Pan Gallery

And so we say farewell...

2011-05-11T10:10:00.000+10:00

The Crosshatched project's closing event was a fitting finale to the exhibition space that was panGALLERY.

The ceramic work that filled the space encapsulated everything the gallery represented. Emerging, mid career and established artists were given the opportunity to showcase their skills, side by side, and the resulting decorated mudka were striking in the diversity of creative approaches. It was a joy to see the enthusiasm and generosity of spirit with which each artist approached the task.

This enthusiasm was, in part, due to the nature of the mudka and what they represent - craft in its truest form – born from need, functional, practical and beautiful. Watching Manorah and Dahrmveer work was like a timely reminder of the qualities and aptitude of the skilled craftsperson. In Manorah’s wonderfully rounded mudka and Darhmveer’s delightful miniatures there is an effortless grace that can only come with well honed skills and the passing on of knowledge and tradition.

It’s been a wonderful experience working with many talented ceramicists, high quality art, a family of colleagues and a space that comfortably embraces its proletarian directness. I thank Northcote Pottery Supplies for promoting the work of ceramic artists in this way and continuing to support ceramics through an extended class and workshop programme.

Endings...

2011-04-29T14:30:00.000+10:00

At 7pm this evening the Crosshatched silent charity auction ends; at 8pm the Crosshatched project for 2011 reaches completion; in fact panGALLERY itself will exist only as a memory beyond this evening.

Yes, its the final pan event and it should be a blast.

What a magnificent finale. The Crosshatched project has captured the hearts and imaginations of craft people and craft lovers alike. What's not to like? Crosshatched at Pan blends traditional craft with the work of emerging, mid career and established artists and all for a wonderful cause.

Here is a photo montage, put together by Sandra Bowkett, that captures essence of the project better than any words can...

It's under way

2011-04-19T16:20:00.092+10:00

The kilns have been working overtime, as have all involved in Crosshatched at Pan. A rapidly diminishing stack of traditional mudka feature as the centre piece for the exhibition. My! those water pots are popular.

Surrounding the 'stack' are mudka individually decorated by Australian artists. The silent auction to raise funds for a new energy efficient kiln in India, has begun. Bidding ends at 7pm at the Crosshatched at Pan closing event on Friday 29 April 6-8pm. For those not in the immediate vicinity I have posted an image of each piece. Feel free to give us a call on 9387 3911 and place a bid!

Item #1 Katie Jacobs

Item #2 Vipoo Srivilasa

Item #3 Sue Anderson

Item #4 Ann Ferguson

Item #5 Nick Howson

Item #6 Sarah Faulkner

Item #7 Judi Singleton

Item #8 Jill Anderson

Item #9 Lene Kuhl Jakobsen

Item #10 Truly Southurst

Item #11 Fiona Hiscock

Item #12 & #13 Deborah Halpern

Item #14 Chris Pittard

Item #15 Mary-Lou Pittard

Item #16 Peter Ferguson

Item #17 Judi Singleton II

Item #18 Sue A Anderson

Item #19 Jan Saric

Item #20 Adrianna Christianson

But of course if you are in the vicinity please do pop in at any stage or join us at the closing event and final moments of the silent auction on Friday 29 April 6-8pm.

panGALLERY

142-144 Weston St

Brunswick East VIC

Crosshatched at Pan

2011-04-12T10:50:00.002+10:00

A while back ceramicist Sandra Bowkett approached me about a 'cross cultural collaboration' with potters and NGO's from India. She wondered if panGALLERY and Northcote Pottery Supplies would like to be involved.

"Yes" I said.

Time has passed, plans have evolved, visas granted (eventually!) and Crosshatched at pan is now in full swing. It's wonderful to be taking part in this inspirational project.

Last week Manohar Lal and Dharmveer made Indian mudka (water pots) the traditional way in the workshop space at Northcote Pottery, as shown in the video above.

This week these beautiful vessels are being decorated, with much joy, by many talented Melbourne artists, to be auctioned to raise funds to build a more energy efficient kiln in Kumhaar Gram, India.

From 19 to 29 April panGALLERY will exhibit an installation of traditional mudka, available for sale, and the silent auction for the collaborative mudka will begin.

The Crosshatched closing event takes place on

Friday 29 April 6-8pm

auction concludes at 7pm

Participating artists:
Jill Anderson
S A Anderson
Sue J Anderson
Adriana Christianson
Sarah Faulkner
Ann Ferguson
Peter Ferguson
Deborah Halpern
Fiona Hiscock
Nick Howson
Katie Jacobs
Lene Kuhl Jakobsen
Chris Pittard
Mary-Lou Pittard
Jan Saric
Judi Singleton
Truly Southurst
Vipoo Srivilasa
Chris Wright

Forming Words participating artist: Connie Lichti

2011-04-01T12:53:00.000+11:00

Bags in art are often metaphors for personal baggage. In order to present my thoughts on contemporary social and cultural forces, I have used images, words and numbers on porcelain bags to explore various trends in popular culture. Forces shaping popular culture include the promotion of consumerism, the creation of romantic ideals and the advance of technology, especially computer technology.

Connie Lichti The sale is on 2011

Connie Lichti Romantic Ideals 2011

Connie Lichti Isolation 2011

Forming Words participating artist: Mel Robson

2011-03-31T12:43:00.000+11:00

My work explores the relationship between utilitarian objects and personal narrative – the histories, stories and associations that can become embedded in everyday objects, and the ways in which these objects can evoke memory and create connections between the past and present.

In working with these ideas I have often found myself drawn to text, in particular handwriting – old letters, diaries, recipes, shopping lists, notes etc There is of course the obvious narrative component, but it is the more subtle intricacies and intimacies of handwriting that interest me, the little nuances, the way a word is underlined, the frequent use of exclamation marks (or lack of), the little messages and notes to would-be readers in a recipe (“enjoy!!”) and the slants, curls and whirls of each persons hand. It is inextricably linked to the personal and can provide an intimate and evocative interaction with the past.

Mel Robson Laura, Milly and Julie 2010

Mel Robson How was she to know? (detail) 2010

Forming Words participating artist: Kylie Johnson

2011-03-30T12:29:00.000+11:00

My ceramic art practice has always started and ended with words and poetry. Words are to my ceramic work like any mark, decoration, or design. As well as being a ceramic artist I am also a poet, and in my current practice it is these words that are used in the creation of my ceramic vessels.

It is important that in both mediums (on paper and on clay) the words are pared back, spaced, and laid out in a way that is both deliberate and happenstance at the same time. Each letter stamped into the clay is applied in a similar way to the organic nature of the vessel, creating work that in its mark and shape, hopefully harmonise.

It is also a deliberate act to colour the text to look inky and brown, occasionally having another colour enter the mix highlighting a word or phrase. More often than not the poems (although most already existing) find their own rhythm on each pot, swirling, climbing, hiding amongst and along the simple hand built and draped vessels.

A strange thing has happened along the way also… I have found putting the words from the pages of my poetry books to a ceramic vessel has allowed the poems to have a different audience. Someone who wouldn’t normally like poetry in the form of lines on a page are led into it by means of clay. Some vessels need to be moved and turned to read the poem, some people touch to feel the indentation of words. The poem becomes an object that can be held… a keepsake, a message, a story… just in different clothes.

Kylie Johnson 2011

Kylie Johnson he unopened everyday 2011

Kylie Johnson and the stars like you 2011

Forming Words artist: Wendy Hatfield-Witt

2011-03-29T11:23:00.000+11:00

I enjoy telling personal stories through text and image. Images create a story which can be open to interpretation and enable the viewer to find their own connection. Long before the written word images created their own narrative telling stories of life. Motifs evolved from beliefs and patterns represented an era. The decorative objects that we choose are a pivotal part of an individual’s identity and personality. Text is too literal for me. I enjoy adding images and textures as this completes the story.

Wendy Hatfield-Witt Sea Bottles 2011

Wendy Hatfield-Witt Sea Oval Dishes 2011

Wendy Hatfield-Witt Sea Set 2011

Sea set: The image is a box brownie photograph of my great grandparents fishing on their honeymoon. (Port Campbell Victoria). The nautical maps are from personal journeys. The text is extracts from Captain Cook’s diary, entered as he travelled up the east coast of Australia.

Wendy Hatfield-Witt Icon Beakers (detail) 2011

Icon Beakers: The beakers celebrate femininity. The staircases represent the accumulation of knowledge over time. Doors open and close often shaping or changing life’s destiny. The text represents memories and recorded stories. All women are angels: icons in their own way.

Forming Words participating artist: Sarit Cohen

2011-03-28T14:53:00.000+11:00

Simple forms - Simplicity
Complexity
Beauty
Delicate, fine, mysterious - Subtly
Life experience
Multilayered
Interwoven memories
Sharing
Peace
Appreciation

“Her personal journey through India, Turkey, Israel and Australia is a multilayered one. It is interwoven with numerous cultural and ethnic excursions each inhabited by the ongoing and integral impact of family and the joys of sharing, food, company and love, that should be part and parcel of every human’s existence. Through her ceramic practice, Cohen offers to her audience an invitation to share and an invitation to appreciate her own expressions of the beauties of life.”

Peter Haynes, Director ACT Museum & Galleries August 2010

Sarit Cohen Temples 2011

Sarit Cohen Marriage Celebration 2011

Sarit Cohen Salad Bowls 2011

Sarit Cohen Cup and Vase 2011

Forming Words participating artist: Ingrid Tufts

2011-03-27T14:17:00.001+11:00

I like typography. I like the way that letters form shapes. I like the delicacy of fine script and the boldness of large headlines. I use text as a design device, the words and sentences forming pattern.

However it goes beyond decoration... The text is often integral to the meaning of my work and it is often inspired from literary works, and quotes. Sometimes the text informs the shape; sometimes a piece of text just seems to fit the form. It alway contributes to the piece in some way - even if not apparent immediately. The text can shout or it can gently enhance. It can cajole and amuse. I read anything, quite randomly, it's involuntary. I have come to read and enjoy texts by the most tenuous of connection... a snippet here, a quote there... so I like it when people ask where text on my pots is from.

Ingrid Tufts Saint Cyril 2011

Ingrid Tufts Be Kind 2011

Ingrid Tufts Alphabet Soup (detail) 2011

Ingrid Tufts Remembrance 2011

Forming Words participating artist: Jan Downes

2011-03-26T13:36:00.001+11:00

I am particually interested in communication and some of the means of communication which are being replaced by new technologies.

Post

Letters and envelopes .

Sacred Scrolls

They explore the diversity of symbols which form some of the written scripts of languages around the world. I want to communicate an appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of the scripts and focus on the importance of their preservation, especially with globalisation of computer technology and the digitalisation of script.

Jan Downes Lost In Translation 2011

Jan Downes Sent By Post 2011

Jan Downes Sacred Scrolls(detail) 2011

Forming Words participating artist: Jane Walton

2011-03-25T13:36:00.000+11:00

My work represents a period in time that echoes in the writings and markings of cultural influences. Whether it is an impression in clay from an ancient culture or a hand-written letter from the 19^th century, markings and text conjure up memories and thoughts of other times.

Hand written text has the spirit of an individual. That moment of recognition triggers memories of the person and past experiences, we feel as if we can see and hear them as we read their writing.

Markings from ancient cultures record historical events in many different languages on ceramics, parchment, paper and other mediums. It can be ornate and functional recording invaluable knowledge of humanities cultural evolution.

Even though my work incorporates text and impressions it is only a trigger for the viewer into a place and time, remembered or imagined.

Jane Walton Letter 2010

Jane Walton Detective 2010

Jane Walton Old England 2011

Jane Walton Vogue Pattern 2011

All good things must come to an end...

2011-03-24T15:57:00.000+11:00

Tomorrow is the last day of Forming Words. This wonderful exhibition is well worth visiting. The intricacies and subtleties within the work are way too difficult to represent digitally!

But I will try. In the following weeks I will be doing a post on each artists work, to give those unable to attend in person the chance to experience, to some degree, the beautiful work on display.

Forming Words

2011-03-15T15:33:00.002+11:00

panGALLERY's current exhibition explores a popular trend in contemporary Australian ceramics that sees the inclusion of text on ceramic forms.

Eight Australian ceramicists exhibit works that explore how the written word can further our appreciation of a three dimensional artwork, merging text and form to convey a cohesive idea.

Here are some words that describe the response on opening night - peering, pondering, peeking... considering, conversing, carousing... analysing, appreciating and applauding.

Curators Ingrid Tufts and Emidio Puglielli have done a beautiful job of highlighting the intricacies, themes and substance in this movement.

And the artists work... well more on that shortly...

Forming Words

4 to 25 March

Exhibiting artists: Jane Walton, Connie Lichti, Kylie Johnson, Mel Robson, Jan Downes, Ingrid Tufts, Wendy Hatfield-Witt and Sarit Cohen

It's the beginning of a...

2011-02-08T11:27:00.000+11:00

Northcote Pottery Supplies is in the early stages of developing a collection of contemporary Australian ceramics.

Established since the relocation of the business to Brunswick East the collection reflects this new beginning with works created from 2008. Emerging, mid career and established artists are represented in both functional and sculptural fields.

Mabelle Marra Pisco Runa Bottle (detail) 2008

Artworks are sought through various means with a strong focus on those exhibited in Northcote Pottery’s own exhibition space, Pan Gallery. The collection aims to highlight innovation as well as creative and technical merit in Australian ceramics.

Leah Jackson Travelling Light (detail) 2009

Twelve pieces. It is just the beginning of a collection but already themes and trends of contemporary Australian ceramics are starting to appear.

collection
at panGALLERY
7 to 22 Feb 2011

Congratulations Robyn

2010-12-21T10:01:00.000+11:00

Craft Victoria 2010 Fresh! participant Robyn Hosking has been awarded the Northcote Pottery Ceramic Art Award, a gallery hosted exhibition at Pan Gallery in 2011.

Robyn is a graduate of RMIT Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art - Ceramics) and we look forward to her exhibition with us next year.

'HMAS Follies Narcissus', Photography: Jeremy Dillon

In a world where our insatiable appetites for news and entertainment have created a market for sensationalism and the endless drone of 24 hour news channels, our culture has become a Bakhtinian carnival. Unable to distinguish reality from reality TV and war from family feud, we passively accept TV truths.

My work launches a humorous, freewheeling attack on our desensitisation to the white noise and emptiness surrounding us. Looking like a hybrid between art, machine and toy, my sculptures maintain a circus-like sense of amusement and curiosity for the viewer, all the while sending up societal norms and politics.

I like to celebrate the lavishly eccentric design of past eras and the sense of possibility it embodied. As hackneyed as it sounds, a Brave New World is upon us, stranger perhaps than our imaginations can conceive of. While my work casts a disparaging eye at the use of technology for inane and selfish reasons – from Botox to weaponry – it retains a playful, humorous edge. I am not interested in producing depressingly macabre images. Every work becomes a caricature or parody, as though the world is being viewed in a funfair’s distorted mirror.

Robyn Hosking 2010

Transformation

2010-12-06T14:32:00.000+11:00

The wonderful thing about Matthew Briscoe's work is it's ability to visually morph into something new with each new direction it is viewed. Avoiding wordy descriptions and explanations Matthew prefers to leave his works open for interpretation and enjoys the diversity of audience response to his works. 'Tiara', 'helmet', 'Escher', 'Opera House', 'spine', 'flower'... the list of words that have been used for comparison is endless.

The smooth, matt surface of the low fired stoneware forms allows a subtle reflection of light and the overlapping segments cast a variety of shadows on and around each piece. This interplay of light and shade encourages contemplation of the reconstructed and abstracted object, highlighting the fragmented nature of form.

Transformation is a fascinating exploration into the power of the object from this young and emerging artist.

I look forward to following the direction of Matthew's work in the future.

Transformation
Matthew Briscoe
runs to 22 Dec

Time flies...

2010-11-30T15:31:00.000+11:00

Time for the last show of the year. My! And even more bewildering is that it's Fresh! time again. It felt like just yesterday... anyway... for the unaware...

Fresh! is an annual exhibition of graduate work presented by Craft Victoria. The exhibition has a unique selection process involving a team of 20 invited industry professionals who visit over 35 graduate exhibitions across Victoria. Works are selected collectively from the fields of ceramics, glass, jewellery, gold & silver-smithing, fashion, textiles, industrial and furniture design and visual arts. Professional development opportunities are offered as awards in partnership with industry supporters.

Northcote Pottery offers a ceramic art award in association with Fresh!; a gallery hosted exhibition at Pan Gallery in the year following the recipients graduation. That means there will be an announcement of this year's winner at Craft Vic this Thursday 2 Dec (6-8pm). But it also means that the time has come to present the work of last year's winner... Matthew Briscoe.

In 2009 Matthew completed the Diploma of Ceramics at the University of Ballarat TAFE and was selected to participate in Fresh! Continuing his studies in 2010, undertaking a Degree in Visual Arts at the University of Ballarat, Matthew has continued to develop his previously exhibited Deconstructed Bowl series.

Transformation presents the progression of this body of work, utilizing the object to explore values in light and shade. The pieces have been made by deconstructing wheel thrown bowls and reforming the pieces to create new shapes. The works go through a transformation and by low firing the stoneware clay the sheen of the slip is maintained, highlighting the play of light on the surface of the reconstructed object.

Matthew Briscoe

Transformation

6 to 22 December

opens Sat 4 Dec 2-4pm

The locals

2010-11-16T13:29:00.000+11:00

There is little over a week left to visit our artist in residence exhibition. Here are a few highlights to wet your appetite. Come and have a peek before the artworks scurry back behind studio doors with their respective artists!

Lucy Carrasco Little House 2010

Katie Jacobs Fish Necklace 2010

Raymond Laurens Porcelain Brooch 2010

Sophie Milne Time Of The Signs 2010

Wendy Reeve Naked Raku Bottles 2010

Rene Carrasco Horse 2010

Connie Lichti Bone Bowls 2010

Northcote Pottery Supplies

Artists In Residence Exhibition

5 to 25 November 2010

Quick!

2010-11-04T13:05:00.000+11:00

No time to wait for lights to cool...

better not stop too long to think...

the show starts tonight....

so CHARGE...

or perhaps.... swim for your life!

Northcote Pottery Supplies

Artist In Residence Exhibition

Connie Lichti, Katie Jacobs, Kooranga - Lucy and Rene,

Raymond Laurens, Sophie Milne and Wendy Reeve

5 to 25 November

opens TONIGHT 6-8pm

142-144 Weston St Brunswick East

Curated by that delightful chap Emidio Puglielli.

Even more moments from Table Manners...

2010-10-20T13:09:00.003+11:00

Tara Shackell Tea Cups for Me and a Friend

I’ve never been much of a tea drinker. In fact, I rarely drink hot drinks at all.

I feel like I’m missing out on something: I love the quiet ritual of afternoon tea, the opportunity of taking a break from the workday, or catching up with friends over a cup of tea.

I’m drawn to the delicate forms of cup and saucer. I love the way the individual pieces sit together so comfortably. If I liked tea, this is how I’d drink it.

So then, this is my solution: a pair of cups for afternoon tea with a friend.

Tracey Lanesbury Tea for Two

This work is about seeing the cup and saucer as a relic. The objects (the cup, saucer and spoon) are no longer functional; they are viewed as an artefact.

The textural surface on the pieces has a rusty moss like quality as though they have been dug up from an archaeological site.

Sachiko Mardon Spilt Milk

In the spirit of good manners, the accidental spilling of milk is not frowned upon, but put into a positive light. It’s no use crying over after all…

Vanessa Lucas Cupscape

Is it polite to stack?

No longer do our homes have a rarely used room with a glass cabinet displaying the cups and saucers reserved for special occasions.

Living in smaller spaces the objects which decorate our homes can be the same objects used in everyday life and it’s rituals of taking nourishment

As the collection of cups I was making became increasingly tightly stacked in the available small space they began to resemble the buildings in our increasingly vertical cities - becoming a cupscape.

In this way, the cupscape reflects a change from saving the best manners and china for special occasions to now appreciating good design and handsomeness as part of everyday life.

More moments from Table Manners...

2010-10-19T12:40:00.000+11:00

Sandra Bowkett Tea for Two

Cups and saucers have held a memorable place in my personal culture. As a child I was given a small cup and saucer, bright tulips with a mass of green leaves. My sister also received a set, Shelley, I preferred the subtlety and fineness of hers.

The collections of cups, saucers and plates in the crystal cabinet also fascinated me. I have made hundreds, and now I arrive at these minimal forms. Delicate, with a two finger handle for appropriate holding but as a concession to contemporary practice, a multi-purpose saucer.

Keiko Matsui Use Me or Hang Me

My work is made from Australian porcelain on a wheel. I make the handles separately and curve them into a wood like texture. I like to add a little sense of humour into my pieces and feel it's especially important for the enjoyment of everyday things.

These unique cups and saucers are functional as well as being tactile objects that radiate warmth. When not in use the cups & saucers hang on the hand crafted wooden board to make them into a still life. The cups are stackable making them a great space saver while being visually engaging and functional.

Debra Parkins Giving The Pinkie To Old Ways

In today’s modern society I think the decline in table manners may reflect less of a need to impress others. The raised pinkie, knowing which way to drink your tea or how to place your cup to me reflects a class system and pretence that I hope has been banished forever.

In my work I have used a coarse clay mix and Kuan glaze. The sculptural pinkies reflect a bygone falseness while the running glaze and rough exposed clay texture reflect modern informality.

Jo Quirk In Which Special Interest Group Meet with Mr Doyle to Discuss Value of Ephemeral Art

Nothing makes street art as ephemeral as removing it. But what do you do when you find that suddenly it is of monetary value to someone and exorbitantly so? And aaah...you have accidentally deleted it...

With my work I hope to open up a Pandora ’s Box of questions about public art and vandalism, choice ideas for an outrageous afternoon tea chat.

Tracy Muirhead Serenity

Attitudes toward decorum and the rules of social etiquette in contemporary society have certainly relaxed and table manners have been adjusted accordingly. But perhaps as a result we need to push a few more boundaries and break a few more rules in order to bring us back to the ritual of afternoon tea, which allowed us to pause and find serenity. Perhaps by challenging the norms and replacing them with the unusual, it will cause us to STOP and just BE in the present moment, allowing us to regenerate while we ponder what we are drinking from and where it should be placed.

Moments from Table Manners...

2010-10-18T12:39:00.000+11:00

Jane Walton Attic

We sometimes forget to stop and enjoy a meal at home with family and the pleasure of eating off good quality and unique dinnerware that was chosen to stand the test of time reflecting style, quality and the need for care and appreciation that came with table manners.

Attic is for my Grandmother who would be glad that I have unwrapped the dinner set she ordered in 1937 from Royal Doulton and have begun to use it once again and that it is not left it in a box in the attic or cupboard to be forgotten.

Gerry Wedd Cheers

I suppose I tried to make the cup and saucer as simply as possible yet still get across both the evidence of its making and a kind of elegant fragility I tend to associate with elderly women and the serving of tea.

The pieces were ‘pinched’ into form replete with finger whorls and decorated with motifs from the lymph system.

Naoko Coghlan Yukiyama

My inspiration for this design is the natural hot springs found in the snow covered Alps of Japan. The Shino glaze, which I have used on this piece, is one of my favourite glazes. Since coming to Australia three years ago, this glaze has established a special place in my work as it reminds me of the Japanese winter snow.

My hope is that this tea cup set will be used by someone to warm and enrich a moment of their winter in Melbourne.

Robyn Hosking High Tea at the Windsor

Rendered from porcelain but reworked from toys, my ceramic figures and sculptures revel in their duality. Looking like a hybrid between art, machine and toy they maintain a circus-like sense of amusement and curiosity for the viewer, all the while sending up societal norms.

Gentile etiquette, epitomised by high tea at the Windsor belongs to a different age. As hackneyed as it sounds, a Brave New World is upon us, stranger perhaps, than our imaginations can conceive of. Pets have become substitute children, dressed and pampered accordingly. Lapping afternoon tea from fine china would not even raise an eyebrow.

Zoe Baker Fractured Remembrance

Sometimes we drank tea from finest bone china. At other times we used tin mugs by a campfire with a rock or log for a saucer and a slab of fruitcake in the other hand.

My parents brought their Wedgewood china and their impeccable post-Victorian English manners with them when they emigrated in the 1960s, and transplanted them into the post-colonial Australian bush.

They fell in love with the landscape, put down roots in mallee bushland, and brought us up in a house built from locally quarried stone. We sang madrigals and read Shakespeare, and we tramped through the bush in all weather.

We always had tea, and we always made it in a pot from loose leaves.

Even now, when friends come over, the first thing I do is put the kettle on for tea. But we hardly ever use saucers.

Photos: Kim Brockett

A fine night was had by all..

2010-10-13T10:49:00.000+11:00

There is something about a themed, group exhibition...

artists catching up or meeting one another for the first time;

discussion and debate about the works;

questions on techniques and information shared;

and friends, family and interested parties
viewing ceramic art in a new context.

Last weeks opening for the Pan Gallery Ceramic Art Award was really a very lovely night.

Photos by Kim Brockett and Sophie Milne

And this year's winner is...

2010-10-12T12:30:00.000+11:00

Nutz Luk Mei Fei, Cheers

Our congratulations go to Nutz for her winning entry in the Pan Gallery Ceramic Art Award. In her artist statement Nutz refers to the history of ceramics and tea etiquette, discussing the evolution of the cup and saucer form in relation to function and new materials. With Cheers she deconstructs and reconstructs the ingredients of clay, experimenting with active and passive manipulation and meditating on the value of existence.

Selecting a winning work is no easy task, as I'm sure our judge Kris Coad will attest. In her opening address Kris recounted personal experiences with table manners in different cultural situations and commented on the 'relic' nature of Nutz Luk Mei Fei's work. The piece reminded her of ceramic discoveries dredged from shipwrecks and referencing the table manners of bygone ages.

That's the happy artist pictured in the middle.

Tonight's the night

2010-10-06T13:20:00.000+11:00

The annual Pan Gallery Ceramic Art Award exhibition opens this evening. Everything is in place. Fifteen works by fifteen artists, embracing the Table Manners theme, have been beautifully displayed by curators Anita Cummins and Kim Brokett from Craft Victoria.

Our judge Kris Coad will be announcing the award recipient during tonight's festivities. I will post the announcement as soon as I possibly can and stay tuned for more detailed information and beautiful images of the works themselves.

You can also see a few of the pieces on the Craft Vic blog.

Table Manners
7 to 27 October
opens Wed 6 Oct 6-8pm
142-144 Weston St Brunswick East

Interstate Artist for 2011

2010-09-13T11:36:00.002+10:00

panGALLERY is pleased to announce the recipient of our interstate artist opportunity: Tasmanian artist Sachiko Mardon will be exhibiting at Pan in 2011. We greatly look forward to working with her and having the opportunity to present new works from this exciting artist.

"As a product of a post-modern, post-industrial society I am familiar with the legacy of the modernist vision, even seduced by it. I am a part of the system it created, likewise, it permeates my thought processes and visual language, with economy and precision."

Independent Projects - work in progress

2010-09-07T09:38:00.002+10:00

Independent Projects is a class that runs on Thursday nights at Northcote Pottery Supplies. It allows those with some experience to focus on a project of their own design with help from tutor Raymond Laurens.

Two of the participants have agreed to let us display their efforts in Pan Gallery, allowing us to take a peek into the sometimes fulfilling, often frustrating artistic process that characterises ceramics.

In response to questions regarding expectations and realisations of the course...

Sophie Harle stated...

I was getting into a bit of a rut, just doing the same sorts of throwing and so I was excited about the prospect of seeing how other potters work. There wasn't anything specific I wanted to achieve, simply being around other potters and having the opportunity to share ideas and get some throwing done, was all I was looking for.

I started throwing off the hump, experimented with slips, mixed up a large batch of glaze, learnt how to throw a new type of lid, pulled handles. And I got to watch other potters throw, a rare treat.

It exceeded my expectations. I hadn't realised just how isolating it can be throwing on your own, and it's incredibly refreshing and inspiring to have an evening once a week with other potters where you can share ideas, recipes and just help each other out.

And Michael Ricca said...
My main reason for taking the course, was to be around like minded people so that I could improve in all aspects of my ceramics. In particular I wanted to refine and perfect my throwing techniques, particularly throwing off the hump. I also wanted to experiment with new clays which are somewhat out of the ordinary, such as 'Kagero', a Japanese inspired clay body and bone china, which needed special firing.

Taking the course resulted in a dramatic improvement in my standard of work particularly throwing, I was very inspired to try throwing very fine pots, which were a success. I also left my 'comfort zone' and started throwing large platters, plates and bowls, which are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. After the class was complete, I started using 'Southern Ice' which is an incredible material, had it not been for the class I would have never even considered using it. Not everything was a smashing success, some distorted forms which I made did not live up to expectations, which just goes to show that ceramics can be a bit hit and miss at times.

I feel grateful for this genuine insight into two new creative journeys. Many artists find it difficult to expose their work at completion, let alone when it is work in progress.

All work and no play....

2010-08-31T16:48:00.050+10:00

My excellent excuse for this belated post is this - when I should have been blogging I was instead 'playing' with the delightful works included in Ann Ferguson's exhibition Eye Spy. I was allowed! As was any visitor - young or old - who ventured into the landscape of Ann's ceramic world.

It is a rare treat to be invited to touch the work at an exhibition. The designated 'play space' in Eye Spy was an unexpected joy for many who, having visually contemplated and admired the works, realised the opportunity was there to create their own landscape.

Ann's passion for encouraging very young children to play with clay, and encouraging adults to let them, took form in this exhibition and the message will continue to reverberate with all who have and will experience Ann's work.

I must say - sometimes it's very hard to say goodbye to the work at the end of a show.

I spy with my little eye

2010-07-20T14:34:00.001+10:00

Ceramic artist Ann Ferguson creates artworks that explore fundamental connections between earth and all living things, incorporating ideas developed through her work in early childhood education. With 30 years experience as an educator and clay worker Ann’s current body of work, presented in Eye Spy, has evolved through quiet and constant ceramic practise and meditation on the way we learn to inhabit and respond to our surrounding environment.

Working in her studio in Collingwood, Ann uses terracotta, raku and more recently paper clay to create ceramic scenes which encourage us, the viewer and participant, adult or child, to explore our own relationship with landscape.

Historically, toys have often represented the adult world in miniature, giving children the opportunity to imagine and arrange things in a way that includes their perspective. Unlike two dimensional images such as photos or television, which can disconnect a child from an experience, three dimensional forms like those Ann creates, offer engaging, tangible objects with which to explore the physical world.

The clay buildings, trees, land and water of Ann’s sculptures have a multi-sensory effect. The sight, feel and sound of the objects, as they are arranged and rearranged, encourage an intuitive response, an opportunity for imaginative play and the possibility of applying one’s own narrative. Drawing from the earth, in her choice of material as well as subject matter, Ann’s scenes become a primary means through which a child, and indeed an adult, may develop a greater understanding of both the natural and fabricated landscape and their place in it.

Through the handling of earth I am strongly connected with the land and purposeful in finding new forms in which to express my concern about its future. These creative impulses are given new life and form through my work with very young children whose intuitive love of the natural world easily finds expression with clay. Ann Ferguson 2010

panGALLERY plays host to Eye Spy, an exhibition of new work by Ann Ferguson and a satellite event for Craft Victoria's Craft Cubed festival, which this year focuses on 'childhood'.

As well as an opportunity to see Ann's delightful sculptural works, Eye Spy includes a play space where children and adults can touch and play with the work, alongside projected images of artworks children have created when undertaking activities with clay.

Ann Ferguson

Eye Spy

9 to 28 August 2010

opens Sat 7 August 2-4pm

To be opened by Jan Deans

Director of Early Learning Centre

Melbourne University

Calling out louder

2010-07-12T13:56:00.000+10:00

MONDAY 16 AUGUST

That's the date applications are due for Table Manners

The Pan Gallery Ceramic Art Award.

Remember there is a prize of $1500.

So I hope the ceramic artists amongst our readers are having a thoughtful and creative time pondering...

"an original artwork that embraces the dining table's most iconic representation of good manners: the cup and saucer. How does this usually inseperable pair address the issue of etiquette, or lack thereof, in today's social settings? Is there still a place at the table for the cup and saucer, and why should knowing which way to drink your tea and place your cup affect this inherently convivial ritual?"

For those who would like additional food for thought, here is a link to some musings on cups by US ceramic artist Peter Pinnell. It is rather long - you might like to make a cup of tea first!

In more detail

2010-06-23T11:25:00.011+10:00

Just one week left to drop in and see...

Mollie Bosworth's

New Works in Porcelain

3 to 30 June 2010

Mollie Bosworth Botanicals 2010

Mollie Bosworth Elusive Flight 2010

In detail

2010-06-22T11:18:00.002+10:00

Mollie Bosworth Botanicals 2010

Mollie Bosworth Hundred Flower Ground 2010

Mollie Bosworth Botanicals 2010

Mollie Bosworth

2010-06-07T16:30:00.002+10:00

I just spent the last hour photographing Mollie Bosworth's spectacular porcelain works currently on show at Pan Gallery. As I looked through the images, intent on chosing a suitable selection to represent the exhibition on this blog, I realised, yet again, how images cannot do justice to ceramic objects.

Average photographer and difficult lighting circumstances not withstanding, the images fail to capture the way the objects inhabit space. Imagery and patterns wrap around and even travel through Mollie's fine porcelain forms encouraging the viewer to move in relation to the piece - orbiting as a leaf entices you around a curved wall, peering from above to admire how colour has seeped through the walls and bending to an angle that allows the light to emphasise translucency - a courteous dance takes place.

All too much to expect from an image really but when you have the works resonating next to you as I do right now the pressure is on to do them justice!

New Works in Porcelain by Mollie Bosworth runs to 30 June, which gives me a few more weeks to try my photographic best and attempt to share some elements of this beautiful show.

Intense Spot, 2010

New works in porcelain by Mollie Bosworth

2010-05-04T12:33:00.007+10:00

The official website for Kuranda, Queensland, describes the town as a "village in the rainforest". Sounds like heaven to this wind-weary Melbournite! Next month's visiting ceramic artist, Kuranda resident Mollie Bosworth, arrives, bringing with her artworks inspired and influenced by her tropical environment and love of gardening. Just what semi-industrial Brunswick East needs right now!

Consisting of wheel thrown and altered vessels, Mollie's new work takes full advantage of the forms to explore the interaction between internal and external surfaces. Imagery crawls around, over and in the pieces and appears in silhouette through the delicate porcelain walls. Flora, insects and butterfly images are positioned alongside tropical flowers and pieces of text, akin to a gardener's journal.

A practising Australian ceramic artist for over twenty years, Mollie is driven by the materials and creative processes inherent in working with porcelain. Exploring new ways to highlight the beauty of porcelain's translucency has led her to investigate technologies new to ceramics.

Mollie's recent body of work emloys photo editing software, laser print decals and water soluble ceramic colourants, resulting in innovative artworks while still paying homage to the traditions of this time honoured craft.

Mollie Bosworth

New works in porcelain

3 to 30 June 2010

opens Wed 2 June 6.00 to 8.00pm

with artist talk at 6.30pm

Opportunity knocks twice

2010-04-19T14:15:00.010+10:00

After thoroughly enjoying the collaborative process of putting together last years award show I really looked forward to doing it all over again for 2010. I have not been dissappointed. Second time around and things have fallen into place smoothly and the established avenues of communication between all involved has made it even easier to get to the point... which is perhaps what I should do right now...

Entry is now open for the panGALLERY Ceramic Art Award and this years challenge to Australian ceramic artists is a doozy.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

$1500 AWARD EXHIBITION: TABLE MANNERS

Traditionally, afternoon tea has called for the very finest: your best china, polished silverware and impeccable manners. Attitudes toward decorum and the rules of social etiquette in contemporary society have since relaxed, leading one to question whether table manners have lost their relevance in today's world.

panGALLERY, in association with Craft Victoria, calls on Australian ceramic artists to submit an original artwork that embraces the dining table's most iconic representation of good manners: the cup and saucer. How does this usually inseperable pair address the issue of etiquette, or lack thereof, in today's social settings? Is there still a place at the table for the cup and saucer, and why should knowing which way to drink your tea and place your cup affect this inherently convivial ritual?

Selected works will be included in an exhibition at panGALLERY entitled Table Manners with a final award winner selected from exhibited works and awarded $1500.

We are very pleased to announce that renowned ceramicist Kris Coad is this years panGALLERY Ceramic Art Award judge and once again the very lovely Kim Brockett and Anita Cummins from Craft Victoria will curate the exhibition.

The deadline for entries is MONDAY 16 AUGUST 2010 and more information and a downloadable application form is available at http://www.northcotepottery.com.au/

Proudly sponsored by

Opportunity Knocks

2010-03-15T12:48:00.008+11:00

I may be getting a little ahead of myself here but as an artist I know that the more time you have to put things together the better... or that might just be me... whatever the case the deadline has been set for interstate artists to apply to exhibit at panGALLERY in 2011.

For those unaware, this opportunity was developed in 2008 to provide ceramic artists living outside Victoria assistance in exhibiting in Melbourne, with the added benefit of offering Melbourne audiences the chance to experience, first hand, ceramics being created a little further afield.

The all important deadline - 6 September 2010 - that gives you over 5 months to gather your creative thoughts, images and words!

More information and a downloadable application form is available on our website.

This year's visiting exhibitor is Mollie Bosworth from Kurunda in Northern Qld. We look forward to Mollie's visit in June and will post more about her work and exhibition in the not too distant future.

Sue Mitchell's 48 Hours

2010-02-22T11:32:00.000+11:00

My intention is to make vessels from the patch of earth most dear to me. So I dig up clay from the wall of the dam, which doesn’t have much water in it these days after so many years of little rain. A simple process removes the stones and bits of sticks and old leaves, leaving the clay creamy, a delight to sink my hands into.

No wheel or tools but formed by hand. No gas kiln, instead an old drum and an old header tank, and a collection of cow dung from our neighbors paddock to use as fuel.

I envisaged large shallow bowls, formed by laying slabs to dry on the surface of large basalt rocks, hot after baking in the days sun. And some smaller ones too, to fit inside.

However, the one thing this patch of earth teaches me again and again is that it is not always possible to design or impose process or outcome. All of the large pieces, shaped beautifully by the rocks, cracked in the firing. The challenge then becomes to make something of what you’ve got, of what’s been offered….which in the end, is always enough.

Sue Mitchell 48 Hour Dish Set 2010

Kim Haughie's 48 Hours

2010-02-19T10:52:00.000+11:00

Night falls and I head down to the dam to collect my clay. Digging here and there along the embankment to find the right consistency. I am acutely aware of the scent of cut grass in the air. It is harvest time.

Preparing the clay, I am amazed by its silky patina and its rich earthy ochre. I cup a ball of its devine smoothness, shape a ball and push into its centre... a vessel is born.

I am transfixed by the quietness of my making as I respond to the clays innate sensibilities and it to mine. Pinching, turning, into the black night. Late evening, I forage and gather material to burn. Grass, pine, gum leaves, twigs and sticks.

Tomorrow comes on a warm indecisive breeze. The grasses move with more vigour. I am hesitant of an open flame under such uncertain conditions, I rethink my process and decide to give the open flame shelter from the wind by building my fire closer to the protection of my dwelling.

Assured now, I nestle my pots safely into the depths of combustible materials and slowly with care I light and nurture the fire.

Kim Haughie 48 Hour Earth Pods 2010

Elise Bishop's 48 Hours

2010-02-15T10:40:00.003+11:00

The environment that dictated my 48 hour improvisation was essentially an urban one, a regular house block close to Ballarat’s CBD. In the process of renovating a Victorian cottage from the ground up, I had at hand a good source of fuel which would otherwise have been waste – timber off-cuts – and the clay came from stump holes that were part of that renovation process. I also had a pile of old red bricks, which, after an initial design failure, became my makeshift kiln.

Because I was in town, my firing had to be small and contained. I ran into a few unexpected problems when building and firing the kiln – all the planning I did before I started meant nothing in the face of the physical reality of what I could achieve in 48 hours – therein lay the fun!

The 48 Hour Project condenses improvisation, and brings to the forefront concepts which make this approach important to me: the idea of an intense relationship with one’s immediate environment, and of using resources carefully and thoughtfully with an understanding that when they are gone, there are no more.

I hope also, that the venture may inspire others to challenge themselves to try their own 48 hour project, maybe with clay, maybe with some other creative pursuit.

Elise Bishop 48 Hour Clay Improvisation 2009

Kath Wratten's 48 hours

2010-02-09T13:41:00.018+11:00

I am a passionate believer in the power of the hand and heart made object, and of its practice (craft), as a reconnective force- an intimate exchange between human and material - making that considers and respects its resources in the creative process.

As an artist/maker, discovering clay has been a revelation. Using clay as my medium engages me in a rich, sensory interaction with my environment. I explore and express my sense of earth with earth itself.

My clay comes from an uprooted tree 200m from my studio. Dry clay crushed and sieved to a fine dust, hydrated by a bucket full of rain.

Mixing, squeezing, rolling, feeling. I marvel at its newborn fragility and strength. I roll small pieces under my palm and bend them with my fingers. The bird emerges. I make a flock of them. They dry overnight rested on the wood heater, still warm from the evenings fire.

I build a small brick box close to the embers of a burning-off bonfire. The residual warmth warms the work and kiln. I place layers of birds in sawdust gleaned from a recently sawn log. Using embers from the bonfire, I ignite the sawdust , cover the box and sit.

Kath Wrattan The Birds Fly 2010

The 48 Hour Clay Project

2010-02-08T14:25:00.008+11:00

No one has ever said setting up an exhibition is easy but it is difficult to explain just how complex the process can be. The frustrating part is that a well curated exhibition looks effortless!

That is certainly the case with The 48 Hour Clay Project and I can tell you that a great deal of effort has been put into this exhibition.

The four artists involved undertook this project (see previous post) with integrity and a great sense of adventure and wonder. Exposing themselves to the elements to create the work and then exposing themselves to a critical (but supportive!) audience by exhibiting it.

With honest artwork, such as this, inviting others to view and discuss it takes a great deal of bravery. Here at Pan we are very glad they did.

In the next few days I will endeavour to post more images depicting the making processes and results for your viewing pleasure. Of course it is much better to see the 'real thing'.

The 48 Hour Clay Project is on at Pan Gallery until 4 March

Happy holidays! See you in the new year.

2009-12-21T13:46:00.016+11:00

Pan Gallery will be closed in January but starts February with a bang in the form of The 48 Hour Clay Project.

Four ceramic artists, from the general vicinity of western Victoria, have been pondering the challenges of their making process and its inherent connectedness with the earth. In a fit of enthusiasm they decided that, in order to explore this area further and to encourage others to consider the values and implications of making objects by hand, the best thing to do was to intensify the process.

And so The 48 Hour Clay Project was born. The rules of the project were agreed - dig your own clay, make something, build a kiln, fire your work. Use only the tools and materials you have on hand, and complete it from beginning to end in 48 hours.

Each artist undertook the challenge independently on her own property. Their stories are inspiring, amusing and cast light on the ceramic process, our relationship with our environment, and our usage of resources.

The 48 Hour Clay Project exhibition includes the finished 48 hour works, as well as documentation of the making/firing process, and other relevant works by the participating artists.

And it should be quite an opening too with live music, locally produced organic nibbles, the artists retelling their experiences and, of course, the opportunity to view the fruits of their labour.

So from all at Pan Gallery we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for your continued support and interest this year and we look forward to seeing you in 2010.

The 48 Hour Clay Project

Elise Bishop, Kim Haughie, Kath Wratten, Sue Mitchell
5 Feb to 4 March 2010
Opening Thurs 4 Feb 6-8pm

artists in residence

2009-12-09T12:16:00.011+11:00

Showcasing the creative activities taking place behind the studio doors at Northcote Pottery Supplies, our last exhibition for the year is underway.

The works of five ceramic artists are represented and it is interesting that there is comparative cohesion in the works.

This is an exhibition without collaboration, in fact works only emerged from their respective studios (or kilns!) just days before the opening. Yet there is an underniable link between the different bodies of work. The use of porcelain or white stoneware proliferates, as do soft, muted tones and objects that have a vessel sentiment without necessarily being functional.

In this sense, this exhibition highlights the impact of time and place on an artists vocabulary.

Sara Knight, vessels, 2009

Ray Laurens, vessels, 2009

Wendy Reeve, Unseen Series I, 2009

Sophie Milne, Street Side Bottles, 2009

Sara Knight, vessels - sage and white set, 2009

Sophie Milne, Ceramic Insulator Beakers, 2009

Connie Lichti, untitled and Mummy I'm too big for this cot, 2009
Wendy Reeve, Unseen Series II, 2009

northcote pottery supplies

artist in residence exhibtion

4 to 19 december 2009

Opening Nights

2009-11-12T10:15:00.008+11:00

The artworks wait.

Artists and audience arrive.

A few quiet moments to peruse, reflect...

ponder or admire.

Grab a drink before the speeches start.

Still conversation to listen to thoughts on the subject.

Relax and celebrate!

BOTTLED 5 to 25 Nov 2009

Photos courtesy of Richard Brockett

And the award goes to...

2009-11-11T15:56:00.017+11:00

Weeping Willows by Katie Jacobs.

Congratulation to Katie for her Bottled entry. Katie is the first ever recipient of the Pan Gallery Award and a very gracious and deserving recipient she is too.

The exhibition space really does look lovely,

thanks, in no small part, to our guest curators Kim Brockett and Anita Cummins from Craft Victoria.

And then, of course, there are the pieces! Should you not be able to visit, which I thoroughly recommend you do, here is your chance to view the 'bottles' on display.

Petra Svoboda Two Imperial Pints

Leah Jackson, Travelling Light

Chris Plumridge, Testae Ballet

Catherine Reid, Sole

Peter Pliven, Wood Fire Bottle

Lisa Gair, Milk Bottle

Pauline Meade, Bodies

Jane Walton, London 1919

Sue Cotton, Bottled Memories

Inrid Tufts, All Under Control

Claire Blake, Black Is The New Black

Heather May, Weeping Duo

Zoe Baker, Bottle Dysmorphia

Hilary Dobson, Loosed

Terry Marston, Little Boat/ Big Ocean

Sue Sanderson, Composition

Robyn Phelan, Vessels For 21st Century Epidemic

Bottled

2009-10-23T13:22:00.008+11:00

Applications have been received. Selection has taken place. Pieces are arriving and we are getting excited.

Pan Gallery and Craft Victoria's inaugural, annual, award show (quite the mouthful) is getting closer.

Bottled

Can a ceramic artist bottle emotion? It's subjective, personal and open for discussion. Come and decide for yourself.

The award recipient will be announced at the opening on Thursday 5th November 6-8pm with guest speaker Joanne Ely, former curator of Shepparton Art Gallery, discussing the value of awards in ceramic art realms.

Pauline Meade, Bodies (detail) 2009

Bottled

Pan Gallery Award

6 to 25 November

The anticipation is killing

2009-09-22T09:00:00.003+10:00

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” Aristotle

There are those that would happily stay ensconced in the education system for as long as the department will let them. When the subject matter entails experimentation, exploration, creative expression and clay, who can blame them?

Twelve students undertaking the Diploma of Ceramics at Holmesglen bring to the course a wealth of life experience. Collectively their accumulated years of study exemplify passion and commitment to working with clay and undeniable dedication to the craft.

Showcasing a variety of highly personal one off pieces Anticipation celebrates the culmination of this student life, resulting in fresh, innovative and conceptual ceramic artworks with strong evidence of experimentation.

It has been a long time in the making, the anticipation is killing, but there is no doubt the fruit is sweet.

008 Anticipation

23 Sep to 6 Oct 2009

Holmesglen Diploma of Ceramic Art Sudents

Opens Tue 22 Sep 6-8pm with guest speaker Lesley Walsh

Pictures at an exhibition

2009-09-20T13:14:00.003+10:00

Lynette Rose, Architecture II

Michele Berenger, Bollywood Bottles

Lynette Rose, Brick Wall

Brian Keyte, guest speaker

Embracing Spring and the impending onset of warmer weather

Pan Gallery has been a hive of activity these last few weeks.

Facets of Illusion drew an enthusiastic crowd on opening night and continued to encourage intrigue and double takes for the duration of the show.

Su Laird, Coughex Cups and Holder

Su Laird's amazing installations of ceramic take away coffee cups and cigarette butts certainly challenged viewers and staff alike. Honestly people, we wouldn't really leave our rubbish lying around on the plinths!

Pictures courtesy of Rod Laird.

Another teaser

2009-08-27T10:09:00.001+10:00

Managing an exhibition space is quite like opening the kiln door after a glaze firing. You have some idea of what's been going on but you never really know the whole picture until the door is cranked or the show begins.

Irris Szoeke, 2009

Likewise, receiving the occassional image of work is akin to peeking through the spy hole - just a bit of a tease really.

Irris Szoeke is one of six artists exhibiting in Facets of Illusion 4 to 17 September 2009.

So much prettier than 'opening'.

2009-08-19T14:12:00.001+10:00

We do enjoy a vernissage at Pan but we are yet to have a midissage or finnisage!

A vernissage (varnishing, from French), also known as a preview, private view or simply opening, is the start of an art exhibition. Guests may be served canapés and wine as they discuss with artists and others the works in the exhibition. Critics and press may also be present, or invited to separate private viewings.

At official exhibitions, such as the Royal Academy summer exhibition, artists, in the past, would give a finishing touch to their works by varnishing them (J M W Turner was known for making significant changes to works on varnishing day while his fellow academicians were simply varnishing). The custom of patrons and the élite of visiting the academies during the varnishing day prior to the formal opening of the exhibition gave rise to the tradition of celebrating the completion of an art work or a series of art works with friends and sponsors. Nowadays, for commercial shows it is an opportunity to market the works on sale to buyers and critics.

There also is a comparable ceremonial ending of art exhibitions, called finissage. Larger art exhibitions also may have such an event at half time of the exhibition (midissage).

From wikipedia.

Su Laird, Tipping Point 2

I am looking forward to seeing this piece at our next vernissage.

Facets of Illusion
3 September 6-8pm
Guest speaker Brian Keyte

It's a kind of magic

2009-08-12T17:27:00.001+10:00

Long time no post.

But only because we have been so busy!!!

The triennale was a wonderful experience and thank you to all who came and said hello. It was great to meet so many inspiring artists who have, until now, been only a name in an email.

Plans are taking shape for the jam packed months ahead. Entries are rolling in for Bottled and images of work are arriving for upcoming exhibitions.

First off the block for this second half of the year is

Facets of Illusion.

Lorraine Taylor, 2009

"Deliberate or unintentional, illusion is deception with many and varied effects. Six ceramic artists have chosen to investigate the concept of illusion and it’s presence in modern society. Facets of Illusion is an exhibition that explores the boundaries between image and reality in political, social and environmental realms. It questions that which is often taken for granted, challenging perceived notions of reality and playing with the diversion of visual illusion."

Facets of Illusion

sei donne ceramiste: Michele Berenger, Su Laird, Lyn Rose

Irris Szoeke, Lorraine Taylor and Jean Wilby

4 to 17 September 2009

Opening Thursday 3 September 6-8pm

Guest speaker Brian Keyte

Spreading the word

2009-07-08T12:04:00.001+10:00

Pan Gallery (ie. yours truly) will be attending the Australian Ceramics Triennale in Sydney next week. I forsee mad dashing from one amazing event to the next for five days!

On Saturday, Sunday and Monday (19th-21st July) Pan will be taking part in a trade exhibit being held at the National Art School in Darlinghurst, to spread the word about our exhibition program and opportunities for Australian ceramic artists. If you are in the vicinity please do drop by and say hello.

We'll have information on hand about our $1500 award show BOTTLED (see previous post) and will also be letting artists know about the...

INTERSTATE ARTIST OPPORTUNITY

To promote and support ceramic art on a national level Pan Gallery annually invites Australian ceramic artists living outside Victoria to apply for a gallery hosted exhibition. Solo and group shows will be considered.

The successful applicant/s, chosen on the basis of creative skills, achievements and innovation, will sign a contract with Pan Gallery to undertake a one month exhibition at an agreed upon time.

Important Dates

For an exhibition to be held in the first 6 months of 2010.

6 October 2009 Closing date for applications

20 October 2009 Notification

Conditions of entry and a downloadable application form are available on our website.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

2009-06-03T13:51:00.001+10:00

$1500 Pan Gallery Award
in association with Craft Victoria

The Pan Gallery Award has been established to demonstrate excellence in ceramics produced throughout Australia. Pan Gallery supports the creation of ceramic artworks of an innovative nature and seeks to celebrate ceramic traditions as well as provide a forum for artists to challenge the boundaries of contemporary ceramic practice. We encourage the exchange of ideas between artists and a diverse audience and aim to promote public appreciation and understanding of the form.

CALL FOR ENTRIES
EXHIBITION: BOTTLED

Ceramic art requires patience, considered decisions and attention to detail. This emphasis on technique raises an important question: Is ceramic art capable of embodying sentiment? BOTTLED seeks to explore the ability of the ceramic object, in this case in the form of the bottle, to express emotion.

The bottle is a practical object: its primary purpose is to function as a vessel that contains the tangible. What happens then, when this tangibility is replaced with the impalpable – such as emotion? Is the bottle able to contain the fleeting intensity of anger, the all-encompassing feeling of euphoria or the continuous simmering of long term grief? Can a ceramic artist bottle emotion?

Pan Gallery, in association with Craft Victoria and Northcote Pottery Supplies, invites Australian ceramic artists to submit entries of significance for inclusion in an exhibition entitled Bottled. Work submitted must be new work and not previously exhibited.

Submissions are due by Friday 18 September and will be presented to a selection panel for consideration of inclusion in the exhibition.

The exhibition will open on Thursday 5 November 6-8pm and runs to 25 November with Anita Cummins and Kim Brockett from Craft Victoria as guest curators and ceramicist Jane Sawyer making the final judging decision.

Conditions of entry and a downloadable application form are available on our website.

And so we say goodbye

2009-05-27T20:30:00.001+10:00

This Friday is the last day of Correct Tension. It has been a pleasure having Helen Martin's textile-inspired ceramics in the gallery space. Every day I have spent a little time contemplating in the quiet, gentle atmosphere of her work.

It's been amusing watching from the corner of my eye as visitors decide whether or not to resist the urge to touch a piece and I have enjoyed everyone's fascination and questions about Helen's techniques.

This was the first exhibition to take place as a result of our interstate artist opportunity and all in all the experience has been gratifying. I feel we achieved what we set out to do - expose our Melbourne audience to work they may not otherwise have the opportunity to see 'in the flesh' and broadened the audience of a worthy and innovative ceramic artist.

I am certainly looking forward to future shows from interstate ceramicists and am in the process of finalising the application process for 2010.

Time flies when you're having fun.

2009-04-29T20:48:00.002+10:00

Correct Tension is what it's all about!

We've had a couple of very productive days at Pan with the installation of Helen Martin's show. It's looking wonderful - a warm, calm space filled with family memories of knitting and crochet transformed into Shino glazed objects. Helen's pieces are like ceramic snapshots of domestic life.

It's been a joy to work with Helen and I can't wait for others to experience her work first hand . And I don't have to wait too long because the launch is tomorrow night! Like they say "Time flies..."

Helen Martin
Correct Tension
1-27 May

Opens Thursday 30 April 6-8pm
With guest speaker Kevin Murray
Editor Journal of Modern Craft online

A taste of what's to come.

2009-04-08T16:52:00.001+10:00

Everyone at Pan Gallery is looking forward to this exhibition.

Last year Helen Martin was chosen from a field of applicants for the interstate artist opportunity. She hails from Amaroo, ACT and will be travelling south to exhibit at Pan later this month.

Helen’s art practice fuses textile techniques with ceramic processes. Pure wool knitted objects are saturated in a Shino glaze and transformed through the heat of the kiln into textile-like ceramic pieces.

For the past four years she has developed and explored this innovative technique and has recently returned to its origin in the 'sampler', a research device to test glazes and firing methods, as well as knitting and crochet patterns, resulting in a collection of patterns and techniques from which to draw.

The pieces range from delicate, fragile pieces to heavy chunky works,
all encapsulating a domestic connection and honour the skills of the makers in her family.

HELEN MARTIN
Correct Tension
1 to 27 May

Mabelle Marra in action.

2009-04-01T16:47:00.001+11:00

It is a wonderful thing when your work collegues challenge your technical abilities!

All going to plan you should now be able to view footage of Mabelle Marra firing her work in the pre-Columbian way.

Mabelle exhibited at Pan last year. Her beautiful burnished terracotta pieces, inspired by her Argentinean background, were a hit with all who viewed the exhibition and there was general fascination with her making processes.

Another enjoyable evening

2009-03-18T10:25:00.002+11:00

Opening night

Lene Kuhl Jakobsens'

edaphic* north.

The show has been extended by two days

on until Saturday 28 March.

Traversing Curious Paths

2009-02-26T10:40:00.001+11:00

edaphic* north

New ceramics by Lene Kuhl Jakobsen

13 March - 26 March

Opening Thursday

12 March 6 -8pm

The show is intended to lead down curious paths of colour and connection…

Lene Kuhl Jakobsen recently spent seven weeks at the Erik Nyholm Ceramic Studio situated in the lake and forest area in Denmark, not far from where she grew up. Living and working during summer, in a nearly 200 year old farmhouse, surrounded by “intensely green” landscape, had a profound effect on her artistic expression.

“All around the buildings and inside were pieces of pottery, some broken, some hidden in the vegetation to be discovered. In the studio were drawers full of sketches and books on the shelves, the old kick wheel, a vast supply of glazes and glaze ingredients and, not the least, the presence of the big gas kiln which had not been fired for several years.”

In edaphic* north we are invited to take part in her experience, recognizing the effects of the natural environment and the posthumous presence of the studio’s namesake.

Erik Nyholm was part of the Danish art movement COBRA, an acronym for the movement’s towns of origin – Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam. This group of abstract expressionists was defined by a consciousness of belonging to a Danish tradition and their difference from artists from centres further south in Europe.

Erik Nyholm Platter

“Nyholm showed an unconventional approach to materials, texture and colour; always using nature as a starting point for shapes such as platters and jars but also in sculptural pieces. His works remain fresh, powerful and different. He seems to have always been curious in his attitude.”

Nature, especially the coastal environment of Australia, has always acted as inspiration for Lene. Working at the Nyholm studio, in propinquity to Denmark’s seasonal environmental changes, brought back memories of her childhood and youth and found expression in her craft, utilizing the materials at hand and the ceramic vocabulary of Nyholm.

Lene Kuhl Jakobsen Platter, 2008

“The Erik Nyholm Ceramic Studio is a place with a lot of history. I spent time exploring new ideas and looking at new ways of making. I was inspired to use textural effects on my work and found it interesting to test and use the glazes and other materials in the studio. I tried to take in the atmosphere of a place well used and once full of activity. Erik and Janet had a thriving fish farm and 5 children!”

Erik died 17 years ago leaving his studio in the capable hands of his wife, the American potter Janet Nyholms, who has played host to numerous ceramic artists, giving potters from far and wide the opportunity to work in this unique and ‘curious’ place.

With the help of “an old potter friend” Lene successfully ‘fired up’ the old gas kiln several times during her last week at the studio, leaving some pieces in Denmark for a show in a local art gallery but bringing others back to include in this exhibition. Further pieces have been created in her home studio in Melbourne, bringing together a dramatic exhibition of works that respond to environment and place.

*(Bot.) of the soil; (Ecol.) produced or influenced by the soil

Coming Up

2009-02-12T09:57:00.001+11:00

As we all come to terms with the horrific bushfires in Victoria, issues of climate change and the environment once again come to the fore, as they so rightfully should.

Members of the ceramic community, working in a field that is not exactly renowned for its 'green' practises, are looking into ways to decrease the negative impact of ceramic processes on the environment.

The first step taken by ceramic artist Lene Kuhl Jakobsen is the purchase of carbon credits to offset the emmissions created in the firing of works for her upcoming exhibition at Pan Gallery. It is a beginning and definately a step in the right direction.

edaphic* north is a response to land and place. Last year Lene spent seven weeks at The Erik Nyholm Studio in Denmark, near to where she grew up. Her upcoming exhibition explores connections with land (edaphic refers to the soil) and memories, as well as her concerns for the environment.

We are looking forward to Lene's show at Pan Gallery and will post more regarding her work in the not to distant future.

edaphic* north

new ceramics by Lene Kuhl Jakobsen

13 - 26 March 2009

Opening 12 March 6-8pm

Time for rest.

2008-12-23T16:36:00.001+11:00

Remo and Jan Saric

December 20 marked the final day of Mabelle Mara's exhibition and time to wrap up proceedings at Pan Gallery for 2008. Since it's launch in July this year the gallery has continued to develop and provides a continuous flow of challenges, joys, opportunities and inspiration to all involved. Thank you for all the support and encouragement we have received.

We are looking forward to a busy and exciting 2009. Upcoming exhibitions include new works from Lene Kuhl Jakobsen and ACT ceramicist Helen Martin as well as the inaugural Northcote Pottery Supplies Award exhibition.

I'll leave you with some images from the opening night of Pisco Runa and wish everyone a happy and relaxed festive season.

Mabelle Marra

Sophie Milne

Glenn England

Pisco Runa

2008-11-24T19:27:00.002+11:00

Last Friday night Pan Gallery hosted the opening of Mabelle Marra's exhibition - Pisco Runa. It was a very joyous occasion. The artist was excited, her friends and (extended!) family were excited and those who had not had the opportunity to experience Mabelle's work before were taken with the life and character of each piece.

Mabelle Marra’s approach to ceramics is greatly influenced by her Argentinean background. Using pre-Columbian firing methods, she creates vessels that reinterpret wares from the Condorhuasi period, 650BC to 700AD, of North Western Argentina.

Traditional coca pipes and matrimonial drinking vessels assume animal and human forms undertaking everyday activities that connect to the artist’s life experiences - working, meditating, playing instruments, pregnancy and birth.

In this series of work Mabelle introduces us to the shaman Pisco Runa (Birdman). A loved and respected member of his community Pisco Runa came back as a bird after his death to watch over his village.

Each terracotta piece is burnished using a quartz stone, beeswax and animal fats, sometimes even oils from her own skin, “giving some self, some soul, to the pots”. Wood fired in a kiln built in Pisco Runa’s likeness and fuelled with scrap and salvaged timber, the surface of each piece is endowed with gray and black flashes from the ensuing ash and smoke.

Mabelle’s passion and enthusiasm for her cultural heritage breathes life into this ancient craft and enables a new audience to experience her history in a tangible way."

Pisco Runa is on at Pan Gallery until 20 December 2008

003 Studio Resident Show

2008-10-15T16:06:00.001+11:00

High priority for me this week is the studio resident show that I am setting up on Friday.

There are four artists taking part - Wendy Reeve, Zoe Churchill, Ray Laurens and Sophie Milne.
It's the first of what will hopefully be an annual exhibition for Northcote Pottery residents and as the new studios have only recently been established I am asking a lot of the new residents but they are rising to the challenge!

We are "in various states of readiness" and while some work will be for sale other pieces will be included to demonstrates the creative endeavors taking place within the studios. It's quite exciting. I am looking forward to seeing how it will all come together.

002 Valuables

2008-08-15T15:13:00.001+10:00

We have set up a new show at Pan.

"A random selection of people was asked to exhibit the ceramic items they consider most valuable in their home. The definition of value, be it sentimental, material, functional or aesthetic, was entirely left to the interpretation of each individual."

Accompanying the exhibition is a recording of personal accounts from the owners of the ceramic objects on display. It was lots of fun putting this together, having a good old sticky beak through the homes of friends and family and recording the stories behind an incredibly ecclectic mix of 'valuables'. It makes you look at all the objects in your home in quite a different way.

Pan Gallery

2008-08-01T15:17:00.002+10:00

Now here is a project to challenge, terrify and excite - set up and manage an exhibition space dedicated to ceramic art.

As this blog progresses I hope to share some of the highs and lows that will undoubtedly present themselves in the running of this gallery. But to begin with - a high. The opening exhibition:

001First Show had a great response . There was quite a crowd on opening night and everyone was very encouraging.

Honestly, the biggest hit of the night was possibly the food made by my friend Teresa but the work did look spectacular.

It is really very exciting to be part of something with such a positive energy. I have to admit I'm pretty tired of the general despondency about the state of craft and, in particular, the plight of ceramics. I personally feel enthused and inspired by a great deal of contemporary ceramic work and I hope to help others experience more of it, more often.

On that note, how wonderful are these...

by Sandra Bowkett

by Andrew Widdis

By Katie Jacobs

All these pieces were in Pan's first show and it felt like such an honour to be able to exhibit work from these talented Melbourne artists. All have work at Craft Vic .