The last event for me in 2018 is West Wind Collector! A proper lush mix of designer-makers in one of Melbourne's nicest locations, woot! Focusing on handmade, local and independently produced wares, you will find ceramics, illustration, plants, jewellery, homewares and fashion.

Sat 15 + Sun 16 Dec, 10am - 5pm, Abbotsford Convent (in the Industrial School)

I am pleased as punch to have won a place in the inaugural Foundry658​ creative industries bootcamp! This is a wicked opportunity to level up my creative business, and I'm in some seriously cool company - learn more about the successful applicants here.

Foundry658 is an intensive business program designed especially for creatives who are keen and ready to grow their creative business, or find a new business model for their work. The Bootcamps are a series of workshops and coaching for people with an idea or existing experience to test their concept. The program is an initiative of the Victorian Government’s Creative State strategy, delivered by State Library Victoria and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). 

Melbourne is somewhat of a hometown for me, making my debut at Melbourne Ceramics Market a ridiculously giddy prospect. This will be my FIRST EVER Melbourne event, eeeeeeeeep!

Find 40+ marvellous potters at Five Easey Upstairs (5 Easey Street, Collingwood) on Sat 10 + Sun 11 November!

Photo: @robcorica, Stylist: @jameslemon

The pop-up studio in Halls Gap was a lovely and happy project, many thanks to the sweet visitors, the fab staff at Visit Grampians, and Margarita and David of Maireener Media & Marketing for documenting the pop-up with these wonderful photos!

The pop-up was part of Australian Ceramics Open Studios + Craft Cubed Festival, with support from Northern Grampians Shire Council.

Clay lovers of Victoria, you can plan some proper good road trips for Australian Ceramics Open Studios 2018 next weekend!!

27 artists in 23 locations across Melbourne and Victoria are opening their doors to the public for the sixth annual Australian Ceramics Open Studios, Saturday 18th + Sunday 19th August.

Get out to visit a studio (or THREE) and inspire your inner artist!

Judy Hilbig at Clay Bowl Pottery is number 22 on the map, and I'm number 21. We'd love to see you here in the Grampians.

Thanks to Susannah Larritt (ACOS studio 11 in VIC!) for the ace map!

In August I will be creating a pop-up studio Halls Gap Hub for a mini-residency, where I'll be making pieces on the potter’s wheel and decorating them with designs inspired by the surrounding Grampians National Park!

I am S T O K E D that this project is part of both Australian Ceramics Open Studios AND the 2018 Craft Cubed Festival! TACA + Craft are two of my most favourite Antipodean art organisations, it's a thrill to participate in events hosted by them.

The pop-up studio will be open from Wednesday 15th 'til Sunday 19th August 2018, 10am - 4pm. Drop in for a sticky beak and a chat!

Halls Gap Hub can be found at 117-119 Grampians Road, Halls Gap 3381 (look for the Visitor Information Centre!) or click here for a map.

I'm thrilled to be selling pots at my first Victorian market this month! Find me at the Halls Gap Market on Sunday 10th June, 9am - 1pm.
​
Halls Gap Primary School
10 - 14 School Road
Halls Gap
VIC 3381

​Huzzah!

Hello friends. I have officially returned to Australia, with my darling partner Ed. Two weeks ago we moved to Halls Gap, a tiny town set on the edge of the Grampians National Park, three hours NW of Melbourne.

We've had very warm welcomes to our new home, from humans, marsupials and birds! We are surrounded by hundreds of kangaroos. There are a pair of emus roaming nearby. Cockatoos, kookaburras, Australian magpies, crimson and eastern rosellas, galahs, swallows, willy wagtails, several varieties of honeyeaters, many tinier birds that we are yet to identify, plus happily a sprinkling of my long-time muses, rainbow lorikeets! We feel very, very fortunate to be here.

My studio gear will be shipped over here in a few months; in the meantime, dear Adriana Christianson has lent me her spare wheel (and a stash of studio essentials, AND two bags of my favourite clay!) I'm excited to be making again, especially to resume painting glorious Australian birds.

​In the spirit of sharing the realities of being a self-employed artist I'll admit that I'm waitressing three nights a week to supplement my income, whilst working on re-establishing my practice during the day.

Thank you for sticking around through the quiet period of applying-for-and-waiting-on-visa-boring-times. Your support and encouragement is deeply appreciated, thank you.

In September last year I announced a plan to relocate from the Island with my partner Ed, possibly to Australia. 

Here at the end of January, we've been happily ensconced in Melbourne for nearly 2 months, spending our days between something of a holiday and navigating the path to live here long-term. It's a pleasantly odd balance of revelling in the culture that this city offers, and jumping down the anxiety-lined rabbit hole of visa applications.

There are a great many things not worth writing about for the time being: visa applications are like dreams, only interesting to the people involved in them. 

Until I have some Proper News to share with you, I'll leave some illustrations here for your perusal. Amidst the paperwork, time and space to draw and paint with no particular goal is a huge privilege.

(Yes, I'm keen to paint them on pots...!) 

Wow. Christmas in the Yard weekend was blinkin' INSANE! Props to my legendary customers for turning out in force and patiently queuing through the building. I'm a lucky potter, full of gratitude after a magical weekend. Special thanks to PineWood Studio, Flo the Coffee Van + Reap What You Sew for making my last Christmas in the Yard epic!

Thanks too to Deb Turk for these beautiful photos, they make my heart burst.