Past Ceramics Practice Album

This album contains twelve galleries with six to twelve images that is a small representation of the four thousand pieces of hand-built ceramics I made between 1988 and 2006.
The reason I have stopped making are myriad and reflect the dynamic changes since the new millennium and in any case I am looking at a different horizon.
The galleries are: Birds, Cats, Creatures, Dinosaurs, Dogs, Empty Vessels, Feng Shui, Fish, Native Animals, Horses, Mosaics, and Odd Bods. The names are fairly self-explanatory and represent personal and popular demands on my pottery creativity. Please have a look at other pages to see how the works were dispersed, I no longer have the facilities to manufacture further pieces and am now concentrating on painting and writing creative non-fiction. I hope you enjoy these pictures and understand it would overwhelm the site to overload with too many images. Highlight any thumbnail to open more information and to enlarge the image. Thank you.

Sometimes, people contact me through this website to tell me about pieces they own. If you wish to have your comments added anonymously to the end of this page with your images and a few words then I am only too pleased to do so.

BIRDS

: Sizes vary: 130 x 48 x 28 cm 1998-2004.

: 1992-2006 Sizes vary: 45 to 60 cm high x 30 to 40 long x 24 to 30 wide.

: Size variable: up to 55cm. Birds of all designs made from 1988 to 2006.

: Early ceramics, few made, 1990s, 120 x 60 x 40 cm approx.

: 2000, 50 x 46 x 33 cm.

: Size variable: 60 x 35 x 20 cm.

CATS

: Late 1990s to 2003, 60 x 45 x 36 cm approx.

: 1997 to 2003, 60 x 40 x 25 cm.

: Small cat sculpture, sizes various, around 40 x 22 x 18 cm.

: 1994 to 2000, large and heavy, 60 x 38 x 27 cm.

: 2000 to 2004, tall and skinny, 60 x 26 x 24 cm.

: 2002, various sizes from large 60 cm long to 60 odd cm tall.

: 2002-2006, tall and skinny or long and low, 60 x 27 x 18 cm approx depending on position.

: 2001-2003, 60 x 35 x 35 cm approx.

: 2001-2006, Large sculptures 60 x 40 x 30 cm.

: Late 1990s, 60 x 35 x 25 cm.

: After 2002, small sizes: Dove 30 x 20 15 cm and cat 36 x 22 15 cm.

: Large sculptures usually around the 60 cm as the longest length as that was the size of my kiln. These three fitted closely in the electric kiln.

CREATURES

: 1998-2002 50 x 40 25 cm approx.

: 2004-2006 Small sculptures 45 x 30 x 18 cm approx.

: 2000-2001 45 x 27 x 35 cm approx.

: 1997-2003 60 x 35 x 25 cm approx.

: 2004 30 x 25 x 15 cm.

: 1996-2002 50 x 30 x 22 cm.

: 1997-2003 Various sizes around 60 x 40 x 20 cm.

: 1997-2001 Big sculptures, very heavy 60 x 50 x 30 cm approx.

: 1996-2005 Large sculptures 60 odd x 30 x 30 cm approx.

DINOSAURS

: 2002 59 x 50 x 32 cm.

: 1991-2002 Very large sculptures up to 150cm.

: 1993-2002 various sizes depending on the model, approx. 60 x 60 x 30 cm.

: 1996 various sizes 60 x 60 x 50 cm approx.

: 1993 large sculpture, 60 x 60 x 35 cm.

: 2000 sculpture made in three parts that allowed to move this huge piece 150 x 60 x 27 cm.

DOGS

: 1997-2006 a group of hounds in a preview to an exhibition.

: Dog like designs with special textured glazes.

: 1999-2002 large sculpture, some 65 x 60 x 27 cm.

: Small pieces 20 x 20 x 15 cm approx, some larger.

: 2003 exhibition piece large hand-built sculpture 60 x 50 x 27 cm.

: 2011 A detail of a dog made for a commission.

: 2000-2006 Small hand-built sculpture 30 x 40 x 20 cm approx.

: 1999-2002 60 x 28 x 16 cm.

: 1997-2001 family gang of royal Chow Chows made at first for a commission and later a few made for general sale.

EMPTY VESSELS

: 1989-1990 hand-built from slabs of clay

: 1989 earthenware 44.5 x 31.0 x 10.5 cm. Out Of The North North Queensland Ceramics exhibition

: 1987 one of my earliest pieces, based on a drawing of someone I knew.

: 1989 to 2002 very large pieces up to 60 x 60 x 60 cm with three to four faces.

: 1994 slip decorated, hand-built fired clay. Similar sizes 50 x 25 x 15 cm.

: 1990 hand-built ceramic decorated with white and coloured slips. Sizes variable up to 60cm.

: 1989 large vase 50 x 30 x 24 cm.

: Chooky Head Pot

: Picasso was always an obvious influence for me, after all I went to art college

FENG SHUI

: Overbearing Rat Buddha called and twelve animals responded, forming the basis of Feng Shui astrology.

: 2003 Judgemental Oxen hand-built, decorated with slip and glazes 60 x 42 x 27 cm.

: 2003 Sadistic Tiger hand-built form, decorated in slips and glazes. 60 x 60 x 35 cm.

: 2003 Deceptive Hare hand-built, slip decorated fired in a gas kiln 60 x 55 x 38 cm.

: 2003 Egocentric Dragon hand-built, slip and glaze decorated and fired in an electric kiln.

: 2003 Self-Involved Rooster multi-coloured glazed hand-built ceramic fired in an electric kiln which suits reds better.

: 2003 Crabby Snake hand-built clay sculpture decorated in coloured glazes and fitted with a red plastic tongue 60 x 50 x 25 cm.

: 2003 Hard-Nosed Horse this sculpture in the form of a centaur still represents the horse character. Hand-built ceramic decorated with slips and glazes and fired in a gas kiln.

: 2003 Careless Goat 60 x 60 x 28 cm hand-built and decorated in slips and under-glazes fired in an electric kiln with a clear glase.

: 2003 Scene-Stealer Monkey 62 x 54 x 37 cm.

: 2003 Paranoid Dog hand-built fired clay decorated in various glazes 60 x 42 x 28 cm

: 2003 Know-It-All-Pig hand-built large sculpture 60 x 34 x 42 cm.

FISH

: 1988 very early sculpture 30 x 25 x 20 cm. In those early days colour photography was very expensive and most artist work was in black and white.

: 1988 to 2006 small design based on a balloon of rolled clay.

: 2004 a single closeup of a Prickle Fish design 20 x 14 x 12 cm approx.

: 2001, 110 x 60 x 25 cm. Large sculpture made in two pieces.

: 1997 Large sculpture in two parts, this one sits in the Townsville City Council Chambers were the alderman and mayor meet to debate policy.

: 2000 large sculpture in three pieces 120 x 66 x 24 cm.

: 1988 to 2003 25 x 25 x 18 cm approx.

: 120 x 60 x 40 cm a large sculpture in two parts. The fish has a human face, it’s all in our DNA.

: 2000 A close-up of a group of fish made for a hotel on the Sunshine Coast, various sizes and designs.

NATIVE ANIMALS

: 1988 to 1999 large sculptures 60 x 35 x 33 cm approx.

: 1989 TO 1992 large sculptures to 55cm and covered in lava glazes.

: 1996 large sculptures some up to 75 cm tall, very few made.

: 1999 40 x 15 x 20 cm. This photograph taken at the seaside.

: 1990-2001 Standing up to 150cm.

: 1990 to 2006 various sizes, usually about 45 to 60 cm tall.

: 2003 small sculptures seldom over 40cms across rather like the real animal.

: 1990 to 2004 hand-built sculpture 50 x 27 x 20 cm approx.

: 2004 small sculptures about 50 x 28 x 10 cm.

HORSES

: 2002, 58 x 22 x 18 cm. my studio symbol

: 1994, 60 x 60 x 20 cm fired in a gas kiln.

: 2004, hollow head pieces made from slabs, 60 x 40 x 20 cm approx depending on design.

: 2002, 60 x 60 x 18 cm.

: 2002 to 2005, large sculptures 60 x 60 x 24 cm made in different stances with the rounded body.

: 1997 to 2002, 60 x 60 x 18 cm.

MOSAICS

: 2006, 90 x 85 x 10 cm fired decorated clay on board.

: 2005, 90 x 55 x 10 cm fired ceramic pieces glued on a painted board.

: 2002, 70 x 45 x 10 cm, fired and glazed clay fragments glued to a painted board, with wire whiskers.

: 2000 to 2006, large flat wall hangers that often were over the metre in the longest measurement.

: 2002, TOYS

: 2006, 110 x 65 x 10 cm fired clay pieces on a painted board.

: 2004, 64 x 63 x 10 cm fired clay on an irregular painted board.

: 2006, 100 x 86 x 10 cm shaped fired clay pieces on a painted cloud.

: 2005, 60 x 54 x 10 cm small piece based on a commission of a nun’s retirement home.

: 2004, 115 x 80 x 10 cm glazed ceramic tiles affixed to a cloud background.

: 2006, 100 x 68 x 10 cm cat and heavenly nobody take flight.

: 2004, 76 x 65 x 10 cm another commission from the building achitect for a rather square building used as a television and radio station, so I added some traffic and a little trendy fellow for effect.

: 2001, large commission artwork made of six separate pieces, the people in the foreground give a sense of the scale.

: 2000, Blue Heavenly Nobody fired clay attached to a found piece of driftwood.

: 2004, 70 x 37 x 10 cm made for an exhibition at the local regional gallery.

ODD BODS

: 1988 large sculpture in three parts 140 x 40 x 32 cm.

: 2005 small pieces approx 40 x 28 x 15 cm.

: 2004, 55 x 34 x 24 cm.

: 1997 to 2001, various sizes and often made in sections that fitted together for easy transport.

: 1997, various sizes, made in sections joined with plastic pipe, up to 120 x 60 x 30 cm.

: 1996, 55 x 50 x 24 cm.

: Exhibition Scene, more details under exhibitions page.

: 2001, 80 x 24 x 18 cm approx.

: 2006 60 x 60 26 cm hand-built creatures with multi-glazes fired in a gas kiln.

From a collector:

We were back in Townsville from 1996 until early 2003, during which time I purchased (first) Rhatty, for a birthday gift for my wife.
I purchased him from a woman who had a second hand store in Flinders Street West, opposite the railway workshop/maintenance sheds – you will remember the place I’m sure.
At a location not too much further along Flinders heading into town, you had an exhibition upstairs at a building on the left…..opposite the railway tracks, and here we procured Firelion……very serious and imposing of mien but, I will tell you confidentially, has a real phobia in relation to wardrobes, you know, ‘The Lion, The Witch and the……….” thing!!! Hence happiest in an open space.
Luciano, (Parrotti, as in Pavarotti, one of my favourite singers of all time). Not really a parrot; I understand, but nothing wrong with a bit of poetic/imaginative licence??
This was a birthday gift to me, in Townsville, from my sister-in-law and husband, with whom we were very close, and who most realised how much we loved your creatures!

Self-portrait.

Executed not long after his ‘Van Gogh’ episode – which was when I realised that he really wanted to be in the garden (and I do hope that is not distressing for you……rest assured he is dearly loved).

AND, I made a quite amazing discovery by pure chance when sorting through some “stuff” from the past.

Past Ceramics Practice Album

From a collector:

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