I’m returning to pottery after 35 years (with a few dabbles in-between). I have been living and working overseas for many years and have returned to Australia at the end of 2013. Over the years I have tried lots of other “hobbies” looking for something more convenient, less messy and much more portable – but nothing really seemed to suit. in 2016 I bought a bag of clay, pulled the wheel out of storage and threw some pots. The first thing I noticed was the smell of the clay – a wonderful scent that said “put your hands into me!” I am still trying to regain my throwing skill but working with a wheel is magic! Feeling the clay respond to the pressure of your hands as it forms into a pot is amazing. After years of struggling to find something to relax with I am so glad to be in a situation where I can do pottery again.
My Studio
Living in a unit poses some challenges to doing pottery, but after several months of thinking and working have allowed me to setup a nice compact work space at the back of our garage. I still have the wheel my parents bought me 35 years ago. A Venco compact. It still works well and just needed some grommets changed. I purchased a second hand Skutt top-loading kiln and had a 32 amp circuit installed in the garage. As a teenager it was dream to own my own kiln and so this is something of a childhood dream come true. These compact kilns have electronic controllers that do much of the hard work of running the kiln and so the firing process is a lot simpler than I remember with remarkably reliable results.
Logo
The logo is a design that I made using a Chinese calligraphy brush and ink on paper. I love brushwork designs on pottery and continue to practice on my pots. I wanted a logo that incorporated brushwork and the potters wheel. My friend Mel Wang added the text.