Thankyou everyone who coming along last night and made the launch of Edith Rewa's 'Field Trip' collection a cracking success. We took some photos of the party so you can feel the fun vibe even if you weren't there.

The work looks absolutely beautiful and is still on display until Saturday 1 April | 12noon.

Edith's scarves and prints from the collection are now available to purchase online or in-store.

 

 

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The lovely Edith Rewa is launching her new collection Field Trip at the end of this month. We are hosting the Melbourne launch party and we couldn't be more chuffed. You are invited to join us for a celebration drink here at Guild of Objects and be the first to see Edith's highly detailed Australian botanical illustrations jump of the page and on to her silk scarves.

Thursday 30 March | 5pm - 8pm

This month we interviewed Edith about her practice and her new collection.

Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your craft?

My name is Edith and I like plants!

I am a Textile designer and Illustrator, stirred by all things botanical and Australian.

I currently live in Blackheath in the Blue Mountains were I spend most of my days drawing natives, working on my label and doing client based freelance work. Bush walks, swims, bike rides and coffee intersperse work as well as trips to the big smoke or interstate to keep me sane from a solo work space!

How did you first get started as an illustrator and textile designer?

My first real love of illustrations and textiles started in high school where a warm and wonderful teacher introduced me to printmaking and more aptly, screen printing- the most satisfying process to combine the both. I stumbled across the Textile Design degree at RMIT almost by accident and have felt pretty lucky to be learning and fumbling my way into a career in it from there on! I started off in a commercial design studio in Sydney before migrating to full time freelance life in Blackheath in The Blue Mountains with a whole lot of drawing along the way.

Can you give us some insight into your creative process and where you draw inspiration from?

My inspiration is almost always centered around place. Landscape and observations and learnings of the flora and fauna within. Bush walks and travel keep my mind and drawing hand pretty darn excited. There is a reoccurring urge to share and showcase native specimens that might not otherwise be overly noticed or geographically possible in our day to day lives!

What does your studio look like?

It is usually always a bit of a muddle of piles of books, plants in varying states of decay, sprawled pens and half finished drawings. There will reliably be a pile of scribbled ‘To Do’ lists lying around, a cordial soda water and sweet treat. My studio is very much a working reflection of the project I am working on at the current time. I like to use my walls as giant mood board and gallery space to help me jot out ideas or keep my mind on track.

 

Any advice or words of wisdom for other makers out there?

I am going to cheat and share some words from John Olsen that stuck with me from his recent exhibition (You Beaut Country)… 

 ‘’Stay with your dream and learn to play’’  

We are really excited about your upcoming launch at Guild, can you tell us a bit about your new collection and how it came together?

I can’t wait to share it with you all! It has been a long one in the making as I have been travelling about Australia and drawing and learning about places and plants in between other work over last year.

Here is a little project snippet…

 

If you could do anything tomorrow what would you do?

Roadtrip! I just got my licence last week (finally!) so I am brimming with excitement to adventure to all the places a bike and train can’t get me!

If you could teach your kids one thing, what would it be?

Always make time to get to know the plants around you. They will teach you to stop and look and learn and breathe.

What are you reading at the moment?

The Blue Plateau by Mark Tredinnick (It’s beautiful)

If we rummaged through your grocery bag, what would we find?

Mostly sweet things

The first thing that pops into your mind when we mention the word:

Breakfast: eggs

Weekends: play

People: pals

Pause: I wish

Sound: The yellow tailed black cockies feasting and flying about our street at the moment. They have such a prehistoric screech!

Smell: sensitive

Place: learning

Texture: linen

Ritual: post office

Colour: brown, my favourite.

What’s one thing you can’t live without at the moment?

A to do list

What are your words of wisdom?

 It is ok to say no!

Photos by Georgie Blackie and Nick McKinlay.

Find Edith Rewa on Instagram and in the Guild Shop.

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Claire Lehmann is a graphic artist and ceramicist who studied art history and multimedia and is now exploring the industrial design of ceramics. She is influenced by architecture, sci-fi and 1970s interior design. Her work reflects her interests in shape, texture, process and weight.

We are looking forward to the reveal of Claire’s most recent work in a joint exhibition with Georgie Moyes entitled 573° this month at Guild of Objects from November 17–19.

Please come help us celebrate the launch of Claire and Georgie’s exhibition at a special preview on Thursday November 17 from 5–8pm.

Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your craft?

I’m 38, I live in Northcote and I alternate between ceramics and freelance work as a graphic artist/retoucher. I’m in my last month of studying a Diploma of Ceramics at Holmesglen Tafe. I previously studied a Bachelor of Art History and then Multimedia. I’ve always made art, but cut back when I started working in design. So after 13 years in front of a computer I’m finally circling back around – older, slightly wiser and definitely better at Photoshop. I have a studio in North Melbourne and have been making ceramics for six years. My focus was initially on tableware, but now my focus is shifting towards lighting and hopefully more sculptural, non-functional ceramics.

When and how did you first get interested in ceramics?

One of my sisters asked me to do a short course with her at Carlton Arts Centre. I turned up and within six months I’d moved to part-time work so I could spend the rest of my time making ceramics. It was a convergence of my love of homewares, using my hands and a challenge.

Can you describe the early days of setting up your business?

Initially, it was all about repetition and learning from lots and lots of mistakes. I’d take orders and figure things out as I went. I’d stick to shapes and colours I knew I could manage and I was definitely being risk-averse. Studying ceramics has been great because I’ve tried things I wouldn’t have attempted otherwise and that’s definitely opened up my practice and my interests. I named my business Sunday Ceramics after Sunday Reed who is a personal hero (and was a mega babe). I think my interest in opacity, weight, structure and material tolerance ties in with my love of design. In another life, I would have studied industrial design but I think I’m glad I didn’t. I kind of enjoy approaching these areas with no knowledge and no set ideas. Things just happen organically. And when a shape doesn’t work, I problem solve – do I change the design or do I change the process? The problem solving keeps it interesting.

What does a typical day look like for you?

On pottery days I wake up, have a nice breakfast, do life admin and get to the studio around 10:30am. I like to have different projects going at the same time and I move between them. Usually there are chats and coffees with other studio people, some Radio National and history podcasts, and then suddenly it gets dark and it’s pens down, the day is over. I guess I go into the zone for 5–6 hours and when I come back hopefully some nice ceramics have been made.

Where/what do you draw inspiration from?

I’m interested in shape and texture and I draw inspiration from architecture, art and design. I also love collecting interior design books from the 1970s and 80s.

If you could do anything tomorrow what would you do?

I’d go to the beach and read a book and try to forget about my to-do list.

If you could teach your kids one thing, what would it be?

I try to teach my nieces and nephews to be kind and to have fun.

What are you reading at the moment?

Longform. Always. When I’m on holiday I read books, but in the meantime it’s all about longform journalism.

If we rummaged through your grocery bag, what would we find?

The usual stuff – vegetables, cheese, but also maybe a screwdriver or some random pottery tools.

Can you tell us the first thing that pops into your mind when we mention the word …

Breakfast: slow scramble
Weekends: studio time
People: smiles with friends
Pause: never
Sound: rain
Smell: my lover’s hair
Place: my garden
Texture: hands
Ritual: ceramics
Color: white

What’s one thing you can’t live without at the moment?

The supportive and creative people around me.

What are your words of wisdom?

Life wisdom: Be kind. Try to listen. Trust that it’s all going in the right direction. Ceramic-specific wisdom: Even if things fail, put them in the bin, learn and move on. Aka let it go.

 

Find Claire on Instagram and online.

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Georgie Moyes is a Melbourne-based ceramicist, utilising hand-building techniques and the wheel to make pieces inspired by the natural world. Harmony and balance are at the forefront of her work as she makes larger pieces which challenge ideas of function and purpose.

We are so excited to be showing Georgie’s work in a joint exhibition with Claire Lehmann entitled 573° this month at Guild of Objects from November 17–19.

Please come help us celebrate the launch of Georgie and Claire’s exhibition at a special preview on Thursday November 17 from 5–8pm.

 

Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your craft?

I live in Coburg, which isn’t too far from my studio in North Melbourne where I practise ceramics. I feel lucky to say that I spent my earlier years growing up in Warrandyte on a large property with farmland and creeks nearby. I always spent a lot of time outdoors in the garden searching for blue tongues and absorbing as much of my mum’s knowledge about plants as I could! After finishing high school, I started studying psychology but realised it wasn’t for me and decided to take some time out to travel. When I came back I did some short courses in dressmaking and sewing, and I then started taking ceramics classes at Carlton Arts Centre and my interest in clay just kept evolving. Now I am finishing my Diploma of Ceramics at Holmesglen Tafe.  

When and how did you first get interested in ceramics? 

I guess it’s really been embedded in me and something I’ve appreciated for a long time. My mum and my uncle have such an eye for one-off pieces and beautiful antiques. When I visit my mum’s house now, I spend ages looking through all of her knick knacks and the precious things she’s collected over the years – a lot of which are ceramics! My uncle has always given me the most incredible gifts. Everything has always felt like a treasure from another land! So I’ve always had a great appreciation for ceramics and handmade things. My gran also used to make ceramics at Potters Cottage in Warrandyte and she still has a number of the beautiful pieces she made with glazes she formulated herself. So naturally my mother enrolled me in weekend ceramic classes around the age of 11.

Can you describe the early days of setting up your business?

I initially started taking throwing classes at Carlton Arts Centre. I loved these classes, because I was just happy to be making something with my hands. I wasn’t doing it for an outcome, it was just to play and be immersed in something new. Though I soon realised ceramics can’t just be a casual affair, it demands attention and perseverance. I became obsessed with the process, and how much you really have to nurture your work if you want it to make it. It was all a lesson in patience and practising non-attachment. I was going 3-4 times a week, but I wanted more. I needed to know more about hand-building and glazes, which lead me look into Holmesglen. At the moment I’m trying less to focus on the outcome – whether a piece will be functional, where I imagine it to be placed or how it fits into the world, and instead to just feel it out and be open to things changing along the way. Since the start of the year, I’ve been lucky enough to gain a studio space with other potters and shared equipment, which has been amazing! It’s so good to be surrounded by people who are using the same medium but in so many varied ways.

What does a typical day look like for you? 

At the moment I can’t go a day without yoga, and I can’t go a day without time in my garden. These two things are crucial to my productivity and joy. Usually I’m up and in the garden by 8am and at the studio by 10am – coffee in hand and listening to PBS Radio. I’ll usually sit around on Instagram for a while and then go over what I did the day before, and plan what to do for the day. I’m currently building a lot of larger vessels. Usually around 3pm, Claire (my studio wife) and I have a brie and cheddar break, then we’ll get a second wind for a few more hours or it’s time to head home. After a day at the studio I head to yoga, and then it’s home to slay all the snails and slugs in the veggie garden.

Where/what do you draw inspiration from?

Mainly island life, tropical living, tropical plants, tropical animals, tropical beauties, tropical feelings. My happiness is heavily synced with how much time I spend around nature, so I draw a lot of inspiration from the natural world and living within our means alongside nature. I love to look back in time at how ancient cultures used ceramics in ritual and offerings.

The value and worth placed upon objects and belongings inspires me to make. I love how simple things like a stone or seed can resonate with me so much, so I try to make things with this in mind, that everything is special. But there are a number of artists who really inspire me – Maria Gazzard is one with her beautiful forms, as well as paintings by Paul Gauguin. Also the ceramic works of Salvatore Fiume – so dreamy! And the forms of Ancient Grecian urns and all the treasures from the Aegean Sea.

If you could do anything tomorrow what would you do?

As disgusting as it sounds, I’d probably elope to an island in the Caribbean with my boyfriend. 

If you could teach your kids one thing, what would it be?

How to grow food!

What are you reading at the moment?

Island by Aldous Huxley, and my god it’s good!

If we rummaged through your grocery bag, what would we find?

Bonsoy, Derry-O organic brie, liquorice, sweet potato (ALWAYS), tahini, dates and vermicelli.

Can you tell us the first thing that pops into your mind when we mention the word …

Breakfast: coffeeee!
Weekends: garden
People: rather not
Pause: breathe
Sound: rain
Smell: rice
Place: bed
Texture: sand
Ritual: ceramic
Colour: green  

What’s one thing you can’t live without at the moment? 

Yoga.

What are your words of wisdom?

Trust that every little thing that happens (good or bad) is leading you to where you want to be. 

Find Georgie on Instagram.

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We’ve been big fans of Kim Russell’s work for a long time. Brooke and Chela shared a studio with Kim many moons ago. We enjoyed sharing a space with such an intuitive and whimsical creative soul - truly an artist who dances to her own beat. Kim began her creative practice making small, limited-editions of jewellery, but has since moved on to clay, making one-of-a-kind sculptures which ooze personality, movement and spirituality.

We are so excited to be showing Kim's exhibition of new works entitled 'Masks' this month at Guild of Objects from 22-30 July 2016.

Please come help us celebrate the launch of Kim's exhibition at a special preview on Thursday 21 July from 5pm - 8pm.

We recently interviewed Kim about her work , her practice and her perspective on life and creativity.

Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your craft?

I designed and made jewellery which I loved but I'm influenced by materials so working in a studio with ceramicists led me to creating with clay.  I make small sculptures and feel like I'm on my own little exploration of surrendering and letting it unfold.  I'd love to make large sculptures one day but have no idea how to go about that so for now it's fun playing with form and shapes on a small scale.  My craft goes hand in hand with many of my spiritual practices.  I love the spontaneity and immediacy of clay.

Do you have design philosophies that guide your practice? 

Get out of my head and into my body and let the creativity flow.

What does your studio look like? 

I have an alter with candles, rocks, crystals, palo santo and other trinkets, but besides that it's pretty bare. I don't like too much visual stimulation when I'm making.  Being surrounded by trees is all I need.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

From stimulating conversations...

The other day I was walking through the forest and came across a guy watching a lyre bird.  We started chatting.  He composed music and I said I made sculptures.  We spoke about nature, creativity and the ways of the Universe then thanked each other and continued in our opposite directions, both knowing that we had crossed paths for that moment to creatively inspire one another.  I live for those synchronisations.

What does your perfect day feel like?

It doesn't matter what order but it would include.....meditation/dancing/yoga/walk in nature/eating healthy meals/snacking on sweet treats/cups of tea/connecting with friends/making lots of sculptures while contemplating life's mysteries.

Who's work do you admire?

It changes all the time but at the moment it's Jean Miro and John Byrne.  Oh, and Bjork and Patti Smith, they are constant inspirations.

If you could do anything tomorrow what would you do?

Fly to the magical lands of Peru.

If you could teach your kids one thing, what would it be? 

I would probably want to nurture their curious and free nature and hope they would never lose it.

What are you reading at the moment?

Mysteries of the dark moon by Demeter George

If we rummaged through your grocery bag, what would we find?

Vegetables, chocolate, tea, nuts, Danish sweets.

Can you tell us the first thing that pops into your mind when we mention the word …

Breakfast...yum                 

Weekends...relaxing

People...mix bag

Pause...keyboard

Sound...healing

Smell...nature

Place...travel

Texture...tactile

Ritual...necessity

Color...black

What’s one thing you can’t live without at the moment?

Living in the forest

What are your words of wisdom?

Tap into your own unique gifts and don't follow the crowd.  It doesn't matter if your work isn't always popular.  Evolution and growth of your own practice feeds your soul.

 

Exhibition Open Hours:

 

Find Kim on Instagram, her website, and the Guild shop. 

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Thanks so much to everyone who came along to our first exhibition – such a wonderful turn out!

Here are some photos from the opening celebrations of 'Two' by Alison Frith and Jessica Rae. We now have some of Alison's planters and tableware and Jess's foxes in-store!

Photos by Linsey Rendell

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Our Maker of the Month for November is Alison Frith and we are absolutely thrilled to be exhibiting her beautiful work for the next 10 days at Guild.

Alison is an emerging artist in the field of ceramics and this week she is exhibiting her stunning hand-thrown pieces alongside fellow artist Jessica Rae at their exhibition called 'Two' which opens tomorrow night right here at Guild. Alison is meticulous in her approach to making ceramics, and this is clearly evident in her strong and sophisticated body of work. 

We are completely besotted by her crater glazes which will be on display in all of their glory at her exhibition. If you are a glaze geek (like us!) you really have to check these out.

You are invited to join us on opening night this Thursday November 19, 6–8pm for drinks and nibbles.

Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your craft?

I grew up just outside of Daylesford and moved to the city at 18 to study a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne. I have always lived north of the river and have called Brunswick home for the past six or so years. My studio is just a short bike ride away in North Melbourne and I am about to finish (hooray!) a Diploma of Ceramics at Holmesglen. I create work that is predominantly wheel based with clean lines and simple finishes. My recent work explores unconventional surface techniques to highlight the medium of clay, often subverting the object’s utilitarian function.

When and how did you first get started in ceramics? 

I think I was going through a quarter life crisis, of sorts. I had deferred my Masters of Communication at RMIT and was at a bit of a loose end. So for Christmas my parents got me an eight-week beginner course at the Carlton Arts Centre. This is where I met Julian and my love affair with clay began – hold the Ghost cracks.

Can you describe those early days?

There was definitely a spark. Working with clay had ignited something in me. The tactile nature of the medium and the immediacy of throwing on the wheel was both challenging and satisfying. I was hooked, and soon I was going back two or three nights a week, on Saturdays and even faking the odd ‘sickie’ to glaze my work so it could be fired by the weekend. After a couple years of casual night classes I went travelling and saw a reconstruction of Lucy Rie’s studio at the V&A Museum in London. I think I held onto this experience more than I realised at the time because when I came home I cleaned out our outdoor laundry, bought an old Jumping Jack pottery wheel (it was louder than our washing machine) and enrolled in NEIS. My main line of thought was I got this. After a long cold winter, a few markets and the odd commission I realised I didn’t really know anything about ceramics.

What has the journey been like since those early days? 

Since enrolling in the Diploma of Ceramics at Holmesglen, I’ve started to hone my skills on the wheel, develop my own glazes and learn how to fire a gas kiln. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of the Trudie Alfred Bequest, which enabled me to purchase a new Shimpo wheel, a stack of batts for throwing and glaze ingredients for my studio.

Above all, school has taught me to loosen up and try new things – certain tasks force you to go in directions you never thought you would and to get out of your comfort zone. This is how I first started playing with crater glazes. While advice from the teachers can steer you in the right direction, I have learned most from observing my peers. Witnessing other students’ successes and failures gives far greater knowledge and insight into the creative practice than any institution can.

 Can you give us some insight into your creative process? 

I work with stoneware clays and make most of my work on the wheel. I think you’re either a hand-builder or a thrower and I’m definitely the latter. I like the immediacy the wheel brings and how it teaches you to be disciplined with speed, water and touch. I always throw on batts so as to not warp or disrupt the shape of my thrown piece when taking it off the wheel. I do have a tendency to chat (my favourite form of procrastination), but if I’m lucky (usually when no one else is in the studio) I’ll get into a throwing rhythm and the day will be over before I know it. I do a lot of glaze testing on different clay bodies and try to be pretty thorough with my documentation – some days this is better than others. Due to the simplicity of my thrown forms, I like to draw on unconventional surface treatments, including crater glazes and sprig tessellations.

What does a typical day look like for you? 

There are three ‘typical’ days in my routine at the moment. I’m either at the studio throwing on the wheel, turning pieces and loading/unloading the kiln. Or I’m at school testing and glazing all bisqueware I bring in from my studio. Or I’m at Anchor Ceramics, where I work part-time making planters. It has pretty much been these three studios on rotation for the past year. It can be a challenge working across so many different spaces as you really need to plan ahead due to the time dependent nature of clay, but I’m beginning to find a balance and learning (usually the hard way) not to take risks with letting work dry too quickly!

Do you have making philosophies that guide your practice?

For me ceramics is all about skill and technique. It’s 90% blood, sweat and tears and 10% creativity. I don’t find that inspiration comes like a bolt of lightning, but if I’m disciplined to keep going into the studio I’m occasionally rewarded with a small victory. It’s usually just enough to prevent you from giving up, to keep testing that glaze or trying for a certain form. I once had a stack of bottles glazed and ready for final assessment fall off a shelf and smash into a million pieces, which is when my teacher told me you need to have a lion’s heart to be a ceramicist – and I reckon she’s probably right. Just when you think you’ve got everything under control the clay teaches you something new. Possibly because there are so many more failures than successes with ceramics, I think it’s the failures that actually steer our creative direction.

What do you draw inspiration from?

Despite growing up in the country, it’s the urban landscape that I’m drawn to. My work is quite controlled and minimal, incorporating clean lines and hard angles. Even my crater glazes are highly prescriptive with countless hours of methodical testing, despite their organic aesthetic. I admire the utilitarian styles of Danish potters including Gertrud Vasegaard and Inger Rokkjaer. I like the simplicity of their forms … quiet and understated.

Can you name another maker that you admire, whose field might be different to your own, but you find their work or methods inspiring?

My housemates. We’re an eclectic bunch of do-ers. My boyfriend is a musician so he views and interprets things in a completely different way to me, which is really interesting (and occasionally frustrating, but usually interesting). The others span the creative fields of fashion, fine art and curatorship. With five of us all working in different mediums, there’s always something on the boil.

It’s nice to be surrounded by people who just keep chipping away at things. It can be tough going to keep a creative practice afloat. There is usually a string of part-time jobs and a truckload of self-doubt. It’s a hard balance to achieve and doesn’t always work, but it’s encouraging when you’ve got good company along the way.

Find Alison on Instagram, her website, and the Guild shop.

 

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