Cultural heritage and pottery collide!

Found this wonderful quote on the Ceramic Arts Daily forums site;   as I am from  a Greek cultural heritage I love it!!. .


The Potter's Loud Lament .....

From Homer's Epigram's fragment 14: 

"Potters, if you give me a reward, I will sing for you. Come, then, Athena [goddess of pottery], with hand upraised over the kiln. 
Let the pots and all the dishes turn out well and be well fired: let them fetch good prices and be sold in plenty in the market.
Grant that the potters may get great gain and grant me so to sing to them.

But if you turn shameless and make false promises, then I call together the destroyers of kilns, Suntribos (Shatter) and Smaragon (Smash) and Asbetos (Charr) and Sabaktes (Crash) and Omodamos (Crudebake) who can work this craft much mischief. 
Come all of you and sack the kiln-yard and the buildings: let the whole kiln be shaken up to the potter's loud lament. 
As a horse's jaw grinds, so let the kiln grind to powder all the pots inside."

...............................................

You thought it was a joke, about the kiln gods! Not only did the Greeks acknowledge Athena as the Goddess of Craft, there were five, count 'em, FIVE demons who existed solely to torment potters: Suntribos (the Shatterer), Smaragos (the Smasher), Asbetos (Charrer), Sabaktes (Destroyer) and Omodamos (Crudebake). These are the Daimones Keramikoi: fear them!!

FROM LORI WATTS/FINE MESS POTTERY BLOG: Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Pottery at Poatina 2013

Happily teaching again this year at Faith and the Arts 2013 in Poatina, Tasmania.

Had 2 projects on the go this year: teaching pottery techniques of handbuilding and wheel work to our workshop participants and the community arts small ceramic sculptures project for 80 people, followed by a raku firing and group exhibition with the other arts disciplines.......a VERY busy week!!!

Workshop articipants made bowls, plaques, dragons, eggcups, coasters, windchimes, plates, jugs, tree, a wombat...... and the fabulous elephant teapot 'Alfonse'.

The studio enjoyed an atmosphere of relaxed, muddy cameraderie amidst conversations of home, art, politics, gardening, faith, work, ambitions, travel and food! Was an exceptional group and I'd like to thank them all for the experience of working with them!!

The community small sculptures project was equally fun. My son rolled out a huge pile golf ball sized pieces of clay while community members stopped by the tables in the community hall and made their pieces. These were loaded into a large metal drum and fired in raku style amoungst flames, sparks and sizzling heat!!

Next day the little sculptures were rescued from the pile of ashes in the bottom of the drum and prepared for exhibition along side the glass workers, painters, printmakers, singers, poets, performers and clowns! An excellent showcase of the week's creative talents.

Looking forward to next year adventure again!

Art changing lives?

Reading this article on the ArtsHub site today and reflecting on the truth of this statement for me.

I had always liked to draw and taught myself watercolour painiting as a younger woman but it was not until I reached 40 that I made the decision to pursue an unquenchable desire to go to art school that had been with me since I was 17.

Like many I worked 'sensible' (aka administration, sales, clerical) jobs because I was told and believed, that 'artists never made any money' so my artistic interests remained as hobbies.

At 40 as several life circumstances drastically changed so did my thinking - I realised that I had been a 'good girl' and had lead my life as others thought best and that now I wanted to choose something for myself. I left a very secure and well paying admin. job and began my art studies at the National Art School in Sydney.

In second year I dithered between ceramics and printmaking as my major because I loved the tactile qualities of clay and those of woodcuts and collograph prining plates - the plates I say, because I was less interested in the actual prints than creating the textural plates!!

Interest in conceptual art theory followed and saw my first Masters degree at Sydney College of the Arts and then the interest of art as 'design' and its use in commercial contextss saw another Masters at the College of Fine Arts.

Only in 2012 did I take the step to 'professional' artist - I registered my ABN and, with much gratitude to the Australia Council of the Arts, gained an ArtStart grant to kickstart the efforts of my mid-life career choice.

I now work primarily in ceramics and community arts training - far, far less money....far, far more life satisfaction......and a more meaningful start to each day!

Read the article for yourself at ArtsHub:
http://au.artshub.com/au/news-article/opinions/arts/how-art-changes-lives-193806

Professional networking

Read this article on the Arts Hub site and wanted to spread the word a bit: forget the keyboard - Smile and shake real hands instead!!

http://au.artshub.com/au/news-article/features/arts/how-to-forge-powerful-relationships-192891

Fab day at Everleigh Artisans Market with TACA

 What a great day we had!! 

Maybe not a lot in sales but the atmosphere of friendliness and social camaraderie amoungst The Australian Ceramics Association potters was fantastic. 

The weather was warm, the works of so many talented artists had to be seen to be believed and the atmosphere was one of relaxed professionalism.  Wonderful to participate, thanks TACA!

The fabulous Ashley from The Australian Ceramics Association stopped by to have a little squizz at all the stalls..............actually we all did!!
20 or so potters could not help but wander around checking out the brilliant work available at the 10 stalls set aside for the ceramics promotion.

Look at this!!!   The ingenious Macquarie Potters made all sorts of pottery tools from all sorts of absolute junk!! This stall was my favourite until the very last photo was taken ....but definitely my favourite pottery stall. I love the fact that that they made such useful things out of such useless crap......ballpoint pen cases and bent wire become pottery turning tools, bamboo skewers and tiny glass test tubes become clay burnishing tools, old flags become clay roll out mats, etc.....clever, clever, clever!!

 Our generous and very talented friend Anna made some really beautiful cards as companion sales products to my ceramics.....they are elegant, stylish and very well made. Lucky me!





Our friendly 'neighbour' Louise Hart....woman of a genuinely sensual dolomite glaze!  I kept rubbing the pots because their surface have such a smooth 'soft' satin appeal but alas... no genie!

Young fresh-faced Katy from Queensland demonstrating her exquisite feather designs on the little porcelain tea bowls she so expertly makes. Armed with 2 sable brushes and the tiniest little colour kit I've ever seen, she painted light, delicate colourful little feathers on one or 2 sides of each pot....it was mesmerising to watch and well out of my league!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THESE!!!  Not a potter but an exceptional textile artist. Saw these as I was walking back from lunch and could not believe my eyes!!  Life-size techno-objects made of felt!!  Typewriter -complete with lettered keys, sewing machine with dials and a keyboard/synthesizer!! The typewriter!!!!!!!!! that was my favourite.....the little knobby keys!  but with a No Touch sign on them meant I couldn't do the very thing I most wanted to do......my fingers itched.  Santa...pay attention!

Definitely want to be there again next year!!

Wild Ones Designer Markets Oct.12

Loved the Hazelhurst Art Gallery yesterday - sales were slow but the atmosphere in the Market and the surrounding grounds was great.

A huge festival was going on in the surrounding streets so there was a constant flow of people looking at all the designer wares all day and there was heaps to see -so many gorgeous products to see - paper, textiles, some fabulous jewellery (liked Silvermonk's style!) and some

stunning ceramics (besides my own of course!)

Be back there again 24th Feb. 2013
.....looking forward to it, have some new products to introduce.

Port Hacking Potters competition photos

The Port Hacking Potters have uploaded all their photos of the winners of the Port hacking Potters 47th National Competion 2012  on their blogsite.Yes......am very pleased as it was my very first competition and my entry is the winner of Category 4 'Paperclay' ....and it still makes me smile!!!!   Am hoping to get to Cronulla in December and join my new 'favourite' group as a member.  

I have not been part of a ceramics group for a while and I liked the discussions and education that being around other potters can bring. 

The photo below shows my son and I looking at one of the winning entries. 


The link below goes through to the PHP blogsite for all the photos and group information.


http://www.porthackingpotters.blogspot.com.au/p/port-hacking-potters-47th-national.html