The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 49 No 2 July 2010

Inside my studio
Neville French inside his studio, Buninyong, 2010; photo: Elizabeth French
In Conversation with
Neville French
Vicki Grima: When did you first use clay and what did you make?
Neville French: I went to art school to study painting, but developed a fascination with ceramics in
my first year. I built a wood-fired raku kiln in my backyard and started making large coiled and pinched
forms with burnished and smoked surfaces and then went on to major in ceramics.
VG: Where is your current studio?
NF: Buninyong, Victoria.
VG: How long have you been working in your current studio?
NF: I designed and built my studio and home from mud bricks in 1989. It is on the foothills of Mount
Buninyong overlooking the western plains.
VG : What are the essential features a studio of yours has to have?
NF: Large w indows on the north for bright natural light and a view into the garden to soothe the soul.
VG: Describe your work pattern.
NF: I teach and coordinate the Diploma of Ceramics at the University of Ballarat four days a week and
work in my own studio on the other three days and evenings. I enjoy teach ing and the shared learning
and inspiration, and try to balance this commitment with my studio work, but at times I have needed to
take leave to complete work for major exhibitions.
In my studio I create work in series - about ten large pieces followed by smaller functional pieces. I push
the material to its limits in order to create tension and energy in the contours and spend quite a lot of
time mixing and testing glazes.
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