The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 52 No 3 November 2013

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Cheryl Lucas
Three woodfired pourers
them to move comfortably around each other -
making pots, sharing a small work space, cooperating
over the fussy business of wadding and packing hundreds of pots, splitting and stacking several tons of
wood, working in firing teams, stoking day and night to keep the anagama kiln firing over four days.
Although many of these potters had no prior experience of woodfiring, working w ith the unknown
was what they had come for. This is what they had experienced in China, and it had profound effeds
on all of them. Richard Parker said, "Opportunities of travel and work are invaluable in refreshing and
invigorating work." Collaborations give colleagues the chance to work together, absorbing others'
energy and learning from each other in unspoken, subtle ways, particularly important in a field often
marked by solitary and self-direded work. Chris Weaver commented: "What a privilege to be part of
this group of makers, some of whose work I have admired for years." Cheryl Lucas said "the group are
there should I wish to talk through an idea and brain storm a process" and John Parker summed up the
experience by saying that " the concentrated work cycle with the other potters formed an unbreakable
bond that perpetuates. There is residual mutual care and concern founded on our special shared
experience " .4
The Fuping group brought to the Sturt residency a wide diversity of ceramic styles and techniques,
from colourfully glazed earthenware pieces to groups of regularly formed black and white pots, strongly
expressive woodfired sculptural work to exquisitely nuanced tableware, and heavily woodfired bottles
to deliberately pared back abstrad vessels . This contrast of style and technique between the artists was
just one of the fadors that contributed to the success of the residency. This diversity dominated the slide
evening when eleven lives w ere condensed into five-minute talks w ith accompanying images, giving
the audience a privileged insight into some of the inspirations and challenges of contemporary ceramic
careers.
This was an inspirational residency shaped by the quality of collaboration between the partici pants
and a fascinating chapter in the continuing story of China, people, and making pots.
Megan Patey was Director of Sturt from 1999 to 2009. She is an occasional photographer and
writer of ceramics articles and makes pots in her studio.
Full detaIls about the Fuplng residency can be found in Ceramics Technical, Issue No 26, 2008
Susie MCMeekin, Janet OeBoos and Chester Nealie contributed work for The Fupmg Group - Sharing the Experience
3 Janet Mansfield was part of the origlOal Fuping group and sadly could not be part of this proje