2023 Members Exhibition Catalogue

2023 Annual Members Exhibition 

Artists | Luke Batten | Mahnie Blakey | Julie Bradley | Rozelyn de Bussey | 

Sarit Cohen | Lissa-Jane de Sailles | Lea Durie | Dianne Firth | Kirandeep 

Grewal | Michele Grimston | Sue Hewat | Dimity Kidston | Valerie Kirk | 

Nicola Knackstredt | René Linssen | Melanie Olde | Pinal Maniar | Cam 

Michael | Monique van Nieuwland | Brenda Runnegar | Fran Romano | 

Barbara Rogers | Samuel Sheppard | Lex Sorrentino | Helen Stark | Lisa 

Stevenson | Jo Victoria | Tania Vrancic | Isobel Waters | Susan Wiscombe

Craft + Design Canberra is partially supported by the ACT 

Government, the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy - an 

initiative of the Australia State and Territory Governments, 

and the Australia Council for the Arts - the Australian 

Government's arts funding and advisory body. 

Craft + Design Canberra acknowledges the Ngunnawal 

people as the traditional custodians of the ACT and 

surrounding areas. We honour and respect their ongoing 

cultural and spiritual connections to this country and the 

contribution they make to the life of this city and this 

region. We aim to respect cultural heritage, customs, and 

beliefs of all indigenous people. 

Craft + Design Canberra 

Wednesday - Saturday | 12-4pm 

Or by appointment. 

Level 1, North Building | 180 London Circuit 

Canberra ACT Australia 

02 6262 9333 

www.craftanddesigncanberra.org 

Publisher: Craft + Design Canberra 

Research, writing, and coordination: Christian Sirois 

Graphic Design Template: Llewellyn McGarry 

ABN 33 314 092 587 

© Craft + Design Canberra 

Cover Image | Dianne Firth, Turbulence, 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist


Artists | Luke Batten | Mahnie Blakey | Julie Bradley | Rozelyn de Bussey 

| Sarit Cohen | Lissa-Jane de Sailles | Lea Durie | Dianne Firth | Kirandeep 

Grewal | Michele Grimston | Sue Hewat | Dimity Kidston | Valerie Kirk | 

Nicola Knackstredt | René Linssen | Melanie Olde | Pinal Maniar | Cam 

Michael | Monique van Nieuwland | Brenda Runnegar | Fran Romano | 

Barbara Rogers | Samuel Sheppard | Lex Sorrentino | Helen Stark | Lisa 

Stevenson | Jo Victoria | Tania Vrancic | Isobel Waters | Susan Wiscombe 

27 October – 9 December 

2023 CRAFT + DESIGN CANBERRA

Image: Artist name, work title, year. Photo: Photo Credit. 

Image Nicola Knackstredt | Untamed, 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Image Melanie Olde | Cell System 1, 2023 |Photo Courtesy of Artist.


EXHIBITION STATEMENT 

The 2023 Craft + Design Canberra 

Annual Members Exhibition 

showcases contemporary expressions 

of craft and design uniting timehonoured 

techniques with modern 

interpretations. This exhibition 

showcases the trends in 

contemporary craft and design in 

Australia by local practitioners.

Image Fran Romano | Containment II, 2023 | Photo Andrew Sikorski - Art Atelier


Image Fran Romano | Containment II, 2023 | Photo Andrew Sikorski - Art Atelier


Foreword by Christian Sirois 

Members are at the heart of Craft + 

Design Canberra, contributing to its 

vibrancy and vitality. Their creative 

talents and dedication infuse the 

organisation with fresh ideas and 

perspectives, ensuring that it 

remains a dynamic force within our 

community, and the local and 

national creative and cultural 

landscape. The collaborative nature 

of our members not only 

strengthens our organisation but 

also serves as a testament to the 

power of collective creativity in 

building a robust and culturally rich 

community. 

Creative development of our artists 

is a core goal of Craft + Design 

Canberra, nurturing the artistic 

growth of both individuals and the 

wider community. By encouraging 

experimentation and innovation, 

Craft + Design Canberra instils a 

culture of constant evolution and 

adaptation. This commitment to 

creative development empowers 

artists to push boundaries, solve 

problems innovatively, and express 

complex ideas in unique ways, 

while the broader community reaps 

the benefits the more vibrant and 

forward-thinking environment, 

these artists contribute to. 

In summary, Craft + Design 

Canberra through its emphasis on 

ingenuity, the championing of local, 

and member participation, stands as 

a model of the importance of craft 

and design in communities. It 

enriches culture, nurtures 

creativity, promotes inclusivity, 

and drives positive change within 

the Australian Capital Territory and 

beyond. Through organizations like 

ours, communities harness the 

creative energies of their members, 

reinforcing the bonds that make 

them unique and strong. 

Thank you to all our members, 

patrons, and the wider creative 

community for supporting us 

throughout our 52 year history. 

Christian Sirois is the Exhibitions + 

Gallery Manager at Craft + Design 

Canberra. Sirois is a curator and 

cultural researcher who’s work is 

centered around art-based 

methodologies, multisensory and 

liminal histories, and experimental 

fieldwork methods for cultural 

documentation. He is currently 

studying a PhD in Cultural 

Geography at the University of New 

South Wales. 

Inclusivity is a key value of Craft + 

Design Canberra, promoting 

understanding amongst our 

members and patrons, fostering 

community cohesion and 

appreciation for diverse 

experiences and viewpoints. 

Furthermore, our organisation 

serves as a platform for positive 

change, transforming urban spaces, 

shaping cultural identity and 

contributing to social wellbeing and 

change.

Image Sarit Cohen | Beauty within Dystopia, 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Sarit Cohen 

ARTIST STATEMENT 

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY 

“I am a contemporary ceramic artist. This work is looking at 

series of porcelain bowls and plates. I create minimal art that 

reflects the emotions within my own space. I am fascinated 

by the universal concepts of form, mass, proportion, rhythm 

and structure in everyday life, and my work reflects the 

beauty of life and its fundamental simplicity. The use of 

minimal palette, reduced colour scheme, and simple shapes 

offer a sense of calm and serenity. This invites viewers to 

pause / linger to reflect and resonance. 

My perspective is influenced by a nuanced understanding 

and knowledge of the Bauhaus and the Decorative Arts 

movements of the early 20th. And just as importantly to me 

is having my formative years spent growing up in Israel, and 

being exposed to the kaleidoscope of colour, migration, food 

and architecture. 

The play with the form of the object is always a pleasure to 

me, and this play creates the building blocks of ideas to be 

represented.” 

Sarit Cohen is a graduate of the ANU School of Art 

(Ceramics). She completed her Diploma of Education 

(University of Canberra) and in this period was awarded the 

Doug Alexander Memorial Award for Decorative Surface. 

She has completed residencies in Denmark, Switzerland and 

China. These opportunities have significantly contributed to 

her work in the areas of porcelain manipulation and casting. 

Cohen has contributed to numerous group and survey shows 

over the last 20 years, both nationally and internationally, 

notably in the USA, Denmark, Hungary and Israel. Her 

works are held in private and public collections in these 

countries. Cohen’s work bears the influence of her childhood 

spent in Israel, and of her Turkish and Indian heritage. Her 

memories of the desert, its surfaces and dry atmosphere are 

constantly evidenced in her objects. Together with an 

increasing curiosity about her Indian background, these 

form the basis of her research. 

She says of her work “I feel very much rooted in ceramic 

history and I am very devoted to and dependent on my 

material and love the physical part of the whole process with 

clay and firing.”

Image Pinal Maniar | Sanctuary of Solitude, 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Pinal Maniar 



Pinal is an artist whose journey is fueled by an unwavering 

passion for handcrafted textiles. With a background that 

encompasses printing, weaving, dyeing, quilting, and 

traditional textile craft techniques, Pinal's artistic voyage 

has been a rich tapestry of diverse experiences. 

After many years immersed in the fabric design and 

manufacturing industry, Pinal has now redirected her focus 

exclusively towards handmade creations. Her interest lies in 

the crafting of textiles that are not just unique but also 

sustainable. Each piece she produces is a manifestation of 

her commitment to marrying craftsmanship with ecoconscious 

practices. 

Within Pinal's textiles, she finds the boundless creative 

potential of natural materials and intricate patterns. The 

threads of her artistry interlace to tell a compelling narrative 

of the interplay between artistic expression and 

environmental consciousness. Every textile is an ode to the 

ideals of local production and sustainable creation. 

Driven by a life-long passion for handcrafted textiles, Pinal 

expresses herself through textile art. 

These artworks are a medium for exploring the creative 

possibilities of fusing natural materials with ancient 

techniques. 

They are a statement about making locally and sustainably. 

Melding material from the environment, these artworks 

speak directly about the space and time in which they are 

made. 

Each piece evokes a story of a place. It encourages the 

viewer to participate deeply in everything the environment 

has to offer and recognise the need to engage with it and 

protect it. 

Pinal's artworks are a melange of inspiration drawn from 

nature's palette, and her hands translate this inspiration into 

exquisite pieces that resonate with authenticity and 

meaning. With every thread she weaves, Pinal reinforces the 

notion that art can both reflect and contribute to the world 

in profound ways.


Image Helen Stark | Regeneration, 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Helen Stark 


Through the medium of glass, I am exploring the cyclical 

nature of the natural world and the eternal cycle of birth, 

death and renewal. 

Destruction and devastating loss of lives caused by wildfires 

during the recent extreme weather events in the northern 

hemisphere summer was a painful reminder of the 

temporality of life. During the Australian Black Summer of 

2020, bushfires consumed everything, wreaking damage and 

leaving many homeless. Forests were scarred by flames and 

branches denuded of greenery. The intense heat of the 

bushfire is replicated in the kiln as the glass is transformed 

from solid to liquid and then back again. 


Helen Stark is an emerging glass artist living and working in 

Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country (Canberra.) With colour 

and light and through the medium of kiln-formed glass her 

practice explores the cyclical nature of the natural world. 

She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts 

(Honours) from the Australian National University School of 

Art and Design. In 2022, she won the ANCA Emerging Artist 

Support Scheme (EASS) Exhibition Award. 

Within my sculptural objects, shifts of tone and hue are an 

expression of the dynamic movements of the natural world. 

While the organic curves within loops symbolise the flow of 

time and the unity of all things. Black voids fall away to 

represent the destruction of forests and loss of homes. 

Green shapes rising up depict renewal—the healing power of 

nature and eternal life.


Image René Linssen | Beam Coffee Table, 2023 | Photo 3D Rendering Courtesy of Artist

René Linssen 


Beam is a collection of robust solid timber tables that draw 

inspiration from the strength and form of structural steel 

beams. Featuring a two-tiered design, these tables 

effortlessly blend ample functional storage with a strikingly 

minimalist aesthetic. 


René Linssen is a South African born, Australian Industrial 

Designer living and working in Canberra, Australia. René 

loves the challenges of Industrial Design, finding a way to 

improve people’s lives with a product that satisfies a need 

and that can be aesthetically pleasing at the same time. He 

also feels strongly about the responsibilities implicit in a 

career that he believes has a big impact in shaping the world 

we live in. 

Currently an Industrial Designer at Australian product 

design company Formswell Design, he is involved in a 

diverse range of design work in industries from sports, 

outdoors, homewares, government and more. Some of the 

clients René has designed products for include: Puma, Asics, 

Gozney, Nau, Clark, Cuisinart, Nucleus and more. 

In 2017, René co-founded the furniture company Furnished 

Forever with fellow Canberra designer Elliot Bastianon. The 

company focuses on furniture for high volume commercial 

and residential applications with an emphasis on local 

manufacturing. 

René has won several national design awards including 

Vogue Living / Alessi Emerging Designer Award (2015), 

Belle / Alessi Design Award (2017) and was a finalist in the 

Mercedes-Benz Design Award (2017). Rene was also recently 

selected in the Australian Design Reviews 30 under 30. 

René is still involved closely with the University of Canberra 

since completing his Bachelor of Industrial Design in 2016. 

He is currently acting as a sessional lecturer for their 

Industrial Design program.

Image Cam Michaels | Beauty within Dystopia | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Cam Michael 


My work explores our relationship to place making. It was 

initially a response to my experience of time visiting Lanyon 

Homestead and references some of the man made features 

in the grounds and how they sit within the landscape. It is 

both a refection on historical marking of presence and how 

these structures sit with the landscape. The cast iron 

lamppost and bench, mud brick building, and well cared for 

framed garden also show historical sustainability in making 

by hand and how this mirrors my own processes in creating 

this work; allowing for reflection on the presence created by 

making. Remaking these pieces on a smaller scale allows for 

positioning a composition, in a way that highlights the 

historical features and also draws the viewer in to a more 

intimate space. Holding space to both reflect on history and 

future simultaneously - for the audience to see themselves 

in the landscape. 

This work embodies the current direction of my practice to 

explore combining fused glass and framing to extend on my 

experience with cast glass and use these elements to 

develop context for my cast glass work. The frame is 

Australian Red Cedar made by Ed Garnett to support this 

work. Place Holding was created on residency at Canberra 

Glassworks. 


Cam is an emerging mixed media artist currently focused on 

glass. He works with themes of redefining value, the 

relationship between identity and perception of space, and 

creating inclusive space for other perspectives. 

His work is informed by experience of disability, being a 

carer, growing up outside of Australia, and identifying as 

LGBTI. 

Cam graduated with a Diploma in Visual Arts from CIT in 

2020 and the (then) CraftACT Emerging contemporaries 

award for his final work “Redefining Precious”. After a brief 

stint at ANU, Cam spent the COVID period creating large 

scale street art paintings to combine with cast glass and 

digital prints in a solo show at Belconnen Arts Centre 2022. 

He is currently undertaking an access residency at Canberra 

Glassworks.

Image Melanie Olde | Cell System 1 | 2023 | Courtesy of Artist

Melanie Olde 


Through my ongoing exploration of life-like cellular 

structures and functions, this work reflects on the 

algorithmic simulation of microscopic complex natural 

systems as a metaphor for reflection and regeneration of the 

global environment. 

My work, hand-woven 3-dimensional fabric forms, delves 

into the dichotomy of a complex system of threads creating 

simplified geometric cellular shapes. Drawing inspiration 

from artificial life algorithms such as cellular automata, I 

engage in experimental weaving practices that question the 

increasing societal tension and opportunities for artificial 

mimicry of the natural world. 

In this piece, I employ contrasting materials of paper and 

nylon monofilament threads to weave multiple systems of 

organic cellular structures. The resulting contrast and 

similarity between the materials prompts the viewer to 

question what constitutes 'artificial'. Through the 

experimental nature of the materials and weave structure, 

the tessellated cells move organically, reminding the viewer 

that synthesized natural forms can occur from a simple set 

of instructions. 


Melanie Olde is an Australian experimental weaver with 

professional experience in art, production weaving, research 

and teaching. In addition to a BA (visual) and her current 

MA, Melanie has studied nationally and internationally and 

is a compulsive researcher. Her artistic practice involves 

researching cellular structures for form, function, and array 

to interpret these in biomimetic, moving, woven 3- 

dimensional cloth, advancing innovative exploration. She 

regularly exhibits and publishes nationally and 

internationally. 

She recently won 1st place in consecutive international 

complexity weaving exhibitions, presented and exhibited at 

Bridges Mathematics/Art Conference in Helsinki, Finland, 

and gave lectures and workshops in New Zealand. She is 

currently a Sessional Lecturer at ANU School of Art. 

Through my exploration of cellular geometries and 

functions, I aim to inspire viewers to consider how 

technology can be used to mimic and reflect upon the 

complex regenerative beauty of the natural world.

Image Mahnie Blakey | Untitled Phone (1) | 2023 | Image Courtesy of Artist

Mahnie Blakey 


The Untitled Smart Phones use the relationship between 

textiles and technology to explore how contemporary 

technology allows us to exist in physical and digital space 

simultaneously. 


Mahnie Blakey is a Canberra based artist and designer who 

explores the relationship between textiles and technology. 

Mahnie graduated from the Australian National University 

in 2019. 

Working primarily with embroidery and programming, I 

move images between ‘cloth’ and the screen to reveal their 

shared structures and gestures while highlighting the gaps 

in translation. Through this process I create new imagery 

that references both computer glitch and the idiosyncrasies 

of the hand which shows how we as individuals establish 

our presence in a digital landscape.

Image Isobel Waters | Wasted Potential | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Isobel Waters 


Wasted Potential embodies the pressure I sometimes feel to 

succeed as an artist. The anxious idea that my most recent 

success will be my last, and that my growth is limited. That I 

will waste my potential. Is this true? Only time will tell. 


Isobel Waters (B. 1995) is an emerging artist based in 

Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, Canberra, whose work 

explores lived human experiences through the conjugate 

vessel of a physical body. Combining the mediums of glass, 

ceramics, performance, video and photography, Isobel 

strives to understand the responsibility of both individuals 

and collectives in contemporary socio-political issues such 

as capitalism, climate change and health care.

Image Sue Hewat | Tidal Lines | 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Sue Hewat 


My ceramic art practice continues to be an interpretation of 

the layers, lines and colours that are seen in the land or sea 

scape. 

This work, Tidal Lines, is wheel thrown porcelain, altered 

and inlayed with coloured nerikomi clay. A striking palette 

of sea and sand colours, assembled in random flowing 

patterns, are layered and blended in an original nerikomi 

clay log. Thin sections of this log are inlayed into the vessel 

surface, creating an impression of the ebb and flow of the 

tide. The coloured lines flow organically, depicting the 

imperfect rhythms of the tidal cycle. The inside of the vessel 

is glazed a pale shiny sea green colour complimenting the 

external patterns and uniting the two surfaces, inviting the 

viewer to dive right in and be enveloped by the essence of 

the beach. 


Sue Hewat is a ceramic artist living and working in Canberra. 

In 2015, having worked with clay for many years, she was 

awarded a Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours (Ceramics) 

from the Australian National University, School of Art and 

Design. On graduation, she received many exhibition and 

studio opportunities. 

Since then, Sue has exhibited in selected shows in Canberra 

and interstate and has work available at various retail outlets 

and galleries. 

Sue Hewat’s ceramic art practice continues to be an 

interpretation of the layers, lines and colours that are seen in 

the sea or land scape.

Image Julie Bradley | Lullaby | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Julie Bradley 


What originally started out as an exploration by Julie 

Bradley, into the effects of music on image making, became 

a deeper reflection on how music like visual art, is also a 

language. 

These images are explorations of seeing music as a visual 

expression and are a depiction of the resonance between 

colours and shapes, sounds and images and between artists. 

Music has always been a big part of Bradley’s life and after 

recently joining the redoubtable Rachel Hore’s (OAM) Pop 

up Choir, she has had cause to consider how music alters 

her perception as an artist. 

While some works are a direct response to particular pieces 

of music others investigate the shared terminology between 

visual art and music. 

Collage and particularly composition being process lead 

techniques, are not unlike the musical form of call and 

response. They require the artists to respond to shapes and 

lines as the image and composition builds and forms. 


Julie’s work investigates the idea of connectedness and 

express aspects of the emotional landscape and states of 

being. Her works are abstract evocations of remembering 

places and emotions. 

Journalist Genevieve Jacobs writes of Julie’s work: 

“And with deft confidence Julie uses her tools – the 

gouaches, the paper, the collages, to shape land and 

skyscapes that are as much of the interior world of emotions 

and the imagination. She shows us what it feels like, not 

what it looks like, to be in a place. She evokes turmoil and 

beauty, peace and change, the things we feel as well as what 

we see, the territory of our minds’ eye as well as our direct 

vision." 

Artist residencies Julie has been invited to undertake 

include: Hill End, Bundanon, the Australian Tapestry 

Workshop, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems ACT, Istituto di 

Europeo di Design Italy and the Intensive study program in 

Taos, New Mexico. 

In 2019 Julie was the International Visiting Fellow at the 

Ballinglen Art Foundation in Ireland and was also awarded 

the CAPO (Canberra Arts patrons Organisation) fellowship 

in that year. 

In 2020 Julie was presented with the City News Artist of the 

year award. Again in the same year Julie was awarded the 

Canberra Critics Circle Award for “her marvellously resolved 

exhibition, Evocation, at Belconnen Arts Centre, August 

2020,of sophisticated paintings and artist books that 

eloquently transmitted the powerful effects of place and 

weather. 

Work by Julie Bradley is held in the collections of the 

National Gallery of Australia, the Australian National 

University, Canberra Museum and Gallery, the University of 

Canberra Collection, Bundanon Trust, Calvary Hospital 

Birth Centre, the Lu Rees Archive, Canberra Hospital, the 

Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, the Ballinglen Museum of 

Contemporary Art in Ireland and private collections.

Image Brenda Runnegar | Marion | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Brenda Runnegar 


My ability to translate my style and iconography into a 

variety of media are central to my artistic evolution. My 

recently acquired skills in art-doll making have made my 

two-dimensional portrait paintings and drawings come alive. 

They allow me to implement within my oeuvre my interest 

in the tactile qualities of textiles, fabrics, embroidery, and 

handwork. Dolls have emerged periodically in my work in 

various forms. Dolls for me are not children’s toys but 

provide a canvas for the exploration of new concepts and 

ideas and are made for display purposes only. 

My latest art dolls are figurative works, which have evolved 

over the past six or seven years. They are entirely handmade 

and each is attached to a purpose-built stand. They are 

embellished with the use of recycled fabrics giving new life 

to old treasures Sometimes the fabric or lace I use presents 

some irregularity or, being vintage, signs of wear or little 

stains. These are qualities to me and add value and 

personality to the doll, giving them another dimension. The 

personality of the dolls is also conveyed by their drawn 

faces, unruly hairstyles and the use of these imperfections. 

More recently many of the dolls feature details such as 

heads, faces, feet, shoes and hands made from air dried clay 

thus providing me with the opportunity to give more detail 

than textiles can provide. 


As a multimedia artist Brenda Runnegar specialises in 

painting, printmaking, photography and textiles. Her fortyodd 

year-long practice is characterised by the use of the 

surreal and dreamlike. Her exquisitely detailed and quietly 

confronting work is inspired by the natural world and 

explores the complex vulnerabilities and strengths of the 

human condition. 

She has worked variously in the arts and crafts and began as 

a Textile Artist in the 1970s whilst living in London and 

studied at the Stanhope Institute. She completed a Master of 

Fine Arts by research in 2007 and has worked professionally 

as an Educator, Arts Administrator, Gallery Manager and 

Project Manager in the private, public, and not-for-profit 

sectors. Since 1981 she has exhibited in numerous 

prestigious group exhibitions and has had seventeen solo 

exhibitions. 

Her most recent work has involved re-examining the use of 

textiles and soft sculptures (art doll making) and digital 

imaging.

Images Michele Grimston | Deep Inside Alone | 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Michele Grimston 


During the 2021 lockdown, after a recent shift to living alone 

for the first time in many years, the motif of the 

vortex/portal became a recurring symbol in my work. Filled 

with both transformational potential and danger, this 

symbol began mirroring the experience of navigating 

through my own interior landscapes when external stimulus 

was curtailed. 

This symbolism continues to reoccur in my practice, in this 

work the slow textile processes and connection to the body 

through materials create a meditative space for ever deeper 

connection to self. 


Michele Grimston is a visual artist and community cultural 

development practitioner based on Ngunnawal Country in 

the ACT. She completed her honours degree in textiles at 

the Australian National University School of Art in 2009 and 

in 2014, she graduated with a Masters in Community 

Cultural Development from the Victorian College of the 

Arts. 

She has exhibited in solo and group shows across Canberra, 

Melbourne, Perth and Canada. She has been selected for 

multiple artist residencies, notably at The Banff Cantre in 

Alberta, Canada and Vancouver Arts Centre, WA. In 2019, 

her work 'Origins of Breath' was acquired for the collection 

of Geoscience Australia. 

Michele has presented participative, community engaged 

works through Rebus Theatre (Project Alchemy) and You 

Are Here and has facilitated large scale collaborative projects 

as artist in residence multiple schools and Early Learning 

Centres in the ACT and WA. Michele has received grants 

from Arts ACT (Good Company) and Department of Culture 

and the Arts (WA) and has worked with a wide range of 

community groups to facilitate workshops and immersive 

creative experiences.

Image Kirandeep Grewal | Belond | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Kirandeep Grewal 


This textile artwork tells the story of my connection to the 

Ngunnawal land. It showcases the beauty of the 

Brindabellas, incorporates salvaged embroideries, and 

features a symbol of strength in the form of a Japanese lady 

from a stitching group. It also includes a cherished blue 

crochet bookmark gifted by a dear friend. The tea stained 

hand represents the shared cups of tea and coffee with 

friends. Inspired by Indian Kantha embroidery, the stitches 

in this artwork are simple yet captivating, breathing new life 

into old fabrics. 

The impact of these experiences on my creative journey has 

created a strong sense of belonging in Canberra. Title: 

Becoming This self-portrait represents the artist's journey 

across Australia. 

The hand-dyed denim symbolizes strength and a strong 

foundation. The embroidery on the denim was done during 

family gatherings and each stitch represents a life change, 

represented by bright colours. 

The soft colours symbolize the past and the passage of time. 

The artist's studio life is shown in the eyes, created with 

precious hand-dyed silks, reflecting memories of inspiration 

and empowerment from their time in Western Australia. 

The forehead dot is stitched with a recycled silk coil, 

symbolizing resourcefulness, and fearlessness in trying new 

concepts. 

Overall, this self-portrait captures the artist's experiences, 

resilience, and personal growth throughout her life as an 

artist. 


Kirandeep Grewal is a multi-disciplinary community artist 

and an art educator based in Canberra. Her art practice is 

based upon a meditative approach to everyday life. Her 

designs on silk scarves, wall hangings or paintings are a 

combination of various traditional techniques, including 

Shibori, Indian tie-and-dye, freehand drawing/painting, and 

embroidery. 

Facilitating and engaging the community in arts through 

various community projects are the core of her art practice. 

Currently, she runs Maker’s Workshop (personal and home 

well-being project) in collaboration with Multicultural Hub 

Canberra. 

In October 2022, she had the privilege to be running art 

workshops for children and their parents who had recently 

arrived in Australia from different parts of the world. These 

workshops are supported by Vinnies, the Red Cross, the 

Multicultural Hub, and the ACT Library. 

She was invited to collaborate on Live painting for the 2022 

Australian of the Year Lunch at the National Gallery of 

Australia. 

She is the founder and facilitator for Migrant Women’s Art 

Group since 2020. An initiative is supported by Gungahlin 

Arts. In 2015 she was a facilitator for Artist by the River 

Projects 7 and 8 in Perth. She was recognised by the Rotary 

Club of Swan Valley, Western Australia for her dedication to 

the project.

Image Lissa-Jane de Sailles | Callistemon Wands | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Lissa-Jane de Sailles 


The environment, living in harmony with the natural world 

and connection to place are themes that reoccur in my work. 

I mainly use paper thread and take natural materials that 

grow near my home and use them to make fibre sculptures. 

Repetitive basketry techniques and meticulous attention to 

detail reveal rhythms and patterns, colours and textures 

that pay homage to the natural world, particularly the 

Australian bush. 


Lissa-Jane de Sailles is an award winning fibre artist and 

basket maker residing on Wandi Wandian and Jerrinja land 

in the Shoalhaven. Initially trained as a dancer, Lissa-Jane 

undertook study with the late Jim Walliss OAM in 2013. 

Since that time she has undertaken further tuition in 

traditional and contemporary basketry in Ireland, England 

and the USA. 

Most recently she became the first international instructor 

to be invited to teach at the National Basketry 

Organization's 11 Biennial Conference in Tacoma, 

Washington.

Image Lea Durie | Outside | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Lea Durie 


Outside is a response to place. It explores notions of place 

in relation to the boundaries we put around our places and 

what lies within and without. Do we feel part of a place that 

is outside constructed and conceived boundaries? Who 

cares for these outside landscapes in a changing climate. 


Lea Is currently undertaking a Master’s in Contemporary 

Art Practices at the ANU School of Art and Design. She has 

been the recipient of the ANU Boronia award for excellence, 

the Craft ACT Emerging Contemporaries Award with Craft 

ACT, the 3D award at the QPRC Art Prize 2023, the Doug 

Alexander Award 2021 from the Canberra Potters and is a 

finalist in the national Klytie Pate Ceramics Award 2023. 

Her work has been included in a number of group shows in 

the ACT, Victoria and NSW. 

Lea explores notions of place and use of land in her practice. 

Her work investigates the layers of human and non-human 

impact on the landscape. Through the marks and traces of 

what existed before now and what remains, she considers 

how land use and land control change a place. What do we 

know of who or what is impacted, who benefits and what is 

lost.

Image Jo Victoria | Burnt offering 1 | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Jo Victoria 


My art practice explores ideas of place and focuses on the 

influence of living close to nature. Unglazed porcelain 

captures an essential quality of this experience. The 

whiteness and translucency of this material produces 

similar qualities to bleached bones, fossils and broken shells 

found on the beaches and rock platforms on the ocean’s 

edge. 

Porcelain sculptural works feel fossil like in the way they 

capture the life essence of once living things in this 

environment. 

I use light in my work to portray a sense of ephemerality. 

The way light interacts with the materiality of porcelain 

enhances ideas of fragility, strength and the influences of 

deep time. 

This piece is evocative of times collecting tiny, beautiful, 

fragile and strange things. Something on the shore attracts 

our attention, we gather, feel, wonder and dream as 

collections grow in our pockets. These are gathered 

memories of something, sometimes hard to articulate, but 

that transcends the present moment and connect,ing us to a 

deep time sense of nature. 


Jo Victoria is a ceramic artist living and working on the 

South Coast of NSW. She works primarily in porcelain, and 

makes tableware, lighting and sculptural works. Jo started 

her career as an anthropologist in the 1980s working with 

people in remote Australia and collecting stories about 

country and cultural landscapes. She later completed a 

Diploma and MVA (ceramics) at the ANU School of Art and 

Design in Canberra. 

Jo’s art practice explores ideas of place and focuses on the 

influence of living close to nature. Her works are often 

focused on revealing hidden narratives in the landscape that 

illude to the deep past and the inter relationship between 

people and nature. 

Her high fired unglazed porcelain work captures an essential 

quality of fragility and strength. The whiteness and 

translucency of her pieces are evocative of bleached bones, 

fossils and broken shells found on the beaches and rock 

platforms on the ocean’s edge. 

This work is constructed with found objects dipped in 

porcelain, water colour on tracing paper, found fishing line, 

bone, crystal and marine plastic. It has three layers of 

porcelain and found debris to replicate the layers of fragile 

memories inhabiting collections of found objects. The 

hanging works draw the viewer, as do shiny, broken fragile 

things washed up on the beach. There for a moment, a 

glimpse of, or a feeling about something recognizable in our 

own memories, and then, as fleetingly, disappears.

Image Nicola Knackstredt | Untamed | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Nicola Knackstredt 


Most of my work explores the materiality of highly 

malleable fine silver sheet metal, which I refine through a 

rolling down process, pushing the metal to its limits. The 

result is a thin, delicate material that I can manipulate in the 

same way as a stiff fabric. With this process, I mimic in 

metal the movement and folds of fabric. 

For this piece, I wanted to quite literally integrate fabric into 

my work. This neckpiece is made using two materials: 

sterling silver wire and silk fabric. I have repeated simple 

silversmithing techniques to create a necklace with five 

tiers, which form the foundation of the work. This simple 

form is elevated by the addition of uniform strips of fabric 

which are tied around individual links of the chain. The 

result is a bold, complex and voluminous neckpiece. 

I consider silk to be a special fabric; it is a natural fibre, it is 

opulent and resplendent. I used green fabric because this 

colour gives me a sense of calm and fulfilment and also 

symbolises hope, rejuvenation, and peace with the natural 

world—something that is increasingly under threat. I have 

purposefully left the edges of the fabric frayed, thereby 

accentuating the many individual threads that constitute 

the beautiful, rich fabric made through an earlier repetitive 

process. 


Nicola is an emerging contemporary jeweller who studied 

Jewellery and Object at the Australian National University, 

where she received the Boronia Prize for Excellence in Gold 

and Silversmithing in the first year of her studies. 

In 2022, Nicola was a finalist in both Profile: Contemporary 

Jewellery and Object Award, presented by the Jewellery and 

Metalsmiths Group of Australia–NSW Inc. and the 

Australian Design Centre, and the National Contemporary 

Jewellery Award. 

Nicola's prior professional experience as a human rights 

lawyer has helped shape her practice and her business as 

Nicola sources her materials from an Australian company 

reputed for their sustainable and ethical production 

methods. 

Nicola’s work mostly explores the materiality of fine silver 

sheet metal, which is highly malleable, and is used in a way 

that suggests the movements and folds of fabric. 

Nicola’s work is made by hand in her studio at M16 Artspace 

in Canberra, where she also sits on the Board of 

Management. 

‘Untamed’ is playful and childlike—joyful to make, to look 

at, and wear.

Image Fran Romano | Containment II | Photo Andrew Sikorski - Art Atelier

Fran Romano 


Inspired by the architecture and archaeology of Europe my 

abstract vessels reference both the built and natural 

environment. They reflect my interest in exploring notions 

of decay as a metaphor and marker of time. Inspired by 

themes of loss, longing and nostalgia and their intersection 

with concepts of ritual and remembrance; I use layering, 

surface texture and imagery to reference the passage of time 

and build a sense of history and narrative into each piece. 

Containment II, is the latest in an ongoing series exploring 

veneration spaces and voids. The abstracted form creates a 

container for abstract things: memories, ideas, longing. A 

miniature cairn placed as though guarding an unseen 

doorway or perhaps a portal? Or maybe it’s an offering? The 

highly textured surface references the patina of age, whilst 

the darkened interior invites closer inspection – bronze 

highlights mimic reflected light – a reference to something 

hopeful perhaps? 

My work creates a quiet, contemplative space for the viewer. 

This moment of reflection creates a marker in the infinite 

expanse of moments past and those yet to come. It is a 

meditation on the duality of life; the tangible and intangible. 


A graduate of ANU School of Art (2013), Fran Romano 

works from a home studio in inner-city Canberra. Her 

teaching work and design practice complement her artmaking. 

With a focus on process-driven making, and 

drawing on her background as a Social Worker, she runs 

experiential/well-being workshops. 

Fran was a recent finalist in the Goulburn Art Award (2022); 

the Little Things Art Prize (2018) and the Palliative Care Art 

Prize (2017). In 2019, she was awarded first place for 3D Art 

in the Foot Square - Small Pieces Competition (Brisbane). In 

2018, she was awarded an Emerging Contemporaries prize 

from Craft ACT. 

This year, she is excited to be part of a collaborative group 

exhibition pairing botanical artists with ceramicists. She will 

undertake a residency in Italy this October where she will 

continue her research into burial practices of the Ancient 

Etruscans in Italy.

Image Dianne Firth | Turbulence | 2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Dianne Firth 


My work is informed by my training as a landscape 

architect. My minimalist layered and stitched textile art 

enables me to explore landscapes and portray qualities of 

our environment. 


Dianne Firth is an artist, landscape architect and academic 

and is Adjunct Associate Professor with the Centre for 

Creative and Cultural Research at the University of 

Canberra. Dianne exhibits regularly in juried exhibitions in 

Australia and internationally and her work is held in major 

public and private collections.

Image Monique van Nieuwland | Chucked | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Monique van Nieuwland 


Chucked, tossed, blown or lost - rubbish in our environment 

confronts us daily. Materials, design and concept are equally 

important to me. Woven cloth speaks of our past, the 

present and the future. 

My weaving work starts with finding threads to construct a 

warp and then what I choose to use as weft. These 

combinations have to work together as a cloth, creating a 

voice that will convey the concept. 

My artwork focuses on the environment and explores our 

ephemeral existence in this world. 


Since the 1980s van Nieuwland’s textile practice 

encompasses contemporary techniques and materials, 

keeping loom weaving vibrant and relevant as a form of 

expression. In 2004 Monique completed M(Phil) studies at 

the ANU which researched ‘The Shroud as a Contemporary 

Textile Art Phenomenon’. 

She is an accredited member of Craft + Design Canberra. 

Commissions have included public works for hospitals and 

weaving for movie costumes and set. She exhibits nationally 

and internationally. 

Her work has been selected for several Tamworth Fibre 

Textile Biennial/Triennial exhibitions (1988/2004/2014). In 

2016 she represented Australia in the 15th International 

Triennial of Tapestry in Poland.

Image Samuel Sheppard | Casper | 2023 | Photo 3D Rendering Courtesy of Artist

Samuel Sheppard 


My practice is primarily based on creating free-standing 

furniture out of timber with an extension into sculptural 

works. 

My work is guided by two core tenets, the first of which is a 

keen passion for drawing upon artistic concepts or the 

beauty of the natural world to elevate pieces above their 

functional nature. 

The second element of my practice is a focus on challenging 

a material’s inherent capabilities and attempting to draw out 

features which may at first not seem apparent. 

Working primarily with timber, I have felt it is important to 

honour the finite nature of this material and the time and 

effort involved in its creation. 


Following a career transition into furniture making, Sam 

studied in the UK at world renowned furniture school 

Waters and Acland in Lake District. 

He currently practices as Hopmans Furniture in Canberra 

producing limited edition production furniture, sculptural 

works, and custom commissions. His style is heavily 

influenced by various artistic movements of the 20th 

century and is committed to crafting work which stands out. 

Combining the highest standards of craftsmanship with a 

love for sleek design and coherence with the works 

environment. He works primarily in wood with a focus on 

sustainably sourced timbers and respect for material, which 

he applies to all his work. 

The first work is a simple three legged coffee table with rigid 

and truncated triangular formed legs which contrast with 

the soft textured top that features hand-carved subtle 

adjustments in surface of the top to give the effect of 

drooping or folding of the top by the forces of the 

supporting frame creating a wholly organic table top which 

appears as soft drapery rather than solid timber. 

The second piece, 'Curl' is a riff on the classical form of the 

modern H frame production chair, which has been disturbed 

with a rippling effect challenging our perceptions of 

functional strength and injecting a sense of play into an 

often banal everyday object, with the softness further 

accentuated by the softness of the seat and backrest.

Image Rozlyn de Bussey | Celebrations | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Rozlyn de Bussey 


As a committed Canberra artist, I have been recognised by 

the glass fraternity as a professional maker and educator. 

My contemporary practitioner standing is evidenced by my 

work being showcased as an independent artist in the thenprestigious 

Ranamok Glass Prize and the Bombay Sapphire 

Design Prize. Not many in this country can use vitreous 

enamels and lustres as I can do. It does take years of 

practice, patience and resilience to master a variety of 

technical processes. 


De Bussey is a recognised Australian glass artist and 

educator, she has exhibited work globally since 1984, 

including in the USA, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, 

Pakistan, France and New Zealand. Her work are 

represented in collections throughout Australia and 

overseas, including the Frank Howarth Collection, 

Queensland Art Gallery, Piiponnen Collection in Finland 

and the Sklarse Museum in the Czech Republic. 

As a Craft + Design Canberra Professional Accredited Artist, 

I’ve been further recognised by peers and colleagues for my 

excellence, technical skills and ability to create glass forms 

that shine in their light using historical technical processes 

in a contemporary way. 

As an educator, I have many years of experience. I have been 

trained by master craftspeople, including the late Ann 

Dybka (recipient of the Australia Council Emeritus Award 

and Order of Australia; she was the first glass artist to 

receive these awards and was nominated by me), as an 

apprentice in Architectural Glass and through my studies at 

the ANU School of Art under the late Klaus Moje. I have 

always reciprocated my learning experiences, giving back to 

the community through teaching and lecturing on various 

subjects.

mage Valerie Kirk | Namadgi | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Valerie Kirk 


I have always had a connection to the natural world – 

growing up on a farm in Scotland and now living and 

working in Canberra, the Bush Capital of Australia. In this 

beautiful city we are surrounded by vegetation and to the 

south lies Namadgi National Park with majestic mountains 

and wild terrain. 

In 2021 I was awarded a residency at Gudgenby Cottage in 

the south of Namadgi National Park. During the three weeks 

of the residency I walked and explored, observed the 

changing elements and the fading flowers in autumn. The 

mountains surround the valley and change with the light, 

weather and time of day. In a small journal I made notes and 

drawings, experiments with visual elements and tested ideas 

for new works. On a small loom I wove impressions of 

colour and texture, thinking about the age of the land, time 

passing and the absorbed impressions of being there. 


My background is in art, design and woven tapestry, having 

studied at Edinburgh College of Art. 

This education laid the foundation for my first job as a 

weaver at the Victorian Tapestry Workshop in Melbourne. 

Then following further study at Goldsmiths, University of 

London, I worked for exhibitions, did commissions, 

travelled and taught in GB and Australia before taking up the 

position, Head of Textiles at The Australian National 

University. 

Now I work from my studio in O'Connor - weaving, 

teaching, art and design projects and planning textile tours. 

Changes in weather and the seasons link me in to the cycles 

of life and passing of time. Back in my studio I designed this 

tapestry with a close up view of plant forms on the ground 

and the distant view to the mountains, my experience every 

day of the residency – looking down and looking up.

Image Dimity Kidston | Thinking of You | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Dimity Kidston 


"Thinking of You" encapsulates the universal sentiment of 

longing and remembrance. The shades of blue serve as a 

conduit for viewers to immerse themselves in the collective 

reservoir of emotions tied to loss. 

In this artwork, I seek to convey the healing power of 

shared experiences, reminding us that we are never truly 

alone in our reflections and that the memory of a mother's 

love persists like a timeless thread in our lives. 


Dimity Kidston is an artist and educator based in Canberra, 

known for her tapestry weaving and ceramics. 

Her artistic journey began at the Australian National 

University's School of Art, where she developed a passion 

for Textiles and Ceramics. 

Influenced by her global explorations, Kidston creates 

intricate designs that harmoniously blend contemporary 

aesthetics with traditional techniques. 

Her tapestry weaving transforms threads into vivid 

narratives, while her ceramics strike a delicate balance 

between form and function. 

With a portfolio featuring private commissions, commercial 

installations, and recently a Netflix feature, Kidston 

navigates the intersection of art and practicality. Her work 

stands as a tribute to the confluence of past and present 

artistic practices.

Image Barbara Rogers | Traces | 2011-2022 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Barbara Rogers 


In a process of adding and subtracting, masking and 

revealing I incorporate innovative shibori techniques with 

other traditional resist-dye processes in my unique artworks 

to create subtly varied patterns and rhythms that work in 

harmony with the cloth. 

In my work Traces, disruptive patterning is achieved by 

stitching, over-dyeing, re-dyeing and more stitching. 


Barbara Rogers is a Sydney based textile artist. Rogers has 

gained international acclaim for her work which has been 

exhibited in Australia and internationally. 

She completed Dress Design at the National Art School and 

worked in the fashion industry for many years. 

Rogers now works in shibori, an ancient Japanese resist dye 

technique and participated in the last nine World Shibori 

Symposia.

Image Susan Wiscombe | Traversing Lanyon | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Susan Wiscombe 


My early years were in Tasmania, amongst a rugged 

landscape, where the ebb and flow of warmth and coolness, 

light and darkness maintain equilibrium in all living things. I 

explore the natural phenomena of space and light. My works 

include many small components of kiln-formed glass that I 

then combine to depict a narrative. Usually, that narrative 

draws attention to matters that are of concern to me. 

Due to the duplicitous qualities of glass - strength, and 

fragility, opaque or transparent, shine or matt, it is my 

material of choice for exploring issues that are vexed and 

potentially divisive. Like the land and seascapes of this 

distant south island, glass can be beautiful yet treacherous, 

yet fragile to human intervention. 

I delve into philosophical juxtapositions impacting the 

natural world by creating works whose beguiling aesthetic 

encourages the viewer to take another look, as often there is 

an underpinning narrative that at times may have sinister 

implications. 

An example, my work Ghost Brumbies gives visual voice to 

the complexity and plight of the Brumbies. 


Susan has explored a number of artistic and craft mediums. 

In 2012, Susan attended an introductory Kiln forming glass 

workshop. From this Susan completed a number of courses 

and workshops, developing skills, knowledge, and networks. 

In 2016 Susan’s life took on a new direction when she 

enrolled in Bachelor of Visual Arts majoring in Glass at the 

ANU. 

Exhibitions include two EASS award exhibitions, Craft ACT 

Members exhibition, Belconnen Arts, Queanbeyan Art 

society and a Finalist in Inaugural Art Prize at Lanyon. 

Susan has focused on building expertise through eLearning, 

setting up and equipping her home studio workspace and a 

website whimsicalmakings.com. 

Susan’s professional activities include having developed a 

number of one day kiln forming courses at classbento.com. 

Susan has received five-star reviews from all participants. 

Susan is a Director on the Board of Ausglass, a Not for Profit 

whose membership includes of glass artists, curators, and 

collectors. https://ausglass.org 

European settlement brought horses to Australia. Banjo 

Patterson’s ‘The Man from Snowy River” immortalised them 

into Australian folklore. There is a growing awareness of 

environmental issues and a desire to preserve the Australian 

landscape as authentically as possible. Hence is now a push 

for the eradication of wild horses particularly in the Snowy 

Mountains area. 

The once noble equines are now seen as pests, invaders, and 

destroyers of the natural landscape and by extension a 

threat to native species, grasses lands, and watercourses. 

My work – Traversing Lanyon also highlights the impact of 

approaches to land management and ownership that have 

been imposed by my ancestors who were Colonialists. Again, 

I am conflicted. There are no easy answers other than 

making a personal commitment to walk gently on this land 

and show respect for those who were here long before the 

colonialists.

Image | Luke Batten | Fragment | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Luke Batten 


Working predominantly with wood, I design and craft 

quality bespoke objects. From custom one-off pieces to 

batch produced products, my work celebrates material, 

joinery, and design. Shaped by my education at prominent 

national and international creative schools, my ethos 

merges craft values with design principles. 

Fragment demonstrates the possibilities of modularity. The 

design uses a single symmetric, and repeating module to 

create a series of beautiful sculptural tables. Within the 

module design are five joinery variants, enabling each 

unique table iteration to be organically generated. 

Each iteration of Fragment comprises a sculptural wooden 

base and a functional glass top. 

Inspired by cell-reproduction and the photomicrography of 

bone, the design beautifully exhibits the dichotomy of 

natural geometry — symmetry creating a sense of order and 

asymmetry producing a feeling of chaos. 


Luke Batten is an Australian Craftsman based in Ngunnawal 

country. 

Luke is a graduate of the University of Canberra (Bachelor of 

Industrial Design), a graduate of the Australian National 

University (Master of Furniture Design) and has studied 

fine woodworking at the Center for Furniture 

Craftsmanship, in Maine, U.S.A. (9-month Program). 

Luke’s creative process unifies design with making, 

emphasising material, production design, and user 

experience. He is driven by a passion for craftsmanship, 

authentic design, and sustainability. 

His work has been widely recognised through exhibitions, 

competitions, media and awards. 

Meticulously handcrafted, each module elegantly combines 

joinery with form, demonstrating an uncompromising 

approach to craftsmanship. Beneath the glass top surface, 

the quality of this craftsmanship is showcased as a sequence 

of meeting surfaces and exposed joinery. 

Fragment is bespoke. Each component is customisable in 

size, arrangement, timber species, tints, and colours.

Image Tania Vrancic | Untitled | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Tania Vrancic 


Creating art is often a journey of self-discovery. I tend to 

make intuitively with the subtle meaning behind my work 

unfolding over time. Most of my work is abstract landscape 

depicting the feeling of a place and what it is like to be there 

and journey through the landscape rather than a literal 

place. As an emerging mixed media artist and painter, I am 

seeking to make the connections between my ceramics and 

painting stronger. How can I paint on ceramics in a similar 

way as on canvas and board? The work I propose for this 

exhibition is a small series of three vessels using new 

processes to paint on hand-built ceramics. They will be 

abstract landscapes with text inside the vessels about 

belonging. Belonging to ourselves, to each other and to our 

surroundings. 


Tania Vrancic is a contemporary ceramic artist working from 

her sunny little studio in Canberra, Australia. Drawing her 

inspiration from landscape and childhood memories Tania 

creates a sense of freedom and whimsy mixed with a 

Scandinavian design aesthetic. 

Using various printing on clay techniques, hand building and 

slip casting makes each item unique. Details are added with 

sgraffito, ceramic pencil and slip trailing creating multiple 

layers which are enhanced by the translucency of high fired 

porcelain. 

Tania is also an emerging mixed media artist. As she works 

in different mediums, she finds each one informs the other. 

My testing process is well on its way however I do not have 

a completed piece to photograph at this stage. The next test 

batch is in the kiln now, so I have plenty of time to complete 

the works in time for this exhibition.

Image Lisa Stevenson | Crisp | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Lisa Stevenson 


The plants used in the creation of these vessels are from 

some neglected and overlooked community spaces. 

The Gymea Lily was a council planting in need of pruning, 

as it was so large it was impacting on the roadway. 

The Kangaroo Grass was collected during the wet summer 

of 2022 from the roadside, a week before the rest was mown 

in preparation for fire season. The leaves of the Kangaroo 

Paw hide in the community garden, the plant forgotten 

about after the beautiful flower spikes turn brown. 

Transforming these overlooked materials is my joy. 


Lisa Stevenson is a basket maker and fibre artist, living and 

working on the unceded land of the Ngunnawal and 

Ngambri. 

With a passion for using natural materials, she has been 

growing and harvesting her own basketry materials, or 

sustainably foraging materials from her local area. Creating 

functional and sculptural forms using various basketry 

techniques Lisa seeks to explore the possibilities of design 

with natural fibres. 

Sharing her passion for basketry, Lisa has been delivering 

workshops on various basketry techniques. 

She is currently undertaking a degree in visual arts at 

Australian National University and has exhibited in 

Canberra and interstate.

Image Lex Sorrentino | Wall Trophy | 2023 | Photo Courtesy of Artist

Lex Sorrentino 


My love for experimenting with different clay mediums has 

produced Unique Sculpture in Polymer Clay and Air-Dry 

Clay. 

Each upright sculpture is created over a wire armature and 

have glass eyes. 


Lex Sorrentino, Mixed Media Clay Artist, began sculpting in 

1996 and being self- taught, her minimal training has left her 

free to approach clay sculpting with no preconceptions as to 

how it ought to be used. 

“Ignorance is not only bliss, but genuinely constructive, 

particularly in a medium as adaptable as Polymer & Air Dry 

clay.” 

Lex’s choice is Whimsical art, which show the diversity of 

different clays and how they can be incorporated with many 

mediums to produce interesting creations, (one of which 

came first in the International Polymer Clay Association 

Sculpture Award Global Exhibition 2023 and a close second 

in the People’s Choice Sculpture for Clyde 2023) 

She teaches weekly Workshops in Oxley, Canberra. 

Co-ordinator for the once-a-year Contemporary Craft 

Retreat at Greenhills, Cotter ACT.

2023 Members Exhibition Catalogue

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