The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 53 No 2 July 2014

St udio
An Overflow of Creativity
Caterina Leone reports on Cascade Artists' Studios
For many emerging ceramicists, the problem of finding or setting up a
studio, especially after the luxuries of art school, is the first major challenge
in their careers. To equip a space with enough of the necessities to produce
work is difficult enough, but there is the added anxiety of losing the artistic
community that comes with art school or shared studios. Of the latter, there
are very few shared studios that have ceramics facilities.
Jacqueline Spedding was faced with this problem after graduating from
Sydney College of the Arts in 2011 with a Masters of fine Arts. Based in the
beautiful Blue Mountains in NSW, Spedding was keen to continue working
in a shared studio as she had in the inner city. Yet the nearest was at least an
hour away, prompting her to start her own instead. After locating a warehouse
overlooking the bush in the Lawson Industrial Estate, Spedding placed an ad in the local paper seeking
'like-minded artists to share the space'. Furniture designer Michael Hoffman was drawn by the prospect
of creative company, and within three months the pair had repurposed recycled materials into internal
walls and furniture, cost-effectively transforming the industrial shed into a creative work space. Local
artists Mandy Schoene-Salter and Linda Seiffert also signed up, together creating Cascade Artists'
Studios.
The studio is also keen to host artists-in-residence, as well as workshops and events. From January
to February 2014, Cascade Artists' Studios hosted their first visiting artist, Eun Young Lee from South
Korea. Eun Young, a ceramic artist studying at Hongik University, spent two weeks working in the studio
and exploring the local landscape. A second artist, Caitlin Hughes, will be in residence in June.
Cascade Studios are equipped with three electric kilns - a 13 cubic foot Hildav, a Tetlow K6 test
kiln, and a Ward SA. All required significant servicing and new elements, and were also fitted with
Harco controllers which, Spedding points out, .. hurt financially at the time but was well worth the
investment" . She has found that a good way to find cheaper equipment is from studios that are closing
down, so far successfully purchasing a ball mill, industrial scales, a compressor, an electric wheel, work
benches, drying shelves and more. The studio also has an area for plaster work and another for screen
printing onto clay. They are looking into obtaining a printing press and possibly a slab roller to expand
the capabilities of the studio even further. There is also a small installation area where work can be
set up for exhibitions. Another benefit to establishing a shared studio space is the added skills and
equipment that can be shared by artists in other disciplines. Spedding happily exclaims: "With Michael's
woodworking machines and metal lathe to add to the list, we pretty much have most aspects of our
practice covered! ..
Cascade Artists' Studios, 23- 27 Cascade Street, Lawson NSW 2783; find them on Facebook
Opposite page: 1 Linda Seiffert; photo: Jennifer leahy, Silversal! 2 Michael Hoffman's workshop; photo: Mandy SchOne­
Salter 3 Eun Young lee 4 Jacqueline Spedding in the studio, 2014; photo: Mandy SchOne-Salter 5 Artists in the studio,
2013; photo: Mandy Schone-Sa her 6 Jacqueline Spedding, Transcend. 2014; photo: Keith Maxwell 7 Unda Seiffert.
Undulating Form, 2013; photo: Keith Maxwell 8 Jacqueline Spedding. Passing Time (detail), 2014; photo: Keith Maxwell
90 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS JULY 2014