Michelle Young-Hares

by Canberra Potters | 17, Jan, 2019 | Past Resident

Michelle Young-Hares

Michelle is from Glasgow.

Michelle Young-Hares is a ceramic artist who lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She attended Edinburgh College of Art where she graduated with BA(Hons) Ceramics and returned to complete Postgraduate studies.

Residencies in Hungary and France.

She describes herself as classically mid-career and her work has now achieved a high level of technique and skill which has gained an international following and reputation. Her thirst for knowledge in the ceramic realm is almost inexhaustible and since early residencies in Hungary and France, her practice has grown to include teaching workshops, master-classes throughout the UK and weekly pottery classes from her Glasgow studio. A busy schedule of exhibitions and pottery fairs inspires and fulfills her creative desire.

Well exhibited.

Michelle is regularly a selected artist at Potfest at the Palace, Scone Palace, Perth and Potfest in the Park, Penrith, Cumbria. She has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the UK including Morningside Gallery, Edinburgh, Ceramics Wales, Wrexham, Wales, Earth and Fire, Welbeck Estate, Nottingham; and was a selected artist at the Scottish Potters Association, 40th Anniversary Exhibition, Barony Centre, West Kilbride.

Michelle’s work takes inspiration from her immediate natural environment and the prospect of discovering new plants, seedpods, insects and geological formations in the locale is one she is looking forward to. During her stay she is keen to embrace the opportunity to address new ideas, collaborations, firing techniques and ceramic practice without the constraints of exhibiting and selling within her current platforms. She believes there comes a point for every artist to stand back from their work routines and acquired norms and challenge, explore and even reset their boundaries.

Michelle believes in the sharing of ideas.

As an artist where teaching is embedded within her current practice and believes the sharing of ideas is integral to the ceramic community, Michelle is looking forward to sharing her ideas, processes and techniques within a dynamic group of potters and to explore her response to the unfamiliar. Currently limited to electric oxidised firing she’s keen to learn more about alternative methods of firing. Perhaps we can welcome her in one of our Gas or Soda firing workshops! We are eager for Michelle to deliver an exciting program of workshops and master-classes through our Summer School during her residency.

Pete Scherzer

by Canberra Potters | 1, Jul, 2018 | Past Resident

Pete Scherzer

May to July 2018

Pete received a Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1999. Since then he has pursued his ceramic career in academic and arts practice in full time capacities. His work is held in a number of American collections including: Houston Museum of Fine Arts (TX), Crocker Art Museum (CA) and the McKnight Foundation (MN) among others. He continues to exhibit widely throughout the USA and since 2014 has been a lecturer in ceramics at University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Pete looks forward to working in a new environment that will encourage new ideas and introduce unfamiliar materials hoping for surprises and unexpected discoveries. While in residence he plans to experiment with soda firing at low temperatures and looks forward to exploring glaze and surface techniques with other passionate potters and ceramicists.

I enjoy teaching, staying active in my studio and working toward exhibitions. Canberra Potters AIR program will provide an exciting opportunity to work with community through formal presentations and workshops and through casual interactions.

Chris Dunn

by Canberra Potters | 9, Apr, 2018 | Past Resident

Chris Dunn

February to May 2018

Chris is currently potting full-time and divides his time between his home studio and the Wellington Potters’ Association (WPA). He works in two main areas – pit, barrell and saggar firing, and vessels decorated with a mosaic of glazes and lustre fired in electric kilns to cone 6.

Chris has exhibited widely in New Zealand, at the Artspace Gallery in Wellington, the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts and in the past two years has had work selected for the Wellington Potters Exhibition, the New Zealand Potters regional and national exhibitions, and exhibitions held at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington.

Chris is on the committee at the Wellington Potters’ Association.

During his residency at Canberra Potters he will continue to explore low fired ceramics and will lead a workshop which will include making work suitable for barrel and pit firing, including burnishing. Constructing pit, barrel and garbage bin kilns and preparing work for firing using various techniques.

I would like to research the process of ‘chemiflouresence’, how colour is created in the fire and absorbed by ceramic bodies from the fumes of materials such as sodium in salt, and potassium in banana skins, and how to optimise firing conditions.

Janet Fieldhouse

by Canberra Potters | 30, Sep, 2017 | Past Resident

Janet Fieldhouse

Resident.

September to November 2017

About the artist

Janet Fieldhouse was born in Cairns and is of Torres Strait Islander heritage and a graduate from the Ceramics Workshop at the ANU School of Art (2004). She has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows throughout Australia and has twice won the highly regarded Shepparton Art Museum, Indigenous Ceramic Art Award (2007, 2012). Her work is held in collections nationally in Art Gallery of Western Australia, National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Parliament House Art Collection, Queensland Art Gallery and Shepparton Art Museum.

Fieldhouse describes her work as ‘an expression of my Torres Strait Islander heritage: the material culture, rituals of social and religious life, and artefacts which are created to fulfil the functional and spiritual needs of the peoples of the Torres Strait.’

Scope of work

During the term of her residency Janet will be concentrating on the development of a new body of work .

As part of her residency Janet will be engaging with local indigenous communities primarily through the Yuarana Centre at the CIT to develop an indigenous arts project that will culminate in an exhibition at Watson Arts Centre Gallery.

Carla Wolfs

by Canberra Potters | 1, Jan, 2017 | Past Resident

Carla Wolfs

Professional.

Resident during 2016.

Carla Wolfs from the Netherlands who visited on a professional residency during 2016 returned early in 2017 as a Self Directed Residency artist. During her stay Wolfs developed her technique of carving high-density foam molds and forming her familiar latticework forms. Unlike her previous visit the forms were enclosed and gave the impression they had been wrapped around solid shapes. Some morphed from solid to carved forms to very striking effect.

As self-directed resident the artist was not required to teach a Masterclass, however, on this occasion Wolfs taught a very well attended short course in the making and use of Paper Clay.

Although not a requirement of a self-directed residency Wolfs donated a piece to our AIR collection.

Amanda Bromfield

by Canberra Potters | 23, Oct, 2016 | Past Resident

Amanda Bromfield

Self Directed.

Resident during 2016.

Amanda Bromfield is a ceramicist from the central coast of NSW and a graduate from the ANU School of Art in Ceramics. Bromfield undertook a two-month self- directed residency researching the wearable creations of Canberra fashion designer and entrepreneur Maggie Shepherd and creating a body of work for exhibition inspired by the designs and colour palette that Shepherd used in fashion clothing for women during the 1980s and 1990s.