#australian ceramics

[scottelkartwork]

ARTWORK

Helen Fuller

Hand-built vessels, 2021

Art Gallery of South Australia

Helen Fuller is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice includes painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography and installation. Her career began in 1978 when she studied fine art at the Torrens College of Advanced Education (now the University of South Australía) and in 1994 she completed a Master of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia,

In 2009 Fuller began pottery classes, making her first pinch pots in clay. Since that time, she has produced a large body of hand-built terracotta forms. Fuller makes her hand-built ceramics in her studio at the rear in her inner south Adelaide home. The studio is surrounded by large eucalyptus trees and is filled with collected botanical specimens, including leaves, bark and flowers.

It is the textures and colours of these that form the inspiration for her work in terracotta.

Fuller is a prolific artist and a highly regarded member of the South Australian artistic community. As part of the South Australian Living Artists Festival 2023, the Gallery celebrates her as this year's feature artist with this group of recently acquired five hand-built vessels.

What I connect with…

The texture on the surface is curious, and unusual. It looks scratchy and drawn on with a pencil, giving the forms the appearance of a drawing. The muted colour palette too is very alluring, reminding me of high fired stoneware. The varied and unique shapes within the construction feel very organic, like they are drawing from nature, but as if at some point in the making process they suddenly remember they are functional ceramics and grow handles, spouts and holes. They feel like abstracted characters from beauty and the beast caught mid morph from servants working in the castle to plates and bowls with the ability to sing.

Hot tip: TheJam Factory shop, Adelaide, have some beautiful Helen Fuller pieces at affordable prices.

[littlealienproducts]

summer in italy ceramic to go cup by itsshukran

[nuveau-deco]

Teacup and Saucer Decorated with Stylised Art Deco Black Cats. Medium is porcelain, manufactured by Haviland in France; the additional feline decoration was hand-painted by Floy Hubble in South Australia, 1929. Part of the collection at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.

(Source: collection.maas.museum)

[yourcoffeeguru]

HUMPTY DUMPTY Porcelain Mug Illustrated by Skye Rogers Fine China made Australia || SWtradepost

[camtot]

Frolicking, leaping, laying in the sun

[creature---fear]

Vase with pastoral design of dancing figures by Sydney Long

1909 Mildred Lovett

[de-mykel]

Alan Constable. Not Titled, 2023.

glaze, earthenware

[ahomeartgallery]

Ceramics by Sassy Park opening at Home next Wednesday the 26th. Join me for drinks from 6-8pm – 735 Bourke Street Redfern. Pictured is Kangaroo Flower Brick, 2022, maiolica.

[sunlilys]

penny evans

[scottelkartwork]

ARTWORK

CERAMICS

Trophies to Conceptualism, 2023

Stoneware ceramic

Five decades of conceptualism

1917, Marcel Duchamp

1921, Man Ray

1936, Mèret Oppenhiem

1941, Pablo Picasso

1959, Robert Rauschenberg

But why does it matter? Duchamp’s act of placing a urinal on a plinth, an everyday commercially produced ceramic object which was transformed by being placed in an artistic context, given a new name, and pseudonymously signed ‘R. MUTT, ‘Fountain’ challenged the art establishment by questioning what we consider to be ‘art’, and started the dissolution of the distinction between art and life. If this was art, anything could be art! It opened the door to consider other mediums in a fine art context, such as those historically rooted in craftsmanship, like ceramics, embroidery, and fashion. Ceramics finally had its fine art breakthrough into the contemporary with UK ceramicist Greyson Perry winning UK’s prestigious art award, The Turner Prize, in 2003. By rendering the function of an object obsolete, the object moves into a space for pure aesthetic contemplation. This functional / non-functional aspect is always one ceramicists wrestle with, especially in contemporary art, and one I am exploring with this series of works. The ideas initiated by Duchamp undoubtedly changed art, and has been explored by artists and makers ever since. I have briefly highlighted some of the artists and works that have expanded upon Duchamp’s ideas, in these celebratory plates which serve as trophies to conceptualism. They are in the recognisable form of a functional plate, but they are made to be hung on a wall as a non-functional display piece.

[littlealienproducts]

Flowering Gum Ceramic Trinket Dish from SWTradePost

[mybeingthere]

Pippin Drysdale (born 1943) is an Australian ceramic artist and art teacher. Her works are known for their intensity of colour and linear markings that interpret the artist's relationship with the Australian landscape. She was recognized as one of Western Australia’s State Living Treasures.

She tells: ‘I am inspired by landscape and am driven to capture its essential beauty. My porcelain vessels record my journeys through Australia’s unique and varied environments. The various series trace my travels to the Pinnacles north of Perth, to the Eastern Goldfields and the salt lakes in the interior of Western Australia. A digression to Pakistan resulted in a series of vibrant works inspired by that impressive land and the largest single work I have ever made. Visits to the Tatami Desert saw a more delicately decorated collection and another to the north of the State – the Kimberley and interaction with Aboriginal people is resulting in another series of really strong collections.’ – Pippin Drysdale, 2022

[yourcoffeeguru]

Vintage Salt and Pepper Shakers Kangaroo and Joey made in JAPAN // swtradepost - shop

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Children's Python Shopping List

If you've decided on a Children's python (Antaresia childreni) for your first pet snake, you're in for a treat! These lovely little pythons are awesome pets and fun to watch and interact with. You can expect your pet Children's python to grow around 1-1.5 m (3-5 ft) as an adult, and they can live to be over 20 years old with appropriate care.

Enclosure setup shopping list:

You will want to set up your enclosure so your snake has room to stretch out, climb, and explore! You will need to set up a temperature gradient of about 32-25 C (90-78 F), and Children's pythons need a humidity level of around 50-60%.

Enclosure. For a baby Children's python, a 20 gallon is fine, and a 40 gallon works well for yearlings. As an adult, your snake will need an enclosure at least as long as they are, and ideally with vertical space to climb. A 120 gallon enclosure is a good minimum, and bigger is always better!

If your enclosure has a screen lid, two sets of screen clips. Never bring a snake home without screen clips!

To retain humidity, if your enclosure has a screen lid, cut a piece of cardboard or plywood to cover at least half of the lid to help keep humidity in.

A dome heat lamp with ceramic sockets. Any big reptile brand is fine - Fluker's, Zoo Med, and Exo Terra are all trustworthy brands here. Make sure your dome lamp is rated for the wattage of bulb you will be using - 150 is usually a safe bet.

Heat bulbs. I use ceramic heat emitters for my Children's pythons. You can choose to provide halogen light and UVB if you'd like, but as these are nocturnal snakes, monitor your snake's reaction to visible light - some individuals won't adapt well to it, and that's okay! Arcadia makes high-quality heat sources your pet will love. The wattage you choose will depend on your enclosure size and the temperature in your home.

A thermostat to plug your heat source into. Vivarium Electronics thermostats are excellent but pricey; you can go as expensive as you like but here is a cheap one I swear by.

Digital thermometer/hygrometer reader with probes - Zoo Med and Exo Terra make great dual gauges. Avoid stick-on dials!

At least two identical hides, one on either side

A container to make a humidity hide. Simply cut a hole in the lid, fill with damp moss, and you're set! Providing your snake with a humid hide will help them have perfect sheds every time!

A large water bowl

(Insider tip: if you go to the grocery store and buy a pack of black plastic food storage containers, you can easily make hides, humidity hides, and a water bowl out of them! Here's my go-to option, you can easily take care of all that for one baby snake cheaply and easily!)

Sphagnum moss for your humid hide. Make sure your humid hide is always moist!

Substrate. Children's pythons can do well on a range of substrates, but options that help hold humidity are best. Cypress mulch and coconut fiber are good options.

Climbing branches and other decor - climbing is a must, and vines, rocks, and tunnels made from cardboard tubes are other great options. Children's pythons love to climb, so be sure to take advantage of vertical space!

General care:

Feeding tongs.

Food for your snake. Your offered food should be about 10% of your snake's body weight.

A soldering iron, believe it or not! A cheap soldering iron will serve you well throughout your snake's life - you can use it to easily melt holes in bowls and containers to make hides.

A small snake hook can help you with handling your snake, especially if you're nervous.

If you're Australian, be sure to check your state's laws and make sure you have the appropriate license before you buy your snake. Be sure to include any associated fees in your budget!

And some common beginner mistakes:

Don't move your snake to a separate enclosure to feed. It's a myth that will make your snake "aggressive" - it can actually cause more mistaken feeding bites as they associate handling with being fed!

Don't worry if your snake spends most of their time hiding, especially while young. A hiding snake is a happy snake!

Don't be concerned if your snake is a little jumpy or defensive when you first bring them home. Children's pythons can be jumpy babies, but this will improve with gentle handling and time.

Don't over-handle your snake, and always give them at least a week to settle in before offering food for the first time.

Never handle your snake for two days after they've eaten - that could cause a regurgitation.

Children's pythons are awesome pets! They're uncomplicated to care for and are generally very hardy and not too fussy. If you take care to set up your enclosure well, you'll be all set for many happy and fun years with your new buddy!

[ceramiccity]

Victoria House Transformation: Gabled Blocks

Australian architect Andrew Maynard - Australian house expansion with gabled architecture, contrasting materials, and a village-like design by Andrew Maynard. Follow Ceramic City on Tumblr Source: https://soudasouda.tumblr.com/post/749307203506356224/australian-architect-andrew-maynard-follow-souda