The southerners and pots

The southern cold drove the family north to enjoy our Winter - cold wet weather and sick kids don't lead to an enjoyable time. The little ones are playing with hoses instead of sitting in front of a fire so it's been a fun time for Nona!

I quickly did another load before they came - a mix of shino pieces, cups and beakers - the latter a favourite for cool drinks in our hot climate. Its Winter and we are still getting 30 degree + (90F) days so pottery is a must for keeping your beverages cool! Went on a bit of a jug making spree as there have been requests for beer jugs from a couple of the local home brewers - trouble with my jug making it moves from large to very small and its the smaller versions which take over and press my creative button - and they don't require handles - all the better when things are drying before my eyes.
This beaker is in the local porcelain body I have aging - couldn't resist taking some out and trying to get it working - still finding it stiff and not as plastic as I was hoping but hopefully that bacteria will work its magic and give me the body I want.

I am off to brave the Sydney cold next week and enjoy the workshop with Takeshi Yasuda. I should come home stimulated by my exposure to the galleries etc down there but I know the cold won't be pleasureable as I am totally shorts and t-shirt and barefoot!!!
I have been enjoying the discussions on the australian ceramics thread - for someone like me who sits a long long way from city centres its great to hear the many views bandied back and forth. I must admit I am drawn to those who are comfortable working away quietly in the shadows but staying true to their love - I am a little lost amongst the Art crowd - give me my beach any day! The cyber world is great for someone like me to touch base with the ceramic world but it does sometimes eat into time and takes away from actually working the clay.

Grass Basket and Home

This is one of the most incredible videos and well worth watching. I hope schools make this a must see. I feel rather small and insignificant by comparison but realize I am part of a monumental destructive force waging war on this wonderful planet we call 'HOME'.
I had the opportunity to learn some grass weaving, making a Mindi. Mindi (message vessel) functioned as a vessel for transporting message sticks, their typical size being the result of this function. My Mindi took on an abstract form and seemed to take me on its own journey recreating what I felt was a female form acknowledging the gathering of women learning this wonderful art. Ninney and Emily Murray from the Jumbun Community patiently guided us through the process, Ninney urging me to keep going until the end. I am so glad she did as I feel it spoke volumes. 7 hours with a break for lunch and it sat completed and one tired but extremely happy basket weaver wove 'HOME'. Thankyou, Thankyou Ninney and Emily.
Ninney was part of the Artisan 2008 exhibition 'Jettison Wove' which is touring remote communities and Weipa has the privelege of viewing the works.

Shino and some green cups!

Shino dominated the kiln load this time. Finally fired some of the big pots sitting around taking up much needed space in my limited work area. Just thought the green cups would add a complete contrast to the earthy bauxite, shino ware. Think my heart was in the glazing but it was with mixed feelings as another son flew the coop - he will be missed but is probably glad he doesn't have mum asking him to do those fix-it jobs.

National Portrait Gallery

Dr John Yu by the wonderful Ah Xian. The featured portrait story is worth checking on the National Portrait Gallery site - Dr John Yu.
I just loved the gentleness in Dr John Yu's voice and feel the mood has been captured in this beautiful ceramic portrait.

There was a Crowe-ing and a Russell in the bushes on the banks of the Wenlock River

Russell Crowe was on the David Letterman show calling for protection of Steve Irwin's Wildlife Reserve on the Wenlock River. This river has the biggest fish diversity of any river in Australia and as such is a pristine environment in its entirety which needs protection from mining. Bauxite mining means the removal of all vegetation, along with associated fauna followed by the bauxite layer scooped up and forever removed, thus dictating the death of the forest which depended on this layer. Sadly for the areas under the mining process up here there have been no indepth studies on the fauna so we are still not aware of the losses already suffered and the pending future losses in areas earmarked for the mining process. We need more high profile voices like Crowe's to make a stand for the preservation of some wilderness areas which will be forever lost if we don't speak out.

Camera and pots!!!

My photography is always a struggle - especially with the reflective light bouncing off the shino and my wonderful blue black 'Milky Way' series but now the camera has failed me. Remoteness makes these things all that more difficult as the nearest 'hospital' is in Sydney so I will be walking my beach without this constant companion.
Porcelain 'Milky Way' dillyThe images never do this wonderful glaze combination justice - there is so much refracted light it hinders the contrast especially on the porcelain body. Sunlight works magic and I so wish I had the equipment to capture these works properly.

The little shino basket, glaze rolling back off the underlying bauxite over a local clay mix.
Shino, bauxite and a 2 glaze green always works to capture the local monsoon colours.
Beakers - these found some good homes - shell marks highlighted with the bauxite and multiple glazes over a local clay mix create interesting responses.
Local clay filled with its abundance of iron works so well with two little soy pourers.
Southern Ice Porcelain, beautiful and impurity free, and I go and add something like bauxite to change that crisp whiteness but it works so well, the transluscency accenturating the bauxite markings. When the camera returns the dilly forms will find their way to the paperbarks just on sunset - 'dilly inspired porcelain basket with its found woven soft coral handle sits quietly amidst its fragile surroundings, reflecting on the past indigenous women who gathered along this pristine shore for thousands of years leaving only their footprints - if only we could do the same.'
My AvantCard postcard - "CallingAllArtists.pdf"

The Truants

There's a great new Triple J Unearthed band from Townsville - The Truants -it just happens to have my nephew Steven on guitar. You go STEVO!!!!! Just love 'Perhaps its Time' - and heard it played on J yesterday so I was pretty excited and proud.