Just came across this artists website. check out her works of 2000-2001. so beautiful. so long ago. ; )
In order to go back to the beginning and perhaps learn some new things about throwing (and about teaching throwing), and to take advantage of clay, glazes, firings and wheels being provided, I took a “beginner wheel” class at Northcote Pottery, here in Melbourne. I found the experience to be positive - meeting Saturday morning with half a dozen other keeners, not wanting to leave when the three hours were up. The teacher Sophie was well spoken, patient and encouraging - and clearly good at what she does (check out her work!).
I ended up making a few cereal sized bowls, a few beakers, small tea bowls, and a plate. the bowls and beakers are out of the kiln already. I can’t say that I did anything very interesting at the level of form, but i do like how the scrafitto turned out on the inside of the bowls. We were working with a white earthenware/stoneware blend fired to earthenware temperatures. The glazes don’t fit well - lots of crazing. When washing the bowls I noticed that the water went right under the glaze and temporarily changed the colour of the dark grey slip even darker - so probably not the strongest or most food safe combination out there.
Anyway, it was a fun class and it is nice to have some more unique dishes about the house.
Last week I went to the opening of Maria’s solo exhibition “Winds from the East” at the Museion No. 1, in Budapest, Hungary. Only recently have I been introduced to her work, but can safely say that it is far from ordinary. She slipcasts gentle forms that can be read as figurative or instrumental, which then have layers of screen printed images, patterns and writing with ceramic pigments placed on the surface. In a recent write up she stated “my imagination is fascinated by the pictures of distances, far-away towns, waves of deserts and seas. To discover, to know and to learn and to soar in the air, being frightened on a plane, on a chattering helicopter, waiting at empty airports rolled up in my long shadow”. 
While Maria’s work is a visual pleasure to look and and examine, I’ve found that after spending some time talking with her, she too is a rare pleasure to meet. It is always an inspiration to come into contact with someone so dedicated to their practice, and so imaginative, kind-hearted and level-headed at the same time. Although I could not find a personal website, more work and information about Maria Geszler can be found here.
Just for a giggle, here is a photo taken recently in Hua Hin, Thailand. The photo was taken by my out-law David Cotterell. He said it appeared to be a shop selling wares that were made out the back. 
I signed myself up for a workshop which read only as follows “At Craft Victoria: March 13: DIY Kills Them All with One Pin Prick. 4pm, LUMP OF CLAY: Irene Grishin-Selzer and Chicks on Speed! Cost: Free”. And somewhere along the way I also heard the words “monster” and “participate” used with this event in the same paragraph.
I went to the opening the night before at Craft Victoria for Chicks on Speed - Vive le Craft. It was packed. There was a lineup to get in (grabbing that glass of wine as you entered might have been slowing the crowd a bit). Once we were in we couldn’t see it all because of the many people. I could however, see the pieces that were hanging higher up in the front half of the gallery (we didn’t wedge ourselves into the back half). There were brightly coloured fabrics in various forms from wearable to sculptural. There was a video with a floating naked lady. There was a weaving loom with people working it. There was a lady at the other end of the room speaking with a microphone in her hand - but we couldn’t hear her. All of this added to my wonderment about what the next days LUMP OF CLAY could hold.
In essence there was much less theme or concept to the workshop than I had anticipated. We got aprons on and sat around the tables with a lump of clay in the middle, modelling tools, bowls of water, and underglazes and brushes. Irene, a local ceramic artist (of Iggy and LouLou), showed us some basic modes of forming (coil, pinch, etc) and the importance of scratch/slip/squish (when attaching two pieces) until it makes the oozey squishy sound. I think she really likes making sounds. Then we just played, individually. I made a mini magical land.
The extra nice part about it was not feeling like and alien. For the first time in a while I was surrounded by people of a similar demographic who all had at least one similar interest at that moment (playing with clay). The Chicks on Speed were also participating, and it was nice to hear Irene and them and some of the Craft Victoria associated people talking about things like ‘to copyright or not to copyright?’ (the vote is no) and creative process and what not - it was only too bad that dialogue didn’t happen between the whole group.
I did my best to mingle without being too much of a try-hard. I made a mini magical land (i know i said that already). And I stayed on to watch the next event - a slide talk by Faythe Levine, a multi-angled lady who recently has been working on Handmade Nation, film and book. 
Hover over images for brief descriptions and click on them for larger versions.
Recently I visited Bendigo Pottery, near the town of Bendigo, about an hour and a half drive from Melbourne in a north westwardly direction. It is the oldest functioning pottery in Australia at 150 years young. The pottery has gone through many shifts of direction - from containers for storing liquids, to pipes and roof tiles, to bedpans, to table and kitchen ware. Now it is mainly a tourist destination that does continue to make and sell wares, and luckily not only to tourists - although we bought a wheel thrown bowl as a souvenir and as a small attempt to support the pottery. 
There is a museum area where we got to check out some of the equipment used in the olden days, including clay making, ware making, and firing.
There are also two galleries at the site, one which displays the work of local studio potters, and the other that has some paintings of landscapes which seemed to be made for the audience of aged 50+ lady tourist.
Here are some snaps of work by ceramicists living in Victoria, Australia. Most of this work I have seen around Melbourne in shops like Craft Victoria and Wilkins and Kent. I recommend touching the Claystone Pottery (Christopher Plumridge) work - the glazes are velvety-amazing. And how rustic-cute are those pet-rock mortar and pestles by Bridget Bodenham? I like the proportions of the pudgey bellied honey pot by Elise Bishop. And, Sandra Bowkett - I am a sucker for your copper dots!
I’m in the Circle Craft Show that runs from Feb 6th to March 3rd. I’ve got a new group sitting on a glass shelf this time.
Now that i’ve arrived in Kecskemet, and have my studio somewhat set up, i’ve been working out some new ideas for a few projects. After visiting Berlin and walking around some interesting neighbourhoods, i’ve become quite interested in architectural spaces that are in a continual state of perplexion; an observer cannot tell if they are half built or half torn down. Having lived in Vancouver for the past 4 years, and after spending a lot of time in the Down Town East Side, I’ve grown interested in the ghosts of a building, the traces of wallpaper, paint and brick patterns that are left behind, the ‘guts’ of a structure.
Because Kecskemet is so highly saturated with Art Nouveau buildings, i’ve noticed that style has been creeping into my sketches lately. Below are just some maquettes, or sketches with clay, of ideas that i’m working out.
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