Keeping up the creative flow...

Well, it's been another big week in EFS Studios, is there any other kind!
We have both been very busy keeping up with our creating, making more and more art - this makes us happy!

Cass has been continuing her spirit figures and dogs - and has been busy this week decorating each one - as you can see, this is her pictured left, busily painting one of her puppies with blue underglaze, with some of the already decorated spirit figures behind. There's some great things happening with her works and it's exciting to see each piece come alive with her signature 'story telling' designs being painted on each one. 

She has been using a combination of textural surface treatments, oxides, ochres and underglazes to acheive the desired results. They are still to undergo the final firing process, so will be interesting to see the finished pieces after firing.

I have also been busily decorating bisqued pieces getting them ready for their second firing. As well as pouring loads of little cups and a few caravans too.

Walking in Country

The other project I have been busy working on is a creative collaboration project with my Son, inspired by the project Cass and he did together last year, Yurgiyn Dahnswena (see previous blog about this), we decided to undertake a further project with him this year.

He and I have been taking daily walks together around our bush property and then recording what we see and experience. Then we spend some time, usually weekly/fortnightly interpreting these walks into artworks. It's a fun process and great to see such interesting concepts and interpretations coming from a 4 year old. Exciting and rewarding.

It is intended that then these artworks will be then used to create some further ceramic works with a planned exhibition and accompanying book. 

Stay tuned for more exciting details about this thrilling and inspiring project... and how you can be involved!

Other things...

I have also been working on a creating a website for a new client, Sea Silks Gallery. They are a collective of artists opening a new gallery in the Ramada Hotel complex in Ballina, the Grand Opening is today if anyone is nearby, it should be a great day - check out their brand new website, created by me - seasilksgallery.com 

Sunday Ceramics....

Don't forget to check in with the other studios on Sunday Ceramics


Next week we hope to fire another kiln load so stay tuned for some more images of finished works 
so until next time.... keep creating!

Please Grant us the Serenity!
This week was another busy one at EFS and we had loads to do including submitting a grant application for our Trading Place project.
Pictured Left is an image of our concept - it is a merging of our Art practices, as you can see! We hope to make a travelling studio to facilitate our collecting of country and pieces of place related artworks for the Trading Place project and exhibitions.
It was stressful writing it up and getting all the figures right for the budget section (that's the bit I hate actually) and then getting it in on time. There was a last minute panic about some of the details, but it was submitted ... now all we have to do is wait....
... cross your fingers for us!

Gone Mouldy
I have decided to make some moulds from a couple of the cardboard caravans that I made last year so that I can make ceramic vans from them. So this week I was busy preparing them for the mould making process. As the cardboard would've disintegrated when the plaster is poured around it, I had to address this first. I decided to coat them in wax as a protective coating, plus as they were not perfectly symetrical I could add bits of modelling wax where needed to help fill any undercuts. Well... this was a much bigger job than anticipated, I thought it would be quick (I am always underestimating!) - it took up most of a whole day - but will be worth it for the next stage of pouring the plaster, which I plan to do this week.

For all the Stirrers...
Most ceramicists would already be aware of this but ceramic artist Vipoo Srivalasa is calling out for spoons for his Object:Spoon event - click on this link to find out more. 40 of the most outstanding spoons will be chosen and exhibited at Harvard in Boston, USA. 
Maybe we will submit one ourselves...?

Bookworms...
This week we have all felt like bookworms - reading loads of books - I don't think I have ever read as many in as short amount of time as I have this week. Between us I think we are up to about 40 or so! All in the name of research ( and some even about research). At least we can both now say Assignment number one - tick! 
Cass is even Assignment Two - tick - good for her!

Sunday Ceramics
Don't forget to check out all the other studios on Sunday Ceramics,
& if you are a ceramic artist you may even want to join in!

Until next time  - Keep Creating....

This week we spent some time fossicking along the beaches of Ballina. It was a lovely peaceful experience and very rejuvenating. Even when we were serenaded by the guy playing bagpipes!
We are collecting items to use to make artworks for our new and exciting collaboration project about 'Place'.
We are both really interested in the themes of place and home and how we connect to place and how this informs our identity, and have both explored these themes in our previous work. 

I am fascinated with the ways we engage with the landscape around us and caravans help to provide that vehicle for me, they signify this connection and create a vessel with which to bond to our environments. I guess this means that you will be seeing more caravans from me in this project - surprise surprise! ... but I will be creating other works as well

This new project which we are calling 'Trading Place' will continue to explore these themes and how Place is important to each of us and why...what value do we place on Place?

I asked the question on facebook to others who live in the same region as we do "...what is it about this region that makes it significant to you? what's the first thing you think of when you think of 'home'?..." and I got some great responses.
I think the most important one and one that Cass and I both relate to is the fact that we live in Bundjalung Country - our Son's Country. 
The other most significant response was the colour - Green.
This piece by Cass titled 'Abundance My Home' sums this up perfectly and signifies this important relationship to the place we live so well. 
'Trading Place' is a very exciting project for us and we look forward to creating the works for the installation - we also can't wait to finalise the pieces and take the show to Port Augusta...   bring it on!