Gosh! This was a while ago and I realised that I totally forgot to post about it here on my ceramics website. Admittedly, it was to promote my gallery (Gallery of Small Things | GOST), but my work did feature in the campaign by my local tourism body, VisitCanberra. They worked with Creative Agency Wunderman Thompson Australia to create a major domestic tourism campaign promoting Canberra and places to visit. I was one of three chosen for their Feb-July 2023 campaign. My little dishes feature in the campaign and I did suggest the pistachio to show just how tiny my ceramic dishes are 🙂
So, to see the ad please click on the YouTube video below:
Did you know, on the 4th level of the V&A, is room after room filled with ceramics! The Ceramic Galleries has rooms 136 to 146 showcase ceramics in a timeline from contemporary to 2500 BC. I had to visit twice. There was so much to take in and I needed more time to truly soak in the beauty of this vast collection. A map is included in the photos below.
Standouts for me included:
the large cup by Robin Levien in the middle of room 140 in the 2000 and below period. I equated this object to the Chair. In my extensive travels around the world, one thing I did note was how often the ‘chair’ was featured prominently. To be fair, we do tend to visit design and craft spaces so this would explain it. I just love how the V&A has placed a ceramic cup in a prominent space to remind us form, function and beauty does exist in all created objects.
The teaching space in the Timothy Sainsbury Gallery. I love how they displayed the processes that go behind making say a ceramic cup. Often viewers don’t know how much labour, time and energy goes into making a piece and then you are beholden to the kiln gods (the firings can quite literally make or break the outcome).
Yellow dish from Asia room – as you know I love yellow. I couldn’t pass on this gorgeous yellow glaze made for the Chinese imperial court.
The café Gamble Room is the ultimate luxe experience for affordable casual lunches/teas. I also sat in the garden room to admire the courtyard and people watching on a hot Summer’s day.
Rows upon rows of glass cabinets filled to the brim. I could have stayed all day…
Dish from Asian & Eastern roomCoffee set by Keith MurrayFoyer stairwell with ceramic vesselFoyer stairwell with ceramic tilesCeramic wall work in foyerRoom upon room filled with ceramics!
From mid-June to early October, I was lucky to travel to Austria, Germany, The Hague and Netherlands, Belgium, London and Edinburgh. I worked in Austria as a Support Officer for the Australian National University’s Criminology Department who had 23 students visiting Vienna for an immersive Summer unit. Criminology Convenor Dr Adam Masters led the course which was taught for the first time and proved to be a success. Of course, in our down time we visited many museums, galleries and parks to enjoy Vienna’s art and culture.
I have written several travel stories on my work blog which is Gallery of Small Things – a gallery I run in Canberra. I’ve been operating the gallery for more than 6 years now and love my job. It’s been a balance to manage my arts practice with the gallery and I must admit the past three years has meant my practice has been put on hold while I kept my business alive during the pandemic.
I thought for this blog, I would focus mainly on ceramics I saw during our travels. I’m going to start at the end of the trip as the highlight for me was an unexpected exhibition held in Bath, UK. Who would have thought a little town would be hosting a major retrospective of one of my ‘in awe’ muses – Lucie Rie!
Holburne Museum is a hidden gem nestled in Sydney Park. It houses an extensive private collection (more than 4000 objects, pictures & books). Lucie’s exhibition was on one floor + a little room housing test pieces. The main room had decades of her work which were curated beautifully among the regal furniture, fine art and decorative arts from the collection of Sir William Holburne.
I was emotionally overwhelmed by seeing her works in person. It’s one thing to see it in a book but to be so close to the objects and have the room to myself (apart from the staff minding the space) was an incredibly defining moment for me. I knew that as soon as got home to Australia – I needed to focus on making again. I’m delighted to say that since we’ve been home, I’ve been working on a top secret project which will be announced (cross fingers) in February 2024! Please enjoy the following photos.
Top Row: Holburne House, Tall foot, manganese drip, inlaid, Made at 88! Middle Row (first photo): fashionable Viennese earthenware Bottom Row (far right): Porcelain, iron oxide & sgraffito Main bottom image: Coffee culture, Lucie loved to entertain with homemade cake & coffee
I’m excited to announce that my Pollen earrings are now stocked at the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery shop. This gallery is located on the fringes of Great Western Sydney. Think Windsor, Richmond and a bit further afield the Blue Mountains. It’s a great driving holiday if you are thinking of a little getaway that takes you through some fabulous places with history, cider and of course art galleries! I wrote a story about our driving itinerary which can be read here. The pollen range comes in stud or drop as well as sterling sliver or rose plated gold meaning you can positively bloom day and night, Anne x
From Oct to Dec 2020, a small selection of my sparrows will be on show at CraftACT: Design + Craft Centre in Canberra, Australia.
In 2015, I investigated the disappearance of sparrows in my hometown Canberra. Five years on and after the bushfires raged across Australia and the Sapphire Coast in New South Wales, I felt compelled to revisit this series. Sitting in my studio, I refined the patterns and pierced more holes to emphasize the fragility of birdlife consumed at a rate unseen before. Now, more than ever, we need to care for our wildlife. This poem is for them.
shape the clay / small bird form
make the mould / a nest for the body
pour two slips / create one whole
slow the drying process / Nana’s hankie shelters the bird
pencil on design / bring it to life with marking
pierce with care / patterns reveals you
two firings / fully formed now
sanding and polishing, completed / light and fragile sparrow
I’m pleased to announce that my first exhibition in 2020 is at The Corner Store Gallery (TCSG) located in Orange, New South Wales, Australia. I am one of 10 artists in this special show as well as 14 artists in another show as part of a gallery swap. The owner Anne Masters of Gallery of Small Things (GOST) has collaborated with Madeline Young, Owner of TCSG to swap their selected artists so that Orange comes to Canberra and Canberra goes to Orange! It’s a unique concept which both owners were keen to provide their artists with a chance to exhibit beyond the country and the city and also experience a different space. As GOST is less than 6 meters square and TCSG is about 32 meters square it means artists have the opportunity to make small works (under A3 and under $500) for GOST and small to large works for TCSG. So, if you are looking for some new artworks to give your home or favourite space that special touch visit the exhibition at GOST. This will also take you the TCSG too.
My little bird – when light comes through the holes to show off pierced patternThree birds available to buy in this exhibition from 16 April to 3 May 2020
I’m participating again in the Open Studios as part of Design Canberra Festival 2019. I’ve been doing this for a few years now and love meeting new and familiar faces as they see my studio and arts practice slowly grow. I’ve also been a bit busy with a gallery that I run so visitors will have an extra bonus of seeing Canberra’s (possibly Australia’s) smallest gallery – GOST. We have a beautiful garden that surrounds the studio/gallery. I’ll have new porcelain decorations in time for Christmas, along with my new colours in the pollen jewellery range, my popular birds and little dishes. So, pop on in as I’ll be open 11am to 4pm Saturday 9 November 19 along with many other studios on the Northside of Canberra.
I have created a new series of dishes for an exhibition called HOLD. This group exhibition features 18 artists as part of a ceramic survey and coinciding with Design Festival Canberra. The Festival runs for 3 weeks in November 2019 and I’m thrilled to be a part of an exciting program that showcases talented artists from Canberra. My dishes were created as we near Summer. As a child growing up, we travelled in the Holden Kingswood more than 9hrs to visit grandparents and relatives in Newcastle. No seatbelts, hot seats, but always looking forward to long days on the beach, sand dunes to climb and hanging out at the local pool across from my Pop and Nana’s place in Lambton. The dishes represent Sky, Sea and Sand. They can be held in the palm of your hand. They are the perfect size for a biscuit, teabag, condiments or simply to enjoy the smooth recessed patterns or slightly gritty surfaces of the raku clay. HOLD is open from 1 November and continues till 24 November 2019.
From 2-5 May, the 15th Australian Ceramics Triennale was held in Hobart, Australia. Julie Pennington, Tania Vrancic and myself stayed at the cute Hobart Art House about 10-15 minutes walking distance to the Princess Wharf One where the conference was held. More than 700 delegates attended the event breaking a new record which was fantastic news for the organising committee. The conference was jam packed with presentations, a few demonstrators and many ceramics exhibitions in and around Hobart in beautiful galleries and spaces. I wrote copious notes, took way too many photos and am still processing all the information provided through out the conference. I highly recommend newcomers to the ceramics scene put this conference on their wish list to do in 2022. Click on Galleries (under their name in black text) to go direct to their websites. Also, same for Pollen Tea Room. Best Anne
When all good things come to an end. As much as I loved my AM PM Ceramics website, the reality of monthly fees & annual charges by an e-commerce USA host meant I could no longer afford it. Sigh! After much thinking, I decided to consolidate so I could focus on my practice & plans. I have revamped my Anne Masters Ceramics blog, so some entries are pretty old but a new look means new beginnings.
My ceramic practice This is the first time I haven’t planned an exhibition for 2019! It’s surreal as I had three group exhibitions in 2018 & seem to thrive on doing too much! I have one body of work in mind as a result of travelling on trains in Europe. So watch this space when that comes to fruition! To support my practice as an artist, I own & operate a gallery which has kept me busy and focused on supporting and mentoring artists. I love my job and look forward to balancing the gallery and my own practice.
Travel blog I also love telling a story! I love travel, photography, architecture and visiting galleries in Australia and overseas just to list a few. So, whenever you think of travelling and need some tips, advice on what to see and do, then pop on over to my travel blog to getaway in style! My instagram @annemastersceramics also features my travel in short snippets in case you aren’t a fan of bloggers and blogs.
Travel to inspire making new works There are travel plans ahead – a trip to Hobart for the Australian Ceramics Triennale in May – which no doubt will reinvigorate what I would like to make. I’m also hoping, Adam and I go to Spain and Portugal in mid-June to mid-July, pending our work commitments. This photo is by Fritha Quinn who’s instagram is rich with colour, travel and her family. The tiles behind her are classic of what I’ll be drooling over in a few months!
So, welcome to the new website and I look forward to hearing from you, Anne x
