
become involved in discussion. An example of this is a
long discussion about cone 6 glazes that started with a
request for recopies. Australian Brian Kemp, living in
Singapore, published a large list from his glaze book with
the request that list participants test them and publish the
results. For several months the list was full of discussion,
sharing of information and everyone interested ended up
with a wide range of cone 6 glazes at their disposal
through the effortS of the group.
There is always health and safety information available
with Michael McCann author of 'Artists Bewa re' and
Monona Rossol, industrial hygienist with Arts, Crafts and
Theatre Safety as well as many knowledgeable others.
There L, always debate and some times it can get a bit hot
but there always seems to be a lot of goodwil l. I he-artily
recommend an Internet connection for Clayan alone.
WORLD WIDE WEBB
The other interest on the Net is the 'hot' World Wide Webb
(WWW). This is the GUI of the Internet and with free
Webb browser software like Netscape you can wander the
world looking at sites. A site can be as big as one of the
large museums like the Smithsonian, or as small as an
individual artist like me. Each WWW site consists of
graphic and text. Some of the text is linked to another site
so if you are interested in an and you go to the Anline you
can see the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam where you
can read about him, look at pictures of his work and
download either text and or pictures for your own use.
You can see the potential for students doing research.
All dUs happens without leaving your keyboard yet you
have virtually travelled around the world. For anists and
craftspeople this is it's a«raction, it doesn't maner what you
are interested in you will find it and many others who
share your interest on the Internet.
ext issue I will look at software for doing glaze
calcuL1tions. See you next ye-Ar . surfs up! 00
Leonard Smith has retired from teaching to surf the nct at night
and rum the virtual into reality during the (by.
PO I I ER" IN AUSTRAUA IS NOW ONUNE ON THE INTERNET:
potinaus@ozemall.com.au
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995 + POmRY IN A USTRAUA 75

NORTH QUEENSLAND
The potters of North Queensland in the last few
months have had a number of visiting tutors from
both interstate and overseas.
Jack Troy (USA) ran a salt firing workshop for the
Beach Potters in Yepoon. In Mackay, Greg Daly, Frank
Miley (gas kiln building), Laura Wee Lay Laq
(handbuilding). a Canadian potter who travelled
throughout Queensland with sponsorship from the
Queensland Arts Council and Janna Pameijer (sculptural)
from Maleny. In Cairns, Brian Gartside (N Z) has recently
completed a paper clay workshop.
There are some competitions coming up in the future.
The N.Q.P.A. in Townsville are holding their annual
Pacific Festival Competition from the 17th to the 27th
November. The judge is Susan Ostling. There are also
competitions in Emerald, held in association with their art
prize and another in Mt lsa in the fISt quarter of 1996.
The Pioneer Potters Annual Pottery Competition has
recendy concluded. Although the number of entries was
down compared to last year, the standard was once again
very high, with entries coming from most Australian
states and New Zealand.
The judge was Greg Daly, who chose an entry by
Rowley Drysdale from Kenilworth, Qld. as the overall
winner. Greg described the slab constructed vessel as "A
strong pot, which was very sophisticated, but deceptively
simple in form."
The other major award went to Mackay potter Rick
Wood, for his salt glazed compartment box, the judge
described the piece as "Simple in form , but quite
complicated in the division of space."
Purchase Awards went to: Gwyn Hanssen Pigott,
Arthur Rosser, Helen Keen, (New Zealand), Norma Keen
and Cindi Bird1.
Once again Pioneer Potters would like to thank all the
potters who supported the 1995 competition. The
collected work is fonning the basis of a collection that the
club intends to pass on to the City and people of Mackay,
once an Art Gallery has been established.
The 1996 competition is to be held from the 6d1 - 14th
September. If anyone would like to register for an
enquiry form they can write to: Pioneer Potters Mackay
Inc., PO Box 3114, Nth Mackay, 4640.
I would like to thank all the potters and clubs who
have supplied me with information during the year, but
we still need to brO"dden the network, to obtain a good
cross section of forthcoming events and news from North
Queensland, so keep the information coming, and if
anyone has anything to pass on please give me a quick
phone call on (079) 551024 or put it in writing and post to
51 Ocean Ave, Slade Point, Mackay Q 44740.
Thanks, and Happy Christmas,
• Ra

A ROUNDUP OF LOCAL NEWS AND EVENTS
FROM OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES
Congratulations also to Kayleen Watts for winning the
major award for sculpture at this year's Floriade,
"Totemic Fountains".
Garth Clark, author of many books, essays, reviews
and articles on ceramics and owner of th e two
contemporary ceramics galleries in the USA, will be a
keynote speaker at the 8th National Ceramics
Conference. Garth is interested in presenting lectures at
other venues in Australia and New Zealand and [ am
compiling a list of possible contacts for him. Groups
which might be interested in having Garth as a visiting
speaker may contact me directly, (06) - 281 2594.
The usual end of year frenzy is in full swing. Merry
Christmas, everyone.
• JMIE CRICK
WES I ERN AUSI RAUA
Perth's prestigious 'The City of Perth Craft Award
1995 ' was awarded to Pippin Drysdale and
Beverley Gallop. It was wonderful to see ceramists
win two of the three 'Open Awards of Excellence'.
Ceramist, Alison Brown has recently been awarded a
$15,000 Anist-Craftsperson Development Grant for 12
months from the VACB for 1996. Congratulations also to
Dianne Bowler who won the Shire of the Swan Annual
Acquisitive Award in June and who was further honoured
in September with the purchase of another ce ramic
artwork by La Salle College, ViveJsh.
The Ceramic Study Group of WA will celebrate it's 25th
anniversary in 1996 with an exhibition to be held in the
foyer of the Capita Building, Perth, July 16-31. The group is
seeking out all past members with an invitation to exhibit
work or Simply be present for this special ocC'dsion. Please
contact President, Irene Poulton (09) 401 3938.
The anagarna firing held in September was a great success
and leaming experience - two more ftrings are planned for
19')6, everyone is welcome as partidpants or onlookers.
The Clay and Glass Association of W A has adopted
new meeting times. General meetings will be on the last
Tuesday of every second month at 7:30pm. (February,
April, June, August (AGM) & September). Social activities
will be held on weekends of alternate months. There are
no meetings in December or January.
In November the Perth Poner's Club welcomes UK
poner Tim Proud from the University of Dundee. He will
officially open the Club's exhibition and will present a
one day workshop demonstrating his hand built raku
work constructed using fiat sheet techniques. The fmal
function for 1995 will be the Christmas Quarterley
luncheon on December 14 at 11 :OOam, everyone is
welcome. Phone Lyn Saifmger, (09) 447 4859.
Wishing you all a joyous Christmas together and a
prosperous 'porting' New Year
• LYN Ro8NsoN
TASMANIA
I
love
this time of yea r. Tasmania at it's best!
The Southern Poners exhibition results: The Con Dios
Award for excellence went to Jeanine Thompson;
Functional - 1st, Christine Crisp; 2nd, Jane Bryne; 3rd,
Peter Battaglene; Non Functional - 1st Sally Curry; 2nd
Jan Trethevey; 3rd, Elizabeth Godfrey; Student Award -
Michael Turley. Judges were David Hanson and Dawn
Oakford who was Quest exhibitor.
Up north in Launceston, the Ceramic Department
students at the University, had an opportunity to observe
work by UK raku guru Tim Proud, their artist in residence.
January 15-18 the inaugural Summer School ,
'Claydown' will be held at Neil Hoffman's Reedy Marsh
Pottery. Dennis and Malina Monks from Victoria will
conduct the workshop. There will be a hands on
woodftring and salting in Neil's long throated wood kiln -
A MUS11 Correspondence to Neil Hoffman RSD 85 Reedy
Marsh, Tasmania or Phone (003) 622 646.
The very successful Deloraine Craft Fair, saw some 200
craftspeople demonstrating their crafts, including 35 potters.
Peter Pilven from Ballarat is having a workshop 20-21
January at the Devonport FAFA , this will include
throwing and decorating. Enquiries to Jean Steve ley (004)
313021.
Happy Christmas and Happy poning.
• BERNADINE ALTlNG AND lEANNE VMlJERSLNK
~SU E 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTTERY IN AUSTRAUA 77

e W S for Summer 1995
Universi
eRE TTrans ers
Discussions will soon begin with the University of Western Sydney and the University of WolJongong to fonnalise
arrangements for students to receive fonnal credit for their TAfE NSW Ceramics training when they proceed to
degree courses. Other universities will also be approached on this issue.
Also, the possibility of reciprocal arrangements between some TAfE colleges and universities is under discussion.
Groups of students could move between the two, to complete specific components of their courses. For example,
university students could complete practkal projects in T AfE as part of [heir degree, while T AfE snldents could attend
university as part of the theoretical component of their T AFE course.
Peripheral Vision
Contemporary Australian Art 1970 • 1994
By Charles Green
Published by Craftsman House
• Peripheral Vision provides an exploration of the ideas current in Australian art from
the 1970's onwards, providing a summary of issues that are still in flux. The broad
terrain of recent visual practise is mapped and illuminated by discussion of individual artists and of events, galleries,
writers and international debates that have played a significant part in [he development of recent Australian art
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
News from CRAFT AUSTRALIA Craft Australia
will work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to prepare an exhibition to travel to
India in late 1996, as part of the Elite Performing and Visual Arts Touring Program. The
exhibition will most likely focus on Australian glass, ceramics and textile.
Contact Craft Australia (02) 211 1445
78 POntRY IN AUSTRAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

VICH
workshop
ittalgorlg NSW
• Dance, Percussion, Music, Singing, Painting, Wood,
Clothing, Weaving, Instrumen t Making, etc. from
traditional Black culture - Aboriginal Australia, Braz il,
Ghana, Nigeria , Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Cuba,
Afro-America, Trinidad, Pacific Islands.
Fo r further information, including a J 2 page
information program of courses, tutors, events - conraa :
Azevichc Indigenous An Workshop
PhonelFax (02) 5523926
or (02) 015 661580
PO Box A 935 Sydney South 2000
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
tanthorpe ARTS
Planning is well underway for the Stanthorpe Arts
Festival, opening on Friday 23 February and
continuing until .April 18 1 996.
This prestigious Art Festival has always attracted natioral
interest: $3O,OOJ makes rt one of the richest acquisrtion art
awards in /lJ.Jstraiia. The 1996 acquisitions will enhance the
valuable permanent collection, of the Stanthorpe Art Gallery.
Philip Bacon of Philip Bacon Galleries will select
paintings to the value of $15,00J.
Sculpture is becoming a focus of the Stanthorpe Art
Gallery collection. Acquisition money of $7,00J is being
offered this Festival. Pre-selection of sculpture only is by
slides or prints which must be submitted with an Entry
Form by December 15, 1995. Artists works which gain
pre· selection will be notified by January 12, 1996.
Yvonne Bouwman, Ceramic artist, will judge the 1996
Ceramk;s to the value of $4,00J enabling quality works to
be chosen. Last year selections from Gwyn Hanssen
Pigott, Jo Dickson, and Leith Dillon have been added to
the valuable ceramics collection of the Gallery.
Highlighting the broad cross-section of /lJ.Jstralian art, a
total of $4,00J has been allocated for the acquisition of
works in Fibre, which will be selected by judge Fiona
Gavens - Quitt artist NSW
The Stanthorpe Arts Festival is grateful for sponsorship
given by: the Sidney Myer Fund, The Stan thorpe Border
Post, H & V Lyons, GM Fabrics. Assistance from the
Queensland Government through the Minister for Arts and
the Regional Arts Development fund, and the Stanthorpe
Shire Council.
Requests for Entry Forms
The Secretary, Stanthorpe Arts Festival, PO Box 223,
Stanthorpe QId 4380. Stanthcrpe Art Gallery
Tel 076-811874
Further Information
Val Lyons, Tel 076-812332 Fax 076-812278
Return of Entry Forms
Sculpture - December 15, 1995;
Painting, Ceramics, Rbre - January 31, 1996
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERY IN AusTRAUA 79

News for S ummer 1995 · CONTINUED
1997CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIPS
For Overseas Study the Churchill Trust invites applications from
Australians of 18 years and over from all walks of life who
wish to be considered for a Churchill Fellowship to undertake,
during 1997, an overseas study project that will enhance their
usefulness to the Australian community.
No prescribed qualifications are required, merir being the primary
test, whether based on past achievements or demonstrated ability for
future achievements.
Fellowships are awarded annually to those who have already
established themselves in their calling. They are not a warded for the
purpose of obtaining higher academic or formal qualifications.
Details may be obtained by sending a self addressed stamped
envelope (12 x 24 em) to:
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
218 Northboume Avenue, Braddon ACf 2612
Completed applicatiml forms and reports from three referees
must be submitted by Thursday 29 Pelnuary 1996.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
1996 Summer workfests
at BLACKADOER
.. --arIy in January 1996, Sandra Ta~or will be holding two live·in creative
~, each IIith a ~ Mcr, ard to Vvhk::h aD ~ ilterestOO are
... __ inWed. Sandra's ~ i1 past yeas have all been IJeat soccesses and
trese COOling 8'I8I'1ls viii not doubt prove to be the sarre. ll'E gueats have
been of all slQlI ieI€Is; professi:ml artists and enthJsias1ic arnaJ8L!S

Chancellor
Park
Ceramic
Prize
The Chancellor Park
Ceramic Prize, which
opened on 25 August for a
10 day period, turned into
one of the most exciting exhibitions
of contemporary ceramics ever
staged on the Sunshine Co-dSt.
Over 50 pieces were shown from
ce ramicists throughout Australia,
demonstrating both traditional and
contemporary styles.
The judge, Mark Sauvage, was
delighted with the diversity and the
standard of entries.
The Prize, organised by the
SunCO'dst Potters Association Inc and
sponsored by Chancellor Park Estate,
was one of the major events of the
inaugural Buderim Festival '95.
The winners are ...
Wheel Thrown Section
1st
Andrew Cope
2nd Peter Harris
MeritAward Pam McDonald
Handbuilt Section
1st
Hong Yoke Beng
2nd Rowley Drysdale
Merit Award Joe Gentile
Tableware Section
1st
Rowley Drysdale
Merit Award Johanna DeMaine
(Sponsor Claymates)
Suncoast Potters Award
Peter Harris
A Tongue in cheek exhibition of Sydney souvenirs
Souvenirs capfilre the essence of a time and place. Designed for the
tourist'S mantle piece, they conjure up the holiday location and
atmOsphere for the tourist when he or she has rerumed to being one of
the crowd in tlleir home town. Why souvenirs are so tacky is a mystery -
maybe they need to be cheap to be accessible, maybe they cater to the
lowest common denominator in teons of design taste, maybe people like
their memories to be tacky and therefore larger than life.
Souvenir - Greetings from Sydney is an exhibition to be held in 'Cralispace', the
gallery of the Crafts Council of NSW (CCNSW). It will present the work of
Australian craftspeople, who will be invited to contribute prototypes for souvenirs
of Sydney.
Souvenir is not intended to be a 'serious' exhibition which attempts to tap a
market. Rather it is intended to take a tongue-in-cheek look at tlle souvenir industry
while having a bit of fun looking at what Sydney is really about. It presents the
opponunity to ask: 'What is a souvenir anyway, and what is an appropriate memento
of Sydney" The focus will be on the meanings we associate with souvenirs - how
they represent a place and how they influence our memories of a visit.
Craftspeople will be asked to produce souvenirs which represent their
understanding of Sydney and how souvenirs can evoke these understandings.
Emphasis will not be placed on the viability of the objects as commercial souvenirs
but on the content and intention of these objects. Participants may choose LO
approach the exhibition in a light hearted manner, emphasising tlle kitsCh, camp and
irreverent or take a more critical look at souvenirs 'and their representation of Sydney.
While Souvenir wUl seek to involve relevant industry bodies it will nO! be driven
by the concerns of these organisatiOns.
TIlis is not to say Souvenir will not have a serious agenda. It will: Present a
model for curated exhibitions which are designed to attract the attention and
interest of an industry sector and generate commissions; Provide an opportunity for
the CCNSW to develop a working relationship with the Sydney City COllncil;
Provide an opportunity for a Designed and Made project 10 be designed
specifically for 'Cralispace'.
The exhibition venue will be 'Cralispace', the Rocks, Sydney, and the exhibition
date will be March 1996.
Cralispeople from all states will be invited to participate. Those interested in
participating should send proposals 10 the Craft Curator, Craft Council of NSW early
in December. (02) 2479126
Each craftsperson will be allowed to contribute up to two works, each of which
will not retail for more than $200. There would also be a size restriction placed on
the objects.
All works will be for sale.
ISSUE 3414 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERY IN A USTAAUA 81

News for S ummer 1995 · COl\~'lTED
81H NATIONAL CERAMICS CONFERENCE
STOP THIEF!
Theft or personal interpretationi How would you feel if another poner started producing work which was so
obviously similar to your own that you had no doubt from where the idea had come?
'Pinched Pots' will be the title of one discussion session at tlle Conference. Focusing on plagiarism, influence,
tmdition and appropriation, induding that from Third World and indigenous cultures, uris promises to start a very
controversial and lively debate. Keynote speaker in the lead up to this session will be internationally recognised historian,
author, gallery owner and critic of cemmics Garth Clark from the USA. Once the colloquial meaning of 'pindled' had been
clarified Garth became very enthusiastic about dlis 'wonderful' topic and is looking fOlWard to taking pan in the Conference.
Alison Britton and John Teschendorff will be the other keynote speakers to introduce discussion sessions. Janet
Mansfield will give the address at the Conference dinner.
Janet De Boos and Greg Daly have been doing a marvellous job planning the progmmme and it looks set to be a great
hlend of stimulation for the grey maner, visual and Iiteml feasting and a super rnarket for ideas.
Canberm 6th - 9th July 1996, Canberra School of An, ANU.
IVAN GLUCH
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
TO NEWCASTLE
Ivan will give one of his rare work shops on slip casting
and press mould making on the 17th and 18th of
February at the: Newcastle Studio Potters
57 Bull Street,
Cooks Hill (Newcastle) 2300
Contact: Barry Meiklejohn
Telephone 049 613 564
The workshop will be partly parricipation with students
making a two piece slip cast mould.
Ivan will lecture and demonstrJte on hump and flop
mould making. Plaster and moulds and their uses and
advantages. He pronlises a very intensive weekend.
Ivan is a second generation potter, his father being
traditionally trained in Denmark, worked in several
factories including the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain
Factory. Ivan has been teaching now for 15 years at the
East Sydney Technical College.
The Potter's
Market, WA
The Potter's Market has recently started
pottery classes and workshops in its large
work shed area at the back of the shop.
When the Fremantle TAFE Ceramics
Department closed its doors, a void
emerged for residents living south of the
river to study pottery. Wheel and throwing
classes for beginners are available and two
classes have begun in these areas.
Stewart Scrambler, formerly teaching at
Fremantle TAFE and also at Fremantle Arts
Centre, takes students for wheel work on
Tuesday nights. Tristan Coleman, who
works at the Potter's Market is taking the
handbuilding class on Saturday momings.
Next year we hope to have Sandra Black,
Pip Drysdale and Jenny Dawson showing us
their techniques.
82 POTTERY IN AUSTRAUA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995

- -------------------------------------------
Meet New ZealantPs
:
Some of New Zealand's well-known potters and craft artisans
are making some very special arrangements for Australian
potters who join the 14 day potter's [Qur [Q New Zealand
organised by Destination Management which departs Australia
in March 1996. Places on the [Qur are strictly limited to 20
passengers, so you should register your interest now if you are
planning on joining the tour. Visits on the itinerary include Albany Village
Pottery; Waipu Tile Studio to meet with the owner/artists Rod and Pasty
Bowey; the home studios of Brian Gartside, Peter and Diane Stich bury;
Alan Rhodes Pottery and Anneke Borren to name a few.
John Parker, one of Auckland's foremost potters, has extended a
personal invitation [Q members of this tour for an informal aftemoon at
his home. John will also invite a few of the local West Auckland potters to
bring along some of their works and [Q be present [Q 'talk pots' over
some light refreshments.
The owners of Pots of Ponsonby, a co-op offering a superb range of
work by prominent New Zealand potters, will open their store on a
Sunday, exclu ively for members of this tour.
Eccentric, controversial and non-confomlist, Barry BricknaU, will show
you around his pottery-cum railway-cum home, all built by himself and
set in natural surrounds at Driving Creek on the Corornandel Peninsular.
In the Nelson region, visit working potters and craftspeople in their
own working environment where the source of their inspiration is all
around you. The strong arts community supports many skilled potters,
woodworkers and weavers, amongst others. Visit the Suter Art Gallery,
the Civic Art Gallery of the region which holds the third la rgest
permanent co llection in the South Island and featu res regular special
exhibitions.
The itinerary has been designed [Q also include touring through New
Zealand's beautiful countryside, especially scenic during Aultllnn months.
Tour across the rugged Coromandel Peninsula - an area which has anracted
many potters; wander amongst the thermal pools and geysers of Rotorua;
cruise the Marlborough Sound and enjoy a guided tour on the franz Josef
Glacier.
If you would like more information and a copy of the itinerary please
contao:
Destination Management
PO Box 11 09, Stafford Q 4053
Tel (07) 33596651 Fax (07) 33591263
TRAVELLING POTTER
In January 1996 I will be travelling to and staying in
Sydney Australia for approximately 6 months. As a
potter/teacher here in Great Britain I would be most
interested to be able to visit other poHers in Sydney to look
at their work and to learn new modelling/glozing
te

--- - - - - -
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Issue 34/4 Summer1995
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0 Energy Saving Max Murray $8.00
0 Firing a Kiln with LPG Gas Grieve $7.00
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0 Raku Erickson $7.00
0 Fibre Kiln Glazes Kemp $11.00
0 More Fibre Kiln Glazes Kemp $11.00
0 Viaorian Ceramic Group Glaze Booklet VCG $11.00
0 Salt Glazing Mansfield $7.00
0 Potters Beware Rosemary Perry $8.00
Subtotal _
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Decoration
Graduate Students
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Queensland Focus
Assymetrical Clay
Graduate Students
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$5 each including postage witltin Australia
$9 each including postage overseas
TOTAL
(Prices include postagewititinAustralia.
Add extra $3 each for postage overseas)
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86 POTTERY IN Aus11wJA + ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995
Send to Pottery in Australia - P.o. Box 937 Crows Nest 2065
Phone: (02) 9901 3353 Fax: (02) 436 16s1

NSW Ratt Gallery NOMcote POII-m; Services Jam Fact;'& Craft & Design
Aklersons Al1s & Crafts 5- Raglan St, MANLY 2095 85A Clyde St, ORNBURY Lion Al1s ntre
64-68 Violet St.
19 Morphen St, ADEWDE
REVESBY
SpOIled Gum Studio
Potters COllage GaII~
Leetes Une, 1lJMB1 321 Jumping Creek R New Works Design
Aldersons Al1s and Crafts Centre
Studio Showcase WARRANDYTE 219 Stun Street, ADEWDE
262 Railway Ave, KOGARAH
188 Victoria Road Pooers Equ~ment Potter's Lot
An GaUery of NSW DRUMMOYNE 2047 13/42 New , RINGWOOD Main Rd, COROMANDIE VAllEY
Domain Rd, SYDNEY
Stun Craft Centre Red Hill South Newsagency Studio 20
Atun An MITIAGONG horeham Rd, RED HILL Coromandle Pde,
Shop 57, Burwood Plaza
BLACKWOOD
Railway Pde, BURWOOD Syreus Newsag~~ The Al1s Book ~
30-32 Otho St, Ii 1067 High St., DALE The Pug Mill
Back to Back Galleries
17A Rose St, MIlE END
76 Wommara Ave, BELMONT Old Bake,(; G~
TI,eatre An
P.O. Box 93 COVE 20 Julia St, POR11.AND 3305 WESTERN AUSTRAliA
Bathurst R¥ional An Gallery
BATHURS Tall'f,nda POIIe~ lbe Valley GaUel An~S & Robenson Bookworld
116 aUace St B DWOOD
Cnr Steels Creek Valley Roads 24 York Street, ALBANY
Beckers Newsa~ency
The An Shed Galle~ YARRA GlEN An
Shop 4 AMP
Gallery of WA
BUlldin~ 7 Naas Road, THAR A
557 Dean St, AlBUR 2640 Victorian Ceramics Group Bookshop, PERTH
TI,e Plains Pooery & Craft 7 Blackwood St, Crafts Council of WA
Bellin~en Newsa~~ Centre NORTH MELBOURNE
83 Hy e Street, B 'GEN
Penh City Railway Station
36 Aurburn Street, MOREE
Walker Ceramics
PERTH
BrookvaIe H~ Ceramic Studio The Pooery Loft
IlfPoweUs Rd, ROOKY ALE
55 Lusher Rd, CROYDON Extravaganza
360 The Entrance Road Esplanaae Com~lex ,
Ca;;nters Newsa~en~
ERINA HEIGHTS
Warmambool Pooers Wheel
74 Liebig St, W ARRNAMBOOL Middleton Beac " ALBANY
25 iloughby Rd, RO NEST The Pooery Place Hewins An Boo=.
Ceramic Study Group 52 Princes Highway, QUEENSLAND 7 Mouat St, FRE E
FAIRY MEADOW
TheAnery
Clay Things Pooers GaII~
Tumin e Wheels P.O. Box 343 WARWICK Fremande Al1s Centre
383 Sydney Rd, BALGO
1 Finneny St FREMANllE
2/313 rown Street Australian Craftworks
TIle Craft Centre WOLLONGONG Shop 20, Village une, CAIRNS Guildford Village Poners
88 Geor~ Street 22 Me'Jdow St, GlJILDFORD
The Roc ,SYDNEY Walker Ceramics Claycraft SUffplies
98=t, 29 O'Conne Terrace Jacksons Ceramics
Desi~lus Gal:Jrt KIL HEIGHTS BOWEN HIllS 4 Jersey St, JOUMONT
P.O. x 657 Q NBEY AN
Claymates
Ma~aret River Pooery
The Fabled Bookshops ACT
91 usseUH~
54 Terania Stree~ Canberra Potters Society 120 Mer St,
MARGARET R
NORTH LISMORE Crafts Council ACT MAROOCHYDORE
I Aspinal Street, WATSON Hidden Talent Studio-Gallery The Pothole
Gleebooks
2 The Cresent, MlDL>\ND
131 Glebe Point Rd, GLEBE CuppacumbaJo~ Craft Centre ~6 , 1411n~ Road
Naas Rd, THAR A END, T WNSVlLLE 4810 Pooers Market
Golden Canvas ~
Garerna Place Pooers
McCabes Newsagency
18 Stockdale Road, O'CONNOR
218 Darling St, B N
18 Garerna Place, CANBERRA 7 Eight Ave, HOME HILL NORTHERN TERRITORY
Headmasters Galldh OTY 2601
Aussie patz
175 Rosedale Road . IVES
Maranoa Pooery ~lies Shop 14
National An Gall~ of Aust. 143 James Street, WOOMBA
Hilidav Industries
Rapid Creek Shopping Village
Bookshop, CANB RRA
108 Oakes Rd, Middle Ridge Ponery CASUARINA
OLD TOONGABBIE The An Shed 128 Nelson St, TOOWOOMBA TASMANIA
7 Naas Road, THARW A
NOM Queensland Potters Ceramic 5 Studio
~Iuies Newsa~~
The Corso, L Walker Ceramics Association, TOWNSVILLE 13 Russell St, INVERMA Y
289 Canberra Avenue,
inner Ci~laywo rk ers
Ponery sur~lies
Emrepot An Products
FYSHWICK
Cm St Jo Rd & Darghan St P.O. Box Centre for the Al1s
GLEBE VICTORIA PADDlNGTON QLD 4064 Hunter St, HOBART
Anlsan Craft Books
Janets An Books
Meat Market Craft Centre The POII:cll' Place
Handmark GaUery
143 Victoria Ave, CHATSWOOD 42Counn~ , 171 ewe St, CAlRNS n Salamanca Place,
=
NORTH OURNE
BAffiRYPOINf
Keane Ceramics
Queensland An GaUery
371 Debenham Rd, SOMERSBY Bendigo Pooery Services SOUTH BRISBANE UNITED KINGDOM
Midlarid Highway, EPSOM
Contemporary Ceramics
Kiln and Pooery Queensland Pooers Assoc, Craft Poners Assoc ShoJ
31-33 Hill Street, 2358 Cla)'Works Potters SU~ies 482 Brunswick St, 7 Marshall St, LONDO
LE.M. Al1s Hobby Ceramics
6 Johnson Cn, DAND ONG FORTITUDE VALlEY
U.S.A.
Studio Dairing GaUery Quinja Ponery Seattle Pottery Sd,plies
5/6 Wilmette Place, MONA VAlE 321 Lennox Street, RICHMOND 1/ 10 Em Harley Drive, 35 South Starifor ,SEA 1TIE
Mud~ee Book Case
Distelfmk
BURLEIGH HEADS
GaU~
NEW ZEALAND
10 C urch Street, MUDGEE 432 Burwood R , HAWTHORN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Coastal Ceramics
Mura Clay Gallery G~sland Pone2.' sUJKly Aldgate Crafts 124 Rimu Rd,
49-51 King Street, NEWTOWN 2 Avondale R ,M WELL 4 Strathalbyn Rd, ALDGATE PARAPARAUMU
Newcastle Poner ~lb Linden - St KUda An Centre Bamfurlong Fine Crafts
P.O. Box 420 MA 26 Acland St, ST KlLDA 34 Main St, HAHNDORF
Cobcraft SuPg:es
24 Essex St, RISTCHURCH
NSW POIIe,?: S~ National GaU:lRlt Victoria Fish Fantasia GaUery
P.O. Box 4 3 P TIA Bookshop, ME OURNE 102 Main St., HANDORF
South Street G~
10 Nile Street, N
ISSUE 34/4 SUMMER 1995 + POTIERY IN AUSTRAUA 87

POTTERY IN AUSTRALIA
SPECIAL OFFER
The Complete Potter Series BY MNGAROO PRESS
o Animal Fonns - Wren
RRP
SPECIAL OFFER
$24.95 $17.50
o Pols for Planls and
Gardens _ Higgins
RRP
SPECIAL OFFER
$24.95 $17.50
o Raku - Byers o Decorated Earthenware -
Levy
RRP SPECIAL OFFER RRP SPECIAL OFFER
$24.95 $17.50 $25.95 $18.00
Add postage and handling: $7.00 one book • Add $3.50 for each extra book • Overseas add AU$10 per copy
Glazes and Glazing
Techniques BY GREG DALY
D GJazesandG~gTecJutiques
-GregDaiy
RRP
$35.00
SPECIAL OFFER
$29.00
G LAI E S
--AND-­
GlA1IMG TECHNIQUEI
Visiting the Mino Kilns
With a Translatiln of haJ

B& L
PTY LTD
ACN 005 056 066
FURNACES
• Electric in air to 2000'C • Vacu urn • Heat treatment · Con trolled
Atmosphere · Melting . Gas to 2300'C
£eft: Model K4A - Filted wilb SbimMen temperature controUer
Beww: ModeL KL lA - Filted wilh SbinuU!en temperatllre controll"
CLEAN EfFICIENT ELECTRI C KILNS AND FURNACES
• Environmentally friendly
• Low density hot face insulating brick (fibre free)
• Economical to operate
• Made in Australia
• One of Australia's most experienced kiln and furnace manufacturers
• Australia's largest range 32 standard sizes/custom made sizes on request
• 30 years experience - est. 1963
• 15.000 kilns and furnaces now in use
• Kanthal A 1 elements
• Fast firing to 1300'C
• Safety switch/energy regulator/warning light/standard on all electric kilns
• You r choice of kiln sitterlliJnit timer - or electronic temperature controller
• Ventilation system
12 GEORGE STREET, BLACKBURN VICTORIA 3130. AUSTRALIA
TELEPHONE (03) 9877 4188 FACSIMILE (03) 98941974
INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE 6139877 4188 FACSIMILE 613 98941974

LIQUID UNDERGLAZE
COLOURS
Northcote Pottery presents their new range of
liquid underglazes for use on raw or bisqued clay.
Available in a range of 21 colours, these
underglazes provide intense colour and high
opacity on most bodies.
Choose from 20ml sample kits, 50mL 250mL 500ml
and 1000ml.
~---
MOST COLOURS WILL FIRE TO STONEWARE TEMPS.
85A Clyde Street, Thornbury, 3071. Phone: (03) 484 4580 Fax: (03) 480 3075

POTTERS i
IN AUSTRALIA
raw materials and day bodies I
'- IVAN McMEEKIN
Available from
Pottery in Australia
Special Price
$15
(Including postage)
Orders: PO Box 937 Crows Nest 2065
Fox (02) 436 1681 , Ph 029 901 3353
ALDERSON'S
of
*REVESBY *KOGARAH
* Paragon Kilns
* Ward Kilns
* Walker Clays/Slips
* Keanes Clays
* Cesco Glazes
* Duncan Glazes
* Kemper Tools
* US Moulds
* Plasters/ Latex
Main Warehouse. Open 6 Days
64 Violet St, Revesby. 2212
Phone 02/772 1066
also at
264 Railway Pd.,
Kogarah.
~~ Phone 02/587 2699
Open 7 Days

(formerly N.G. Brown & Assoc. - Gas Division)
. "- • ...-.. • Manufacturers of venturi burners for
gas kilns
• F)ame failure safety equipment
• Temperature controf equipment
• Digital and analogue pyrometers
• Jewellers torches
• Glass wor1."tensive
library of books, videos and slides
\h'l,till:,:''' an' Iwld un till' fHlIflh rricla~ uf
('.wh IIWllfh (""t"'I)! l)t·t · (· IIII){'r-F(·hrll.lr~
iru-Iu .. ht·) ill tilt' \la... un TIH'utn', Builclill,.!!
E7H. \lal'clu.,rit- l flh l·r ... it~
CSG Inc. PO Boll 1528, Macquane Centre NSW 2113
Telephone 02 · 953 5938 or 02 • 869 2 195
Ex-eEL KILNS
Proudly manufactured by Geoff & Nan Holdsworth of
G.A.N. Trading
***6 C.F. to 20 C.F. setting capacity as standard stock lines
Kiln Building Materials: Bricks, Fibre, Mortars, Anchors, Burners, etc.
Wholesale & Retail
OLD'S largest stockist of cane handles, keg taps and tools
Cane handles from $2.75 retail
Discount available on bulk and club orders
G.A.N. Trading, MS F177, 55 Nash Road, Gympie 4570
Telephone (074) 82 7283 Fax (074) 828302 Mobile (018) 713340

CLAYWORKS
FINE FILTERPRESSED STONEWARE CLAYS
The RAM Press can be used in forming a wide range of ceramic objects;
pots, dishes, tiles, art pieces, & jewellery whilst maintaining artistic quality.
• Custom Designed Presses
• Custom Designed Moulds
• Low Unit Production Costs
• Higher Productivity
• Mould Making Available
• Mould Making Training Available
NEW RELEASE
TWE
A very white earthenware clay body avaiJable in plastic, slip or powder form.
An excellent clay body with good plasticity, fired strength,
glaze fit & low absorption
Recommended firing tern perature 1100-114 O°C
Ring or write for a free sample & technical data sheet
CLAYWORKS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
6 JOHNSTON CRT DANDENONG 3175
PHONE (03) 791 6749 FAX (03) 7924476
ACN 007 005 923

VIDEO WO~RSHOPS FO~ POTTE~S
Maki"g Mark,
Ceramic Surface Decoration
(Six Half· Hour Programs
A video series dedicated to the
decoration and eruichment of cerannc
surtaces. Full of closwps of surfuce
details, working processes and tools
that document a master potter at work
1. Intro & Surface Removal
Processes
2. Marks of Addition &
Impression
3. Liquid & Coloured Clays
4. Pigments & Resists
5. Glazes & Glazing
6. Firing & Post-Firing Effects
with ~ohi" Hopper
Form a"d F ",,"ion
Ceramic Aesthetics and Design
(Five individual Programs)
Robin Hopper expands on his classic
text, Furx:tionaJ Pottery, exploring the
nature of form and the tension that
exists between pots that please the eye
yet function well in the home.
1. Elements of Form
2. Lids & Terminations
3. Spouts & Handles
4. Pots for Eating &
Drinking
5. Pots for Cooking &
Serving
A lso Ava ila ble: Va ria t i 0'" 0" ~ a k" wit" C;ortlo" H IItd,,,,
A 33 minute video with printed notes and recipes. Featuring applications of the following processes.
terra sigillata, fuming, saggar ware, slip resists and post-firing reduction.
MMarks Each
MMarks Series
Varialions on Raku
Personal
$39.95
$199.95
$49.95
Institution *
$79.95
$399.95
$99.95
Personal Institution *
FFunction each $44.95 $89.95
FFunction Series $199.95 $399.95
"Institutional price includes Public Performance rights
Australia:-
New Zeala nd:-
Please add $5.00 post and handling for one video. Or $7.50 for two to six videos.
Please add $6.00 each video post and packing for air mail delivery.
TO ORDER TEUFAX 09345 1434 OR COMPLETE THIS ORDER FORM AND MAIL TO:­
JBF D ISTRIBUTORS, 142 FLINDERS STREET, YOKlNE, P ERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, 6060.
Fonn and Function Making Marks Raku Price + Post Total
No Set I 2 3 4 5 Set I 2 3 4 5 6
Qty
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Delightful, practical projects you
can use in your house and garden
Simple Ceramics
Hand-built pots for kitchen and garden
Dawna Richardson-Hyde
Make beautnul and useful ceramic pieces for the ktlchen and
the garden, from simple spoon rests to an extravagant bird
bath, wtlh this hands-on guide from the Lothian Australian
Craft Series.
Ceramics is made simple with an introduction to working
with clay, glaze and piaster and descriptions of all basic
techniques, including forming, decorating, drying, glazing
and firing and tips for setting up a studio. There are over 16
projects to make with many suggested variations.
Dawna Richardson-Hyde trained as a graphic designer and
been a potter and a teacher in Canada and Australia for
over twenty years. She now lectures in ceramics
and design at Outer Eastern College of TAFE in
Melbourne. Her work is held in private and public
collections in Canada and in Australia. Dawna is
, colmmitted to the exchange of ideas and information
on her craft and to the building of creative
confidence, at all age levels.
~1I
Lothian
AVAILABLE FROM ALL
GOOD BOOKSHOPS
11 Munro Streel
Port Melboume VICtoria 3207
Meet potters & visit their studios in
!\lew Zealand, South Africa, Greece & Turkey
Join our small group tours to:
New Zealand - 22 March, 1996
Greece & Turkey - 9 September, 1996
South Africa - 5 October, 1996
1996
Events
For brochures and more information contact
Destination Management
P.o . Box 1109, Stafford. Qld 4053
Phone: (07) 3359 6651 Fax: (07) 3359 1263

Claycraft
Supplies pty. Ltd.
29 O'Connell Tee, Bowen Hills, Brisbane
PO Box 1278, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006
Telephone: (07) 854151 5 Fax: (07) 2521941
Materials and equipment for
craft potters, schools and potteries
Clays: Feeneys, Bennetts, Clayworks,
Cesco, Keanes, Northcote, Walkers
Raw Materials, Oxides, Stains, Corks,
Clockmovements, Tools, Equipment
Lotion pumps, Kero Lamps, Oil Bu rners
Cesco underglazes and glazes
Ferro colours Ward kilns
Venco Wheels and Pug Mills
Queensland agent for Talisman products
Free comprehensive catalogue
B·P·QKILNS
Manufacturers of
- DigitempTM Pyrometer (N, R or K)
- Electric top loading kilns from 0.4 to 7.1 cu ft
Other services include
• Kiln repairs (mobile service SE QLD)
• Kiln controllers supplied and repaired
• Pyrometers repaired and calibrated
• Thermocouples supplied and repaired
Beachmere Pottery OLD
PO Box 18 Beachrnere QLD 4510
Telephone 074 99 0733 - Facsimile 074 98 3345
or contact your local retailer

MANUFACTURERS OF
• Underglazes
• Brush-on glazes
• Powdered Glazes
• Casting slips
• Clay Bodies
KILNS
• Electric or gas fired
• Fibre or brick lined
Ceramic Supply Company Pty Ltd
1/17-19 Pavesi Street
Guildford NSW 2161
Telephone 02 • 892 1566
Facsimile 02 • 892 2478

VENCO DE AIRING
PUG MILLS
all stainless steel
Features All stainless steel heavy duty barrel with antirotation
wear ribs' High capacity gear box with 3 Kw (4HP) or 5.5
Kw (7HP) three-phase motor' twin cylinder vacuum pump with 0.75
Kw (1 HP) three-phase motor' Optional 212mm (8 1 /2') or 262mm
(10 1 /2") barrel' Rectangular 150mm x 125mm (6" or 5") nozzle or
135mm (5 1 /2') diameter nozzle • High capacity nominal 11/4 tonne/h
(212mm model) or 2 tonne/h (262mm model).
G.P. & G.F. HILL PTY LTD
29 Owen Road, Kelmscott WA 6111 Australia
Telephone 61 93995265 Facsimile 61 9497 1335
ACN 008 969 104

HOT & STICIIT [Il!
Steve Harrison - KILN & CLAY TECHNOLOGY
CUSTOM DESIGNED AND BUILT:
KILNs • RI brick or fibre
BURNERS • LPG or natural gas
HOODS • custom built stainless steel
STAINLESS STEEL FLUE SYSTEMS
KILNS AVAILABLE IN KIT FORM
KILNS DESIGNED, PLANS DRAWN AND SPECIFICATIONS
VENCO POTTERS WHEELS
VENCO VACUUM PUG MILLS
KILN SHELVES • sillimanite or silicon carbide
DIGITAL PYROMETERS AND THERMOCOUPLES
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
Old School Balmoral Village via Picton 2571
Telephone or facsimile • 048 898 479
....------h; II d av ELEC I RK: KJLNS
Hilldav are proud to announce two new kilns to their range of
electric kilns.
Due to the demand for V'.ide kilns, to fire large platters, etc. Hilidav have
manufactured two V'.ide bodoo kilns, 9cu ft and 11 cu ft.
I>s lJSU

CRAFT AT
THE ROCKS
The Rocks Market is
expanding its range of
craft stalls and is calling
for expressions of interest
from experienced crafts people
who would like ta be a part of
Sydney's most prestigious
street market. The Rocks.
The Market Place.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION
PHONE
2551717
KRISTEN-LEE BAlWE

IDawarra Institute of Technology
Goulbum College
C rea t e you r f u t u rein Ceramics
Visual Arts or
Music
'The CoUeg: often llIudie. at
Certifi ..... Associate Diploma
aod Diploma levels.
Residential & dillckare
f"'iliti ..... also available.
For infoll118tion contact:
~a..tes. PO Box 240.
GouJbum 2580 It1: (048) 231 800
• " it J
Glazes and Glazing Techniques
$120 Members
$150 Non Members
BookIngs
Phone 01-9901-3353
Cheques to: PSA
PO Box 937 Crows Nest
2065
To be held at
Walkers Ceramics
Sydney
02-451-5855
Places limited
Sat 10th & 5&.Il11th Febuary 1996

LEAIt'l THE FI,\E ART OF THIIOW~C
fit
VIC GREENAWAY SCI-IOOL OF CERAMICS
~Ieal ~Iark.t Crafl Centre
42 (;ourlnpy Sfrf>cl \orlh \lelhourne
oEmluiries'
telepholle 03 9 3:l9 9966 weekdn). flle,imiJe 03 9 3~9 9972
or OIH ;W4 34.'; during !rulUllry
I-Ieadmast~s
Gallel1J
ENROLm:m FOil 1996 COURSFS NOW BEINC ACCEP'ITO,
CO~L\ IEIIiCINC tATE 1A.Il/UARY
POilal.ddrrss: PO &1 209'2. Prahran Vic 3181
Changing exhihitions - with an emphasis on
ceramics, wood, glass and boLh
contemporary and anlique Asian textiles
175 Rosedale Road, 8. Ives NSW 2075
Telephone 02 44 6561 Facsimile (02) 4493916
The Meat Market
C H AFT C E T R E
•
The Meat Market Craft Centre is
the focus for craft in Victoria
\V atch craftspeople producing high quality
textile, wood, metal glass and ceramic
goods in ow' workshops
•
See the finest Australian eraJts in fOllr
exciting exhibition spaces
•
Select 8 beautiful and unique gifl rrom one
of our two retail Craft Sbops
•
Create yow' own fine craft in one of Lite
many classes on offer
•
Rest and refl ect on yow' fantastic
experience wllile eujoying delicious
refreshments in our Coffee Shnp
42 Courtney Street, North Melbourne
Telephone 03 9329 9966

'7 ;:...
~.?l ~
S' C,
'0.f ~~~

fOR HANDBUILT AND fUNOIONAL POTTERY
clay things
art and croft
photography
BY GUll" A. KEEP
383 Sydney Rood, BAlGOWlAH, NSW 2093
Phone: (02) 948 6590
Open 7 days • New Members welcome
• coo.. ~ bIod IIJI! while • Srudio ~ Ioco1ioo
"fREE ADVICE ON YOUR PHOTOGiAPtlY, PROMOTIONAL AND PUBUCITY NHOS"
""018021471 Faod!(02}99W 00
SlID! (02) 9997 8220
lule l/lwnlllnd,"'" 'Ide I6VI AuHa 211ll
me tVtt Jut
GALLERY
7 Nees Road Therwe NSW 2620
Telephone 06 237 5144 Facsimile 06 237 5117
OPEN WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY l OAM - 5PM
AUSTRALIAN POTTERY:
TH E fIRST 100 YEARS
BY GEOFF FORD RRP $145
• 416 A4 pagl'J CaJt! hOWld
• Laminated dtIJl Jackel
• OVl'r 800 ;1wviving pi«.u
pbol,,!/rapbeil in colour
• Oller 100 original bcl,,·
hiJtorical pbolograplM
• OlJ(r 300 paller;, mar~
• 66 pag~J of original calalogueJ
an.d price IkJfJ
• The fIIOJ! comprekflJivt! 6