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We Are Scout

Design-led Craft + DIY. Interiors + Home.

A creative lifestyle
blog by Lisa Tilse.

Design-led craft,
interiors inspiration
& curated goodness.

Endemic Earth – 22 contemporary Australian ceramicists

There’s no question that I’m a big fan of beautiful handmade ceramics – both functional and purely decorative. I wanted to share a recent exhibition, Endemic Earth, because I love the different ways the artists have been inspired by botanicals unique to Tasmania.  Endemic Earth is a collection of work by 22 contemporary Australian ceramicists curated by Amber Creswell Bell and Caroline Davies Choi. The exhibition formed part of the 15th Australian Ceramics Triennale – these are some of the pieces that caught my eye.

contemporary Australian ceramicists
Millie Dent – “This body of work explores the unique texture and form found in plant life native to Tasmania. Exploring the possibilities of working with porcelain, these vases highlight fine details from moss, bark texture and growing forms of Tasmania’s endemic plants.”
contemporary Australian ceramicists
Roes Jensen-Holm – “This ceramic piece is inspired by the Richea Draco- phylla (Pineapple Candleheath), a tall woody native Australian plant which is endemic to the rainforest and sub-alpine south east area of Tasmania. The short, rice shaped petals of the flower have directly inspired the carving, colour and shape of the platter.”
contemporary Australian ceramicists
Sarah Rayner – “By closely scrutinizing the structures, examining the form, textures, cracks and crevices and the way layers peel back to reveal sensuous interiors, I have translated my observations [of the early stages of Telopea truncata blooms] into ceramic sculptural forms. The resulting objects are simultaneously familiar and strange.”
contemporary Australian ceramicists
Penelope Duke – “After the Fire is a collection of vases designed to pay homage to the burnt Tasmanian hills following a rough summer, and to showcase the local banksia flowers and foliage– whether they have survived the heat of the summer…or not”.

contemporary Australian ceramicists
Kerryn Levy – “Using Australian red stoneware with a charcoal black glaze, I built sculptural vessels that twist, entwine and tangle with one another to represent the twisting movement and strik- ing colours of [the Deciduous Beech or Tanglefoot, endemic to the Tasmanian highlands].”
contemporary Australian ceramicists
Chrystie Longworth – “A collection of vessels that incorporate the movement and lines of Water Ribbons [Tasmania’s Triglochin Procera], focussing the energy of the piece to one area, as if growing towards the sun. The matte, unglazed terracotta of three vessels reference the ground ovens used to cook the plant’s tubers, a nutritious addition to the local Aboriginal diet.”

contemporary Australian ceramicists
Keiko Matsui – ” I chose and challenged the most eternal and simple form using Australian porcelain, and I handpainted Tasmanian blue gum which is Tasmania’s State flower.”
contemporary Australian ceramicists
Philippa Taylor – “With a passion for the British ceramic tradition, Scandinavian designs and Japanese decorating techniques, [my] work is both functional and sculptural.”
contemporary Australian ceramicists
Luke O’Connor – inspired by the colour and form of the Tasmanian Waratah.
contemporary Australian ceramicists
Susan Simonini – “I am beginning to use the clay more as a canvas for interpretations of the landscape and the flora and fauna that encompasses me. The forms are quite raw and imperfect and the layered decoration is a spontaneous process, resulting in pieces that I hope capture a sense of place, of the beauty that I see, and the awe that I feel in my new environment.”

 

If you love ceramics as much as I do you might be interested in a peek into the studio of amazing Maryam Riazi, my guide to buying and styling handmade ceramics, and check out the beautiful book Clay by Amber Creswell Bell. Want more? Take a look at all the posts on We Are Scout with the Ceramics tag.

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