F!NK alternative jug project

F!NK ALTERNATIVE
JUG PROJECT
Craft ACT Craft + Design Centre

Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre is supported by the ACT
Government, the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy – an initiative
of the Australian State and Territory Governments, and the
Australia Council for the Arts – the Australian Government’s arts
funding and advisory body.
CRAFT ACT CRAFT + DESIGN CENTRE
Tues–Fri 10am–5pm
Saturdays 12–4pm
Level 1, North Building, 180 London Circuit,
Canberra ACT Australia
+61 2 6262 9333
www.craftact.org.au
Cover: Louise Scrivener, Tessaline, 2020, scotch brite finish,
polished sandblasted and anodised aluminium with powder
coated handle. Photo: DMC Photography

F!NK ALTERNATIVE
JUG PROJECT
ALEX ASCH | CHICK BUTCHER | BENGT CANNON | SCOTT CHASELING
COBI COCKBURN | CESAR CUEVA | MATTHEW CURTIS | XANTHE GAY
MARIE HAGERTY | JESS HIGGINS | ALISON JACKSON | HARRIET SCHWARZROCK
LOUISE SCRIVENER | TOM SKEEHAN | BRIAN TUNKS
Craft ACT Craft + Design Centre
27 AUGUST - 17 OCTOBER 2020
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F!NK alternative jug project
Exhibition statement
F!NK alternative jug project is a
collaborative exhibition which pays
homage to the late Robert Foster,
designer and founder of F!NK + Co, who
was tragically killed in a car accident in
2016 and is deeply missed. F!NK has a
long history of collaborating, mentoring
and supporting fellow artists, designers
and craftspeople. In 1993, F!NK was
established by Foster in Queanbeyan,
NSW, Australia, with the aim of creating a
design and manufacturing business that
would support and generate opportunities
for Australian designer-makers. Joined by
Gretel Harrison in 1995, together they built
F!NK into the business it is today – a much
loved and respected Australian design
company with an international reputation
for producing world-class tableware,
hollowware, jewellery and lighting.
bespoke artworks created as a result of
this collaboration were sold in the online
auction to raise funds for charity. Due to
the success of the live auction, Craft ACT
invited F!NK to showcase the alternative
designs in the F!NK alternative jug project
exhibition to allow people to view this
wonderful collaboration in person.
Artists include Alex Asch (ACT), Chick
Butcher (NSW), Bengt Cannon (ACT), Cobi
Cockburn (NSW), Cesar Cueva (NSW),
Matthew Curtis (NSW), Scott Chaseling
(NSW), Xanthe Gay (NSW), Marie Hagerty
(ACT), Jess Higgins (ACT), Alison Jackson
(NSW), Harriet Schwarzrock (NSW),
Louise Scrivener (ACT), Tom Skeehan
(ACT) and Brian Tunks (ACT).
F!NK invited 15 creatives with a direct
connection to Robert and/or F!NK over
the past 27 years to reimagine the iconic
F!NK jug with the intent to be included
in the F!NK collaborative jug project
auction earlier in the year. Two blank F!NK
jugs were provided to each artist with
which to begin. The first set of finished
Page 4-5: F!NK alternative jug project exhibition at Craft
ACT. Photo: 5 Foot Photography
Page 6-7: Gretel Harrison with her daughters at
the opening event of the exhibition. Photo: 5 Foot
Photography
Opposite: F!NK alternative jug project exhibition at Craft
ACT. Photo: 5 Foot Photography
Page 13: F!NK alternative jug project exhibition at Craft
ACT. Photo: 5 Foot Photography
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Exhibition essay
Catalogue essay: Virginia Rigney
A prelude
My guess is that the F!NK Water jug is
the kind of object that you will still recall
the moment that you first saw it.
1998, a hastily booked trip from Perth
to Queensland with a newish baby and
toddler. A recommendation from a travel
agent to stay at a yet to be fully opened
resort offering cheap deals. All of this
could have been terrible – but upon
arriving – to sit in this restaurant by the
water – and to be utterly struck by a set
of brilliantly turquoise-blue hued water
jugs on every table. An essential, but
often humble item of hollow ware, had,
with its contemporary sensuous shape,
easy but generous pour and electric
colour, immediately captured and
conveyed a dazzling welcome.
Then to be even more confounded upon
learning that they were designed and
made in Australia.
design had produced some spirited
and clever consumer products that
particularly responded to our lifestyle
, but there was little evidence of
products that straddled that difficult
point between the finesse of the hand
crafted and the multiplicity required for
a sustainable business. Such design
was generally seen as something that
came from elsewhere – places with
bigger populations and deep traditions
of connecting artisanal skills with
tooled manufacturing such as Italy,
Germany or Japan. So it seemed even
more unlikely that it had come from
the national capital – our ‘instant city’
with apparently no such manufacturing
tradition to speak of. Look more closely
and it made sense. An inspiring art
school with global connections and
an ambitious and outward looking
population drawn from all over the
nation and the world who lived daily
within the legacy of a design vision.
During the 1960s through to the late
1980s, Australian manufacturing and
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F!NK Alternative Jug Project
Water is life and water that we share
together at a table is that most basic
of offerings to any guest. This project
has equally been an offering back from
the 15 designers, makers and artists
to celebrate and acknowledge Robert
Foster’s impacts on their practice and
his wider legacies.
At this marker point of 27 years since
the jug’s design, the Alternative Jug
Project gives visible form to how
Foster’s generous spirit and enquiring
determination has inspired and informed
the work of others. Of course this
moment should never have had to
come so soon, but with space from the
numbness of sudden and tragic loss and
the natural tendency towards retreat,
through Gretel Harrison’s leadership, has
come a purposeful response that would
certainly have made Foster smile.
Formal recognition has already come.
Foster was posthumously inducted
into the Design Australia Hall of Fame
in 2019, the jug is held in prestigious
museum collections and used in the
restaurant of the Museum of Modern
Art in New York. This project however
reveals those things that are less easily
defined but, which in many respects
are more important – not only for the
individuals involved and the on-going
resilience of the company that Foster
founded, but also what they say about
the new levels of maturity in current
Australian design.
Utilising a diverse range of techniques,
each contributor has collaborated with
the team at the F!NK workshop to realise
their ‘alternative jug’. Some are indeed
quite different, and their unique qualities
are such that there is no expectation
that any would go into production. As
Harrison has observed however – just
the challenge of realising these works
has been an important opportunity of
research and development for the studio
and those learnings may find their way
into future objects.
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Very obviously different is the figuration
of Alex Asch, the applied pattern of
Marie Hagerty with her design echoing
Constructivist ceramics in the collection
of the NGA and the exuberant flair of
Scott Chaseling. Louise Scrivener,
Harriet Schwarzrock and Jess Higgins,
respond to the organic form of the
vessel and connect it to their thinking
of and understanding of landscape.
The expressive potential of materiality
is conveyed in the jugs by Skeehan,
Mathew Curtis, Chick Butcher, Cesar
Cueva, Cobi Cockburn and Bengt Cannon
and the sensitive subtlety of works by
Alison Jackson, Brian Tunks and Xanthe
Gay express their meditative responses
to loss and sweet memory.
Virginia Rigney is a curator, writer and
creative producer and works at Canberra
Museum and Gallery as Senior Curator
Visual Arts.
[1] See captured in ICONIC Australian Design curated by Ian
Wong featuring over 100 products designed in Australia.
Exhibited Robin Boyd Foundation 2020
The F!NK Water Jug emerged just
prior to the internet age, that most
fundamental shift in recent global
history. Perhaps we are living through
a similar moment now. With their
thoughtful natural intellect, these
precisely crafted jugs intend to go on
and be part of the conversation around
many tables for generations to come.
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Alex Asch
Artist statement
For as long as I have made art I have
used collage to work through ideas both
stylistically and politically. It has much
in common with the art of sampling in
electronic music; cut out moments that
may specifically speak to historical events
or collective social moods. I am drawn
to discarded and discounted picture
books, art history, the life of JFK, the Epic
of man, the history of the world lies in
piles at tips, junk shops and thrift stores.
I am particularly drawn to old atlases,
reflecting on the hubris of colonies to draw
typographical lines across diverse cultural
landscapes. The exploration of these
collected books is slow and meandering
accompanied by similarly old records
turning slowly under the stylist. I have tried
to empty my mind when placing disparate
images together drawing on what Jung
called the Unconscious drawing, later
exploring the finished work for meaning.
My workshop is a haven for disconnection.
Biography
Alex Asch was born in Boston,
Massachusetts, USA and was involved in
University art programs in Los Angeles
and New York before moving to Australia
and studying art at the Australian National
University in 1988. Asch has exhibited
extensively in solo and group exhibitions
throughout Australia and overseas.
When making the collage The Blue Danube
for the F!NK jug project I was thinking of
musical themes influencing the pictorial
frame, in this case Strauss’s Blue Danube,
a favourite of my mother -in-laws. There is
a duality in the image, a turning away from
oneself, a longing for the horizon.
Opposite: Alex Asch, Kind of Blue, 2020, Aluminium
with vinyl and powder coated handle. Photo: DMC
Photography.
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Chick Butcher
Artist statement
A collaboration between the departed
and we present is for me, a fascinating
concept. One I’m honoured to pursue.
Ironically, it’s not a huge digression
from the themes of my work of the last
decade…however this exchange has a
potency I’ve not previously experienced.
The bar has been set high, very high.
Considerations of time, place and
culture are imperative, as was Robbie’s
commitment to enrich each experience
of his considered objects. My combining
his iconic F!NK jug with iron oxide and a
burnt recycled hardwood handle may be
suggestive of deterioration, a reminder
of our fragility, yet the clean lines and
resolved proportions truly respect the
legacy of this pioneer.
Biography
Chick Butcher is Kiama based artist
who works with glass and mixed media.
His works are a direct result of intimate
conversations he has with himself.
In 2006 Chick graduated from the
Australian National University School of
Art with Honors majoring in glass. Since
then he has exhibited nationally and
internationally; his work has been acquired
in collections including Wagga Wagga Art
Gallery, Glasmuseet Ebeltoft (Denmark)
and National Gallery of Australia; and has
won several prestigious awards including
the Tom Malone Prize in 2009.
He, like all respected artists, makers and
designers, honoured a responsibility
to leave behind innovative and wellconsidered
objects, as these form the
map that guides those who follow. In
this case we can be assured that, once
again, Robbie Foster both supplied and
surpassed. Budgie Juggler - The bare
essentials of an Australian Icon.
Opposite: Chick Butcher, Budgie Juggler, 2020, anodised
jug with specialized rust treatment applied by Axolotl.
Photo: DMC Photography.
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Bengt Cannon
Artist statement
The tides of life can pull you in strange
directions. If you fight these riptides, you
will perish. If you flow with them and
ride as far you can - you might discover
something beautiful along the way and
find a wave to catch back in against the
sunset.
This piece expresses an eclectic, organic,
uncontrolled flow alongside a structured,
deliberate design. Although I initially
tried to control the direction of the outer
pattern; it only started to really shine and
take form once I loosened up. The handle
was inspired by the treasure that might be
discovered in the depths of the ocean’s
turmoil if you pay attention while you ride
the current through life.
Biography
Bengt Cannon is a seasoned metalsmith
with a background in heavy metal
fabrication. Recently, his interests have led
to a passion for knife-making. His love of
developing skills has led to experiments in
forge welding and using different material
combinations. Bengt joined Robert Foster
at F!NK & Co in 2009, and a strong bond
formed between them. Securing the role
of production manager his fabrication
skills were used in many ways, going onto
collaborate with Rob to create products for
the F!NK lighting range in 2013.
Opposite: Bengt Cannon, Riptide Sun, 2020, muliticolour
brushprint anodised jug, hand forged anodised aluminium
handle. Photo: DMC Photography
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Scott Chaseling
Artist statement
The F!NK Jug is one of Australia’s most
iconic design objects. I felt I could not
change a perfect silhouette, though what I
am hoping to do is make it dance. Utilising
faceted edges and planes from grinding
into the surface of the aluminium I am
attempting to make the form shimmer.
Not unlike faceted glass the surface picks
up light and throws it around the room. My
Alternate Jug for the F!NK collaboration is
centred around fluid brush marks.Similar
to ink washes or glazed brush strokes on
ceramics I aimed for freedom in the mark
making.
Biography
Scott Chaseling is a cross-medium
sculptor, who for two decades has
centered his practice around notions of
mobility, transition and liminality – that
idea of non-place. He has exhibited his
work nationally and internationally in
galleries including, Pergamon Museum,
Berlin; Eisch Gallery, Frauenau (Germany);
Musee Atelier du Verre, Sars-Poteries
(France); European Museum of Modern
Glass, Coburg (Germany), and more
recently, The Glass Furnace, Istanbul
(Turkey, 2016) and Southern Illinois
University Gallery, Carbondale (USA,
2016).
Opposite: Scott Chaseling, Cloudy with the occasional
pour, 2020, turquoise matt jug using a circular grinding
tool. Photo: DMC Photography
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Cobi Cockburn
Artist statement
Sublime and fluid, memory can almost
have a semi translucent energy. Inspired
by previous projects, memories of an
amazing maker, the strength and courage
of his companion, and the appreciation
of beautiful form. I create a work in awe
and respect of true collaboration. 8
Lines - Visionary. Warming. Admirable.
Respectful. Creative. Loving. Laughter.
Memories!
Biography
Cobi Cockburn is a Kiama based glass
artist who is a graduate of both Sydney
College of the Arts and the School of
Art & Design, at the Australian National
University. Within her practice, Cobi
explores ideas of space and illusionistic
depth through compositions of soft
colour. Her works form part of both
National and international Public
collections and she has been included in
many of Australia most prestigious Glass
Awards. Cobi most recent exhibition was
‘Murmuration’ at Sabbia in Nov 2019. and
she is now working towards setting up
the new glass studio / facility at Sydney
University, Camperdown.
Opposite: Cobi Cockburn, 8 White Lines, 2020, polished
and anodised jug with fused glass handle. Photo: DMC
Photography
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Cesar Cueva
Artist statement
For me, as a student and practitioner
of object design, The F!NK Jug is a
masterclass in virtuosity and the perfect
embodiment of design through the act of
making. Having undergone an internship
at F!NK & Co as a student, I was blessed to
spend time with Robbie and Gretel in their
workshop where I experienced first hand,
the enormous amount of effort that went
into manufacturing each product bearing
the F!NK hallmark. I was struck with awe
and amazement, at how a beautifully
crafted object required such punishing
efforts by many, in order to bring it to life.
It still amazes me to this day. The Parti
jug is inspired by the vibrant and naturally
occurring colour zoning of Blue, Green and
Yellow hues typically found in Australian
Parti Sapphires.
Biography
Cesar Cueva is a multi-disciplinary
Designer and Maker. He initially trained in
Architectural Technology and Industrial
Design, before graduating from the
Australian National University, (ANU
School of Arts & Social Sciences) with
a major in Gold and Silversmithing. In
2005, he co-founded with his wife Nina
Cueva, the pioneering Sydney studio and
gallery, Metalab Creative that produced
contemporary jewellery and object
design for retail. Over the next decade,
they curated some 80+ exhibitions where
Metalab Creative was later rebranded
Courtesy of the Artist. The couple
continue to champion Australian art and
design today, in their galleries situated in
Sydney’s CBD.
Opposite: Cesar Cueva, Parti Jug, 2020, hand polished,
scotch brite finished, sandblasted and anodised. Photo:
DMC Photography
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Matthew Curtis
Artist statement
This wonderful project, initiated by Gretel,
celebrates not only the iconic F!NK jug,
but the connections, vitality and richness
of Robert Foster’s legacy. I have been
contemplating a time I spent with Robbie;
at ‘Collect’ at the Victoria and Albert
Museum, London. It was impossible not
to gravitate toward him, generous and
enthusiastic, he seemed as comfortable
in that environment as in the studio. In
approaching this project, I am revisiting
a series of blown glass work from that
time. Where I was pursuing the vessel
form. I blew overlaid veneers of coloured
glass, which were cold worked in order
to achieve an opaque surface. I marked a
grid upon the surface. At the intersecting
points, drilled through the opaque surface
with diamond drill bits, to reveal the
transparent interior of the vessel.
Investigating and working with this
iconic vessel and working with anodised
aluminium reveals a different play of light
upon the surface.Locating this grid onto a
sacrificial form references the engineering
and machining that lies behind the
processes at F!NK. The polished and
perforated wrap protects and celebrates
this adaptable material. It feels like a good
fit with the tight engineering aesthetic that
you find at F!NK.
Biography
Matthew Curtis began his career through
a studio traineeship at Denizen studio
in Sydney in 1991. Working hands-on in
the studio led to understanding many
aspects of glass to explore form, line
and light. Since then he has established
his home studio with partner Harriet
Schwarzrock in Queanbeyan NSW. He
has exhibited internationally for over 25
years, participated in prestigious art fairs
such as Chicago’s ‘Sculptural Objects and
Functional Art’ Fair, at Palm 3 and ‘Collect’
at the V&A, as well as many successful
solo exhibitions. His work is also widely
collected, in Private collections such as
Sir Elton John and Public collections
Including the National Gallery of Australia
and the Wagga Wagga, National Glass
Collection.
Opposite: Matthew Curtis, Perforate, 2020, scotch brite
aluminium jug with hand engraved, polished aluminium
shield and hand polished powder coated handle. Photo:
DMC Photography
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Xanthe Gay
Artist statement
Having proudly represented F!NK Design
through my gallery for 16 years, I find the
prospect of taking my hammers and tools
to this iconic object extremely daunting!
For this collaboration I want to celebrate
the fabulous functionality of the F!NK
jug. It is famous for its smooth fluid pour,
its ease of handling, the chill factor and
the delightful way the moisture beads on
the surface, inviting you to quench your
thirst. To me the F!NK jug will always be
synonymous with my memories of dear
Robbie, good times, good food, good
company, laughter and of course, great
music and dancing.
Biography
Xanthe Gay is a metalsmith based in
Bungendore, NSW and has been making
jewellery and small objects for over 30
years. Whilst initially self-taught, she
later went on to study Jewellery and
Object Design at Sydney College of the
Arts as well as Gold and Silver Smithing
at Canberra School of Art, ANU. Today
she works from her Bungendore NSW
workshop and gallery, ‘X Gallery’, that
Robert Foster generously helped her
design and fit out in 2004.
Opposite: Xanthe Gay, Whirlpool, 2020, hand hammered,
domed, hand polished and anodised. Photo: DMC
Photography
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Marie Hagerty
Artist statement
Inspiration for the collaborative jug
project comes from the wonderful 1920’s
porcelain tea services with designs by
constructivist artists and in this case the
ceramic work of Jun Kaneko which is held
in the NGA collection.
Biography
Marie Hagerty is a Sydney born artist
who shifted to Canberra about 30 years
ago and has been working primarily as
a painter. Her work combines layers of
influences, from Russian Constructivism
to the sources of mid-Century design.
Surface effects and planes appear to shift,
mutate and evolve. Marie’s work is held
in public collections including: National
Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of
Victoria, Queensland Art Gallery, Artbank,
ACT Legislative Assembly, Canberra
Museum and Gallery, Bendigo Art Gallery,
Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Australian
National University; and private collections
in Australia and the USA.
Opposite: Marie Hagerty, Hydria, 2020, matt silver with
black anodised aluminium with powder coated handle.
Photo: DMC Photography.
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Jess Higgins
Artist statement
Since working at F!NK & Co as Assembly
Manager, I have been fortunate enough to
learn a range of new skills working with
aluminum and the anodizing process. I
have chosen to create a series of organic
marks on the surface of the jug using a
dremel; paying homage to the natural
world the F!NK jug is inspired by. ‘Navigate’
was created by drawing directly onto an
anodized matt charcoal jug a series of
organic contour lines using a Dremel.
While making this jug I had in mind the
desert landscape paying homage to the
natural world the F!NK jug is inspired by.
The jug was then re-anodized making the
lines I had drawn a range of warm gold
and orange.
Biography
Jess Higgins is an emerging artist based
in the Canberra region, her practice
primarily encompasses print media and
drawing techniques. She graduated from
the ANU School of Art and Design with
Honours in 2015 and has consistently
exhibited in regional and metropolitan
Australia, most recently working with
Ginger Gorman in an arts-documentary
collaboration ‘On Thin Ice’ at the
Tuggeranong Arts Centre.
Opposite: Jess Higgins, Navigate, 2020, hand engraved
anodised aluminium (charcoal/gold/orange) with powder
coated handle. Photo: DMC Photography
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Alison Jackson
Artist statement
Spring Rhythm takes inspiration from
the repetitive hammering process
used in traditional silversmithing. This
elongated hammer mark, usually unseen
in finished vessels, is instead celebrated
and manipulated to create a flowing and
dynamic pattern across the surface of
the iconic F!NK Jug. As we look to a new
season, Spring, in an unsettling year,
perhaps there is the beginning of, or the
aspiration of, a new rhythm as we adjust
and re-adjust ourselves to what this year
brings.
Biography
Alison Jackson is a designer, maker
and contemporary metalsmith living
and working in Braidwood, Australia.
Craftsmanship and the way pieces are
made has always been an influence to
Alison. From the way two surfaces join
together, a junction, or the way an edge
has been finished, it’s all in the details
of an object. It is the perfection of being
imperfect and the distinctive nature
of structures and objects that inspires
her. Alison’s work is held in both public
and private collections, including an
acquisition by the Canberra Museum
and Gallery. A recipient of numerous
notable awards and grants such as the
Australia Council for the Arts and artsACT
project grants, Alison’s work has been
exhibited widely within Australia and also
internationally.
Opposite: Alison Jackson, Spring Rhythm, 2020, hand
hammered anodised aluminium with powder coated
handle. Photo: DMC Photography.
35

Harriet Schwarzrock
Artist statement
This generous collaborative F!NK Jug
Project, has provided me with a focused
experience of making and designing,
during these contracting and uncertain
times, (thank you Gretel!). When we moved
our home and studio to Queanbeyan in
2003, F!NK was a beacon in the cultural
landscape. Robbie’s incredible approach
to material and attention to detail has
reverberated through both art and design.
His encouragement and also his interest
in organic and asymmetrical forms has
resonated with me, & His 2011 exhibition
‘Strange Planet’, 10 recent lighting
installations, (Gallery of Australian Design,
ACT) is imprinted within me.
Biography
Harriet Schwarzrock is a glass artist
based in Queanbyan, NSW. In 1999, Harriet
graduated from the Sydney College of the
Arts with Honours in Visual Arts, majoring
in Glass. Prior to graduating, Schwarzrock
travelled through North America visiting
renowned workshops and studios. On her
return to Australia, Schwarzrock began
assisting at Denizen Studio, Sydney,
working with many of Australia’s most
dedicated artists working with glass.
Developing her skill and technique whilst
finding inspiration and influence for her
own work.
With my work I am continually drawn to
expressions of flow and interconnectivity.
I return to themes of circulation and
the interplay between biology and
its environment. Where circulation
and biology become a conduit for
interconnectivity. This vessel project
expresses a meandering capillary
branching line. My intention was to
respond to the curvature of this iconic
vessel, revealing a branching rivulet like
structure, akin to veins or rivers. Branching
and meandering these lines expose the
material beneath the perfect satin skin.
Opposite: Harriet Schwarzrock, Arteriole, 2020, hand
engraved and scotch brite aluminium (red and charcoal)
with powder coated handle. Photo DMC Photography
37

Louise Scrivener
Artist statement
My design thinking stems from something
Robert Foster said to me a long time ago,
and about how he was intrigued by the
juxtaposition of creating objects with fluid,
organic lines and form from hardened,
inorganic materials like aluminium and
stainless steel. What I’m trying to do
is expand on that notion by creating
something beautiful and unexpected from
the surface of the hard, metallic substrate.
My intention is to add another visual
dimension to the jug by incorporating its
fluid organic lines – especially the profile
of the jug lip — into a pattern that when
sandblasted will reveal a faceted, almost
bejeweled finish.
Biography
Louise was the very first graphic design
graduate from the University of Canberra
and holds a Bachelor of Graphic Design.
Her first full-time employment followed at
the Communication Research Institute of
Australia (CRIA), where as an Information
Design Trainee, she undertook basic
graphic design duties as well as training
in the foundation of Information Design.
These principles have stood her in good
stead throughout her career and she
continues to apply these principles and
methodologies today. Today she works
as a Senior Graphic Designer at one of
Australia’s major cultural institutions after
an established career in the private sector.
A long and very close association with
F!NK + Co. since the late 1990s has
seen the development of all of their
marketing materials to date, including logo
and branding development, corporate
brochures, website, retail products,
packaging and display materials.
She is honoured to be part of this project.
Opposite: Louise Scrivener, Tessaline, 2020, scotch brite
finish, polished sandblasted and anodised aluminium
with powder coated handle. Photo: DMC Photography
39

Tom Skeehan
Artist statement
This project celebrates material research
and the process of anodising. Highlighting
the fluid process of anodising and the
legacy of experimentation created by
Robert Foster.
The unique process of anodising informed
our approach to the collaborative jug
project. Anodising a F!NK Jug is done
by immersing the vessel into a coloured
acid electrolyte bath and passing an
electric current through the Jug. The
BLUSH Jug celebrates this process - after
experimenting at the F!NK workshop
they developed a technique to control the
speed and depth the jug enters the bath,
resulting in a unique gradient. This unique
tonal gradient allows the raw material
to be seen, highlighting the forming
processes used to shape the aluminum -
gradually introducing the anodising finish.
Biography
Tom Skeehan is an award-winning
Canberra based industrial designer who
specialises in commercial furniture and
objects for the home. In 2012, Tom
graduated from University of Canberra
with a Bachelor of Industrial Design
and towards the end of his studies Tom
established SKEEHAN studio. A noted
young designer Tom Skeehan exhibits at
design fairs across Australia, New Your,
Singapore and Milan.
Opposite: Tom Skeehan, Blush, 2020, satin finish
gradational anodised aluminium with polished handle.
Photo: DMC Photography
41

Brian Tunks
Artist statement
The concept for our ‘Popular George’
jug came from a conversation I had with
Gretel earlier this year. We were discussing
how I’d picked a motif to use on our bison
stoneware collection for the Centenary
of Canberra in 2013. We translated that
theme... the poplars by Lake George...
to a profile repeated on the surface of
the F!NK jug and explored this further by
carving in to the metal in a similar manner
to our BRIAN TUNKS blown and cut glass.
Poplars were initially chosen by Brian
as a reflection on country life, how they
greeted you down home-paddock roads
on many farms, and how you knew you
were nearly home when you saw them by
Lake George.
Biography
Brian Tunks is the Creative Director
and founder of Bisonhome which was
established in 1997. Brian attended school
in Scandinavia and subsequently trained
in ancient history and archaeology at the
Australian National University. Combined
with a love of Asian ceramics this fusion
of traditions resulted in the pared-back
aesthetic with simple lines and pure
colours that characterizes Bison design
classics.
Bison, along with F!NK, have a shared
history going back over 20 years.
Trade shows together in Europe and
representing Canberra at the Powerhouse
Museum exhibition ‘Smart Works. Design
and the Handmade (2007)’. While Brian
creates his pieces collaboratively in
studios around the world, he also has a
commitment to sharing design together
with other Australian craftspeople. He is
currently undertaking a number of projects
with friends which will be released later
this year.
Opposite: Brian Tunks, 2020, hand engraved anodised
aluminium. Photo: DMC Photography.
43

List of works
1 Alex Asch
Kind of Blue, 2020
Aluminium with vinyl and
powder coated handle
$1,650
5 Cobi Cockburn
8 White Lines, 2020
Polished and anodised jug with
fused glass handle
$1,650
2 Chick Butcher
Budgie Juggler, 2020
Anodised jug with specialized
rust treatment applied by
Axolotl
$1,650
6 Cesar Cueva
Parti, 2020
Hand polished, scotch brite
finished, sandblasted and
anodised
$1,650
3 Bengt Cannon
Riptide Sunset, 2020
Muliticolour brushprint
anodised jug, hand forged
anodised aluminium handle
$1,650
7 Matthew Curtis
Perforate, 2020
Scotch brite aluminium jug
with hand engraved, polished
aluminium shield and hand
polished powder coated handle
$1,650
4 Scott Chaseling
Cloudy with the occasional
pour, 2020
Turquoise matt jug using a
circular grinding tool
$1,650
8 Xanthe Gay
Whirlpool, 2020
Hand hammered, domed, hand
polished and anodised
$1,650
44

9 Marie Hagerty
Hydria, 2020
Matt silver with black
anodised aluminium
with powder coated handle
$1,650
13 Louise Scrivener
Tessaline, 2020, scotch brite
finish, polished sandblasted
and anodised aluminium with
powder coated handle
$1,650
10 Jess Higgins
Navigate, 2020, hand
engraved anodised aluminium
(charcoal/gold/orange) with
powder coated
handle
$1,650
14 Tom Skeehan
Blush, 2020
Satin finish gradational
anodised aluminium
with polished handle
$1,650
11 Alison Jackson
Spring Rhythm, 2020
Hand hammered anodised
aluminium with powder
coated handle
$1,650
15 Brian Tunks
Popala George, 2020
Hand engraved anodised
aluminium
$1,650
12 Harriet Schwarzrock
Arteriole, 2020, hand engraved
and scotch brite aluminium
(red and charcoal) with
powder coated handle
$1,650
45

46

Photographs of original F!NK
Collaborative Jugs
Top (L-R) Chick Butcher, Marie Hagerty,
Harriet Schwarzrock, Scott Chaseling,
Tom Skeehan.
Middle (L-R) Alex Asch, Alison
Jackson, Bengt Cannon, Louise
Scrivener, Matthew Curtis.
Bottom (L-R) Cobi Cockburn, Brian
Tunks, Cesar Cueva, Jess Higgins,
Xanthe Gay.
Photos: DMC Photography.
47