Susie O’Byrne is a studio holder at the Glasgow Ceramics Studio in WASPS, where I also have my space. The piece you can see below is roughly life size, or about 50cm tall. It is painstakingly built up out of small patches of individually printed paper porcelain sheets. The work is hung in the kiln during firing to retain it’s incredible grace of form. It is an anthropomorphic piece, inspired by dreams and images which populate the subconscious, and informed by nature study in Africa.

Susan O’Byrne, Cheetah, 2008

This amazing sculpture is on exhibition at the Aberdeen Art Gallery, in Aberdeen, Scotland until the 31st of May, as part of the Aberdeen Artists’ Society seventy-fourth exhibition of Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Photography, Architecture, Video, DVD, Design and Craft. If you would like to see it for yourself, information on gallery address and opening hours is here.

I’ve just made some new work for the Parade Artists sale, and I’m quite excited about it. These are thrown porcelain bowls with a black stoneware glaze. They’re the sort of size that settles comfortably into cupped hands, quite nice to hold. I’ve polished the base as well, because I love the velvety feel of polished porcelain. This is the start of my new functional body of work. Come and see them (and hold them) at the sale this weekend!

Here’s one of my bowls with a clear glaze. I’m quite impressed with how lovely the Glacier Porcelain turns out. Initially, I had a little trouble with the bases cracking if the bowls were dried too fast, but I soon remedied that by drying them slowly under plastic. We have big automatic ceiling heaters in the studio that I think were mostly responsible for me losing quite a lot of the pieces I made first time round.

Here’s the statement that goes with these:

These fine porcelain bowls are inspired by the swirling water currents of the Water of Leith, as it winds its way through the city of Edinburgh. The liquid-like spirals in this work are formed with the aid of the meditative spinning action of the potter’s wheel.

I share my life between two beautiful, ancient cities of Scotland, Glasgow and Edinburgh. A walk in the green, natural and cultivated spaces, along rivers and waterways in those cities, provides a relaxing break from the pressures of everyday urban existence. In my work, the natural beauty of water serves as a metaphor for life.

Having a unique hand made ceramic object from which to enjoy a peaceful meal, gives time for contemplation and respite from everyday pressures. It is just a small object that can be cradled in the palm of the hand, yet it is warming and comforting, and makes even the simplest meal a special occasion. In an age of fast food and disposable containers, the hand made ceramic object offers individuality and a connection with the earth, from which it is created.

Next weekend, on Saturday 10th (10am – 5pm) and Sunday 11th (11am – 4pm) May, I’m involved in a group exhibition and sale with some other artists from the WASPS artists’ studios in Glasgow, where I’m a studio holder. Our group is called Parade Artists (WASPS studios are located on the corner of Alexandra Parade) and encompasses a range of media, including painting, photography, printmaking, jewelery, textiles, ceramics and glass. The sale will take place in the large front entrance gallery space of the 77 Hanson Street building, alongside the cafe, which is also open on weekends. I’ve made some lovely swirling porcelain bowls for the occasion. Linda McGill, Stuart Grant, Sue Wong and Elinor Caie from the Glasgow Ceramics Studio are also participating. So come along and have a browse if you happen to be in Glasgow. Hope to see you there!

Linda Davy, hand built porcelain, terra sigillata 

Opening night reception: Wednesday 5th March, 6pm

If you happen to find yourself in sunny Canberra, Australia, this week, please join the artists, Linda Davy (Graduate Diploma) and Margaret Carlin (Master of Visual Art) for the opening night reception of their graduating exhibition!

This exhibition is the third in the series of the graduate season 2008. It will be held at the ANU School of Art Gallery. The Gallery is located on the ground floor of the ANU School of Art, just next to the cafe, on Ellery Crescent, Acton, ACT, 2601.

If you don’t manage to make it for the drinks and festivities, the exhibition will continue until Friday 14th March, and the opening hours are: Tue-Fri 10.30 – 5pm, Saturdays Noon – 5pm or by appointment, closed public holidays. Phone: 02 6125 5841.

Hope to see you there!

Linda Davy, hand built porcelain, terra sigillata 

My supervisor, and the head of the Ceramics Department at the ANU School of Art, Janet DeBoos, has just had some of her work included in a beautiful new publication from Lark Books: “Masters: Porcelain: Major Works by Leading Ceramists”. Here is a link to it on Amazon UK.

The Students and Staff of the Ceramics Department at the Glasgow School of Art invite you to the opening night of their exhibition, presenting works of protest against the closure of Scotland’s last ceramics department.

The exhibition will be held at the Owl and Lion Gallery, 15 The Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2HS. Runs from Friday 29th February until Sunday 2nd March (one weekend only). Opening hours 10 till 6pm.

Join the artists for the opening night at 5pm on Friday 29th February.

Click on the link below for the flyer:

Exhibition at Grassmarket, Edinburgh

SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE THE GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART CERAMICS DEPARTMENT.

Despite all the bad news with the recent QILT vote to go through with the closure of the Ceramics Department at the Glasgow School of Art, there is still hope. Student power and the power of the community is invaluable in reversing the policy of the institution and the government who seem intent on wiping out ceramic practice in Scotland.

Are you an art practitioner or student? With funding cuts affecting the closure of an entire discipline in Scotland, who’s to say whether your department won’t be next? Is Ceramics only the first department in a long line of planned cuts? How long will the Glasgow School of Art remain open?

Is art culturally valuable? What will happen to Scottish identity if the next generation of Scottish artists don’t have access to education  or the means for cultural expression through art? How will this affect tourism and our community? We need YOUR help to succeed!

Now all the information you need has been added centrally on one blog that is accessible to all. Click here to view the blog. There you will be able to sign our petition to express your support. You will also find a permanent link to the new blog on the right hand side of this page. If you’ve already signed our petition, your letters addressed to the GSA executive, to your local government representative and to your local press, in support of the ceramics department are invaluable.

Thank you for your support.

SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE THE GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART CERAMICS DEPARTMENT.

Well, I’m in Australia for my one month residency at the Canberra School of Art, Australian National University. So good to be back! The sunshine is amazing, it feels like heaven on my skin after the Scottish winter.

Eucalyptus Tree, burnt during the Canberra bush fires, in January 2003, at Kambah Pool by the Murrumbidgee River.

It is wonderful to catch up with my friends, whom I’ve been missing so much. I’m also really pleased to see my teachers and supervisors, it’s truly amazing to be able to speak with them face to face. So many questions that I’ve been grappling and struggling with all semester, finally answered, in some cases in the space of two minutes flat.

Also, many obligations discovered, like, my WIPs, which are part of every graduate student’s yearly ritual. I’ll be presenting mine on Thursday 6th of March at 3pm. These are the very first ones in the graduate season this year. I’ll be presenting both my theory and studio work in progress on Thursday. The working title is:

Interpreting the reality of the virtual
from an art practice perspective.

The WIPs will be held in the CSA lecture theater and are open to all ANU School of Art staff and students. Here is a little blurb pertaining to the direction of my new, planned work:

In ceramics, we speak about the internal space of objects in terms of containment – the empty negative space inside the walls of an object, whether it is functional or sculptural. A space that is ready to receive something – be it something physical such as a liquid, or a concept such as feelings or memories – something metaphorical.

Rachel Whiteread, Untitled (Nine Tables), 1998
Concrete and polystyrene.

It is internal space which mostly makes up the volume that pushes out against the external world, for instance your fingers, as you hold something, like a tea bowl.

There are interesting physical characteristics that ceramic objects can take on – such as two objects of the same volume can appear like one holds more volume than another, or one can seem lighter than another, despite being the same weight.

When talking about the virtual, we also talk about space – cyberspace, virtual space. Yet what is it? It isn’t space as we understand it, in a physical sense. You can’t fill it up with tea. Yet you can, as a conceptual space, fill it up with a representation of yourself, your knowledge, feelings or memories, your fantasies – or a representation of tea, if you so desire.
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For everyone who has been following the developments at the Glasgow School of Art, with the proposed closure of the ceramics department, the only remaining undergraduate ceramics course on offer in Scotland, I am including below a document, which was presented to the board on Monday 20th February by Ester Svensson, student representative for full time undergraduate students (The formatting in the article below is my own):

If you would like to download and print out this document, this is a pdf copy: Letter from students for GSA Board of Studies meeting.

The Future of Ceramic Design
Students’ Response
Ceramics (Full-time) Student Representative
Febuary 2008

1). The lack of consultation.

The recommendation states “for the past five years the undergraduate pathway of BA (Hons) Design in Ceramics and Ceramic Design has been under scrutiny.” What form did this scrutiny take?

A review was announced in September (2007), but did not seem to actually materialize. A review meeting had been scheduled with the ceramics staff on Monday 4th (Febuary), but was canceled, and the next day the recommendation was announced to the staff. It came as a shock, both to staff and students.

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Considering the grim news about the imminent proposed closure of the GSA Ceramics Department – the fate of which is to be decided at a Board of Studies meeting this Monday 18th February, I’ve decided to highlight some of the excellent undergraduate talent currently coming out of the Glasgow School of Art ceramics program.

If this program closes, there will be no undergraduate ceramics courses at university level available for study in either of the major cities in Scotland. What will this mean for Scottish ceramic art and Scottish culture as a whole? Can such a small country afford to turn it’s back on contemporary artists? Will future generations of artists be lost to England or abroad elsewhere? Will Scotland lose that avenue for social commentary and creative expression?

Ester Svensson, 4th year honors student, in her space at GSA

This is some of the most interesting, original and innovative work that I’ve seen to date. Ester is a young artist who is interested in multiculturalism, myth and storytelling. To view Ester’s work – click here.

Furthermore, Ester took a year off her university studies last year and traveled to Afghanistan, where she worked for the Turquise Mountain Foundation. The Foundation is involved with helping to restore historic sites and keep traditional craft skills from disappearing, providing employment and income for families recovering from the devastation of war.  Ester worked with Afghani potters in a cultural exchange of knowledge and skill for a full year, visiting ceramics restoration workshops and a ceramics school. To view the incredibly beautiful photographs of ancient and rarely before seen ceramic art from her journeys click here.