Infuse Art Prize Finalists 2024
Here are the 2024 Infuse Art Prize finalists as selected by our panel, Kiri Smart, Tomas Lineker, Mairin Briody and Dr Deanne Gilson. The winner of the Infuse Art Prize will be selected from the below finalists, judged by Julie McLaren. The exhibition will be open from Saturday 7th December until 22nd, from 11 - 4.
Claire Blake & Duncan Lannan
Title of Artwork: Save some room for later
Artwork Dimensions: 26 cm diam
Medium: Ceramic - stoneware plate, underglaze decoration
Price: $200
Artist Statement:
This collaborative ceramic plate combines the craftsmanship of Claire Blake, who shaped and fired the plate, with the playful and quirky decoration by Duncan Lannan. The plate features an illustration of Augustus Gloop from the classic film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, humorously paired with the phrase "Save some room for later.”
This tongue-in-cheek design reflects the plate's purpose of serving food and also nods to Claire's love for the movie. Duncan’s pointillist illustration brings vibrancy and character to the piece, enhancing its whimsical charm.
ReVerse Butcher & Kylie Supski
Title of Artwork: "Ouroboros”
Print will be available to purchase: Fine Art Paper 310gsm 100% Cotton True Rag Etching Price: $350
Image of Artwork: Still frame images from video artwork attached to this email.
Watch full artwork here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DtXp0e9gps
Artwork Details: “Ouroboros” is an experimental new media artwork featuring an original poem co-written & co-performed by Kylie Supski & Reverse Butcher. It also features a Virtual Sculpture & Soundtrack made natively in Virtual Reality by ReVerse Butcher, & is presented as a video artwork. Dimensions are 1920 x 1080p, 9.45mins duration. Can be played on any digital screen, projector setup, or mobile/tablet device, with either speakers or headphones.
Artist's Statement: “…we are the continuous present, but what if we are not the only one?” The serpentine cycle of arrival and exodus. The flow of time fracturing into deltas of individual experience. Our division of cells, division of labours, divisions of selves, in constant, exhausting connection.
“Ouroboros” is an experimental new media artwork featuring an original poem co-written by Kylie Supski & Reverse Butcher; & a Virtual Sculpture & Soundtrack made natively in VR by ReVerse Butcher, & presented as a 9.45min cinematic. It was completed on January 18, 2024.
The Virtual Sculpture & Original Soundtrack were made natively in Virtual Reality (VR) using Open Brush, Virtuoso VR, & a Meta Quest 2. It features hand-made textures constructed using pen, acrylic ink & vintage paper stocks, which are then digitised & further remixed using the Adobe Substance Suite. Video/Cinematic made using Unreal Engine 5.1 & Adobe Premiere Pro.
Michelle Caithness & Clive Murray-White
Title of Artwork: Small walking person
Artwork Dimensions: H 69 X W 69 x D 41 cm
Medium: Marble, timber, paint and steel
Price: $2750
Artist Statement:
Background: When Michelle Caithness and I were developing our recent collaborative exhibition, ”The Reciprocal Eye” for the Warrnambool Art Gallery, 2024, Michelle suggested that we should have a walking person with a marble head that could add some unexpected movement into the show. The body was made by recycling cypress pine components (100mm x 100mm) from an old plinth which was then topped with a carved marble head (also recycled from an earlier collaboration).
It seemed logical that for this prize we should attempt to create a similar timber walking person no taller than 70cms. The first version using 100mm x 100mm cypress appeared quite wrong so we opted for a thinner material; a surplus 88mm x 88mm primed pine Bunnings veranda post. To us it looked too perfect and too pink. It was painted white, then grey and still it didn’t quite work so we decided to take virtually all the paint off with a small chain saw. This was close but not quite right, then eventually solved by taking a slice out of the top end of the “body”. A few more minor adjustments followed.
To us, at least, it is remarkable that 3 pieces of wood, some screws and a short length of pipe with a hand carved lump of marble on top can convincingly represent an active person and possibly more importantly take our viewers into meandering thoughts about the histories of sculpture.
Craig Frankland & Lisa Frankland
Title of Artwork: Ziggy
Artwork Dimensions: W 18 cm H 13 cm D 13 cm
Medium: Ceramic, glaze
Price: $160
Artist Statement:
Ziggy is a multifunctional slip cast sculpture able to support vinyl records and hold floral arrangements.
Ziggy is the result of a brother and sister artistic collaboration. Craig is a qualified graphic designer and self-taught furniture maker, Lisa is a qualified fine artist and self-taught ceramicist.
Craigs practice for the past several years has focused on producing a select series of bespoke record holders using innovative methods for production. For this work he designed Ziggy as a 3D object that was then laser printed and transformed into a four part plaster cast that Lisa then cast as a high fired ceramic.
Lisa’s current practice focuses on the production of unique vessels, she is continuously interested in new ways to approach the ceramic medium.
Conceptually Ziggy is fuelled by a passion for music. The research is centred around slow rituals specifically how people interact with music in their personal spaces. We aimed to create a multifunctional sculpture that could be used in the home both as a vinyl record stand, elevating how people display their music and also functioning as a vase to display florals. The form was inspired by post punk group Devo and their iconic headwear. We wanted to channel Devo’s unique take on popular culture to produce a small functional sculpture that brings a colour pop to each personal music altar.
Erin Robinson & Leah Haynes
Title of Artwork: Into Opportunity
Artwork Dimensions: 65cm diam
Medium: Acrylic on canvas framed in wood
Price: $950
Artist Statement:
Koi fish are revered in many cultures for their beauty and symbolic qualities. The artists’ favourite of which is its tenacity to courageously battle upstream to swim ‘into opportunity’. Indeed, Erin and Leah feel that they have spent years swimming upstream and now are finding themselves in a place of such wonderful opportunity.
Together they have built the beginnings of a wider community arts hub in their much-loved city of Ballarat. This work represents their lives and journeys into this new and exhilarating opportunity.
The duo of koi fish glide elegantly through the water, each representing one of the artists, and are specifically painted with personalised markings representing their families and individual lives. Swimming in a loose yin-yang pattern, the koi navigate life boldly, embracing the good and overcoming the bad.
A muddy coin, thrown long ago into the depths of the pond, represents a far-off wish and dream of a future flourishing with creativity and joy stamped with the symbolic date of 2023, the year the artists brought their artistic dreams into reality.
‘Into Opportunity’ was a joy for the artists to paint together while surrounded by some of their beautiful, artistic community and a first for both artists to paint a piece with another creative. A beautiful balance was struck between artistic styles and a serene work was born, embracing both artists' varied talents. A true celebration of their journey to this point and the opportunities yet to come.
Swim INTO OPPORTUNITY, friends.
Marlize Myburgh & Kirra-Lea Caynes
Title of Artwork: Reach
Artwork Dimensions: 25c m H x 20 cm W cm
Medium: Stoneware clay, glaze, brass
Price: $1800
Artist Statement:
Reach is a powerful expression of human connection, crafted with deep intention by Kirra-Lea Caynes and Marlize Myburgh. This wheel-thrown stoneware vase is a symbol of the constant, delicate dance between longing and fulfilment. The stretched-out hands, brought to life through the sgraffito technique, evoke an unquenchable yearning for unity, pulling the viewer into the raw, emotional core of the piece. The handmade brass lid and feet, also detailed with hands, ground this narrative with their strength, embodying the resilience and tenacity of human relationships. The striking contrast between the black stoneware surface and the gleaming brass elements captures the tension between fragility and fortitude. Reach beckons you to contemplate the complexities of connection—offering not just a sculpture, but a tactile narrative of hope, endurance, and the profound beauty found in vulnerability.
Denise Woodmansey & Merrian Dennis
Title of Artwork: Sisters; an intuitive narrative
Artwork Dimensions: 70cm x 70cm
Medium: Japanese rice paper, bamboo, ink, wood, industrial paint, spray paint, acrylic paint, hand painted collage paper, gloss paper.
Price: $1200
Artist Statement:
Denise Woodmansey and Merrian Dennis majored in Ceramics and minored in Painting at The Ballarat College of Advanced Education in the mid 70’s. It was here, working side by side in a shared studio space that they honed their individual styles. This period was also the beginning of a very long friendship where they developed a deep understanding and appreciation of each other's work. Merrian and Denise have continued to support one another in their art areers and involvements in the arts. Both no longer create large hand built Ceramic pieces but are still greatly influenced by the original ethos of creating artworks which ‘suggest’ rather than ‘state’ information. Their response now can be visualized in the simplicity of form, textures and lines seen in their works today. Merrian and Denise have come together in this collaboration, letting form, line and space guide the direction of their work. They draw inspiration from the simplicity of Japanese ceramics. Their partnership thrives on openness and a deep understanding of each other’s styles and ideas. Dennis’ delicate ink line drawings seamlessly complement Woodmansey’s sensitivity to collage, form and linework. Together, a common sense of familiarity and unity can be found in their works, weaving a harmonious dialogue with their shared palettes, selection of mark making materials and their lateral way of thinking to create evocative artworks. Their work reflects a shared commitment to exploring the intersection of their artistic visions, resulting in pieces that resonate with boldness and depth.
Deb Hill & Marian Fox
Title of Artwork: What glue did you use?
Artwork Dimensions: 40 x 15 cm
Medium: Multiple stoneware clays, porcelain, oxide, glazes, coloured pencil, glue.
Price: $600
Artist Statement:
What glue did you use?
Should we as women ask this question, as we crack and repair ourselves throughout the stages of ageing.
Times of feeling broken, managing to rebuild because we can, and need to.
The glue of youth ….repairing the cracks of irresponsibility and inexperience
The glue of romance… sticky and delicious
The glue of relationships… always needing to apply a little more
The glue of raising children…tough, but soft and flexible
Th glue of middle age, filling cracks as they appear
The glue of menopause…what glue. who am I? Which piece of me needs to be on show?
The glue of age….hmmm we’Il let you know when we get there.
Fun, strength, laughter, love, care, understanding ... the glue we use to hold us together.
Katie Chancellor & Margie Balazic
Title of Artwork: Fertucky
Artwork Dimensions: 61 cm x 41 cm
Medium: Mixed media (sculpture requiring plinth and nearby power point)
Price: $750
Artist Statement:
Margie and Katie first connected via instagram during the covid era of 2020, regularly sharing encouragement toward each other’s colourful creature themed practices. In an otherwise very socially isolating period, the two Ballarat artists forged a bond that has only continued to evolve.
What began as a series of sketches reflecting both artist’s love of birds, nature and wildlife; soon grew into an imaginative and exciting discussion around pushing boundaries away from the illustrative into new frontiers of sculptural form. The concept of story-telling, motherhood, wonder and playfulness all became strong influential themes within the work.
Valuing fun and unbounded expression allowed for a vibrant, colourful and sensory experience within both practices. Experimenting with new materials and methods posed challenges at times for both; requiring persistence and self belief, paving the way for new learning and growth. As the creation took shape, both artists felt a connection to a primal and instinctive process of art making. Echoes of primitivism were felt while surrendering to the mess and disarray that comes with sculpting something from nothing.
Fertucky invites the viewer to reconnect with their innate inner child; and in doing so, to call upon that joyous light that we have often buried deep within us all.
Fiona Mcdonald & Annabelle Stonehouse
Title of Artwork: the sum of our arts…
Artwork Dimensions: 19cm wide x 26cm high
Medium: porcelain, glaze
Price: $2,450
Artist Statement:
This project captures the artists’ unique and shared experiences of touch and sensibility in their crafts and continues an exploration of the concept of time, emotion and memory, how one affects the other and how each is perceived in any moment the artists each use different techniques to create layers of textures, movement and intricate forms. within each curved wall, rolled sphere and linked circle a moment, a dream, a memory and their associated emotions are held. preserved in the material is the passing of time. the linked nest below informs the feminine form nestled into it. the differing and complex parts of us that sit together remembering that we are all part of a larger story, that each of our unique narratives form a part of the fabric that is simultaneously an individual and communal experience. for although we all live differing realities, each of our stories has a depth and meaning which contribute to the whole and form connections between us.
Koji Hoashi & Seiko Hoashi
Title of Artwork: Oribe-style landscape brush vase
Artwork Dimensions: 34 x 38 x 10.5 cm
Medium: stoneware, glaze
Price: $580
Artist Statement:
Koji creates ceramic forms that emphasize elegance, strength, sincerity, and generosity. His work features a simple design, enhanced by harmonious layers of glazes, patterns, and textures.
Seiko expresses her creativity through improvisation and inner emotion, creating energetic dynamic line art. She typically works on paper and canvas, using vibrant strokes to convey movement and feeling. her approach emphasizes spontaneity, allowing the artwork to evolve organically, reflecting the intensity of his artistic vision.
For 30 years as husband and wife, we have collaborated for the first time on a piece that merges our passions for art. One of us pursues perfection and beauty in form and colour, while the other seeks imperfection, improvisation, and dynamic expression. Like our real life, our collaboration embodies beauty through contrast, combining differing styles and themes to create visual tension and dialogue within the piece.
As we spent time together, we shared narratives that allowed us to develop a story, contributing our individual styles and artistic visions. Working on this project, we explored various mediums and experimented with different techniques, integrating our unique elements.
The ‘Oribe’ style, first introduced in the early 17th century in Japan, is innovative and distinct from other ceramic forms. This art form features a blue-green ‘Oribe’ glaze, complemented by stain painting and drawing. We chose to work in this style not only for its significance in painting and drawing but also to challenge ourselves to create something new and innovative through our collaboration.
Emma Stoneman & Cameron Ross
Title of Artwork: Looking up; looking down
Artwork Dimensions: 70 cm h x 70 cm w x 50 cm d
Medium: Mild steel, aluminium, copper, ink, lacquer
Price: $900
Artist Statement:
What percolates beneath the hum of a city, its windowless buildings, and ruminating doors? In a post caffeinated conversation, two long-term friends lowered their guards momentarily. In a brief exchange, their shared story, now connected them with a mutual understanding.
Halfway along Dawson Street, to their left, a cluster of buildings, an unnoticeable charm, in their drab and tired exteriors. The artists used this memory and moment for the inspiration of ‘Looking Up; Looking Down’. During periods of challenge and isolation, Stoneman looked up and Ross looked down.
Their separate worlds of printmaking and sculpture, combined to fuse both practices, jointly exploring the body as a vessel with buildings as metaphor. The discarded, tarnished warehouse, a suitable roofline and a tapered, non-descript form, coated with a colour resembling bitumen. Burnished and etched, are lines scratched deep into a hard, steel façade. With occasional adornment of lofty and light cumulus clouds, an optimism and resilience, emanates quietly beneath a windowless chamber.
Meeting regularly at their ‘local’, similarly aided by caffeine, the artists developed initial concepts in the environs where the original exchange took place. As the testing of materials, forms and techniques progressed, the meeting place changed to Ross’s studio, and the beverages at times turned alcoholic! The frequency of meetings increased, and discoveries both in the work and the shared experience deepened. Final details were completed remotely (through necessity), over the oceans, via screens and postal services. Both artists consider the work unified in terms of contribution and personal gravitas.
Samantha Gardiner & Steve Lees
Title of Artwork: Bloom Again
Artwork Dimensions: 27.5(h) x 20(w) x 20(d)cm
Medium: Stoneware, Porcelain, Oxides, Glaze
Price: $1200
Artist Statement:
Bloom Again invites us into a quiet moment of reflection. As summer ends, the once brilliant petals of the Peruvian Lily fall away, leaving behind a fragile seed pod, a delicate reminder of what came before. The ceramic vessel symbolises life’s fragility and the promise of renewal, holding within it the potential for new growth. In this transition from bloom to seed, we are reminded of life’s cyclical nature, where beauty and decay are inseparably linked.
The Peruvian Lily is suggested to symbolise friendship, love, and strength, and is also thought to represent mutual support. Just as the pod holds the potential for future blooms, our lives offer opportunities to grow and connect, reminding us to cherish each moment amid life’s delicate balance.
In this collaboration, Sam, a 2D mixed-media artist, translated her textual practice from canvas to clay, while Steve, a ceramic artist, created space for her textures to take hold. Together, they approached the material with the intent to express fragility. The vessel, with its cracked petal-like structure, was formed through deliberate layering of slips and oxides, ensuring the surface would crack and fall away.
Both Sam and Steve find inspiration in the natural beauty of the Hepburn Shire and Macedon Ranges, the landscapes that surround them and inform their creative practices.
Menna McAlpin & Lotte Schwerdtfeger
Title of Artwork: Hermitage or: how to live under a rock
Artwork Dimensions: 68 x 54 cm
Medium: Stoneware ceramic, reduction fired with layered glazes and collected shells, gravel, glass, sand, steel and copper shavings from our homes and studios with brass, copper, sterling silver.
Price: $1300
Artist Statement:
Born of mutual aesthetic admiration across the top floor of Tarndanya’s JamFactory, Lotte and Menna have created a trio of ceramic wall works with metal details.
Lotte’s reduction-fired stoneware rocks are transformed into hidden homes with the additions of Menna’s windows, letterbox and security camera. These tokens of civilization intimate human habitation without inviting visitors.
The ceramic outer ‘skin’ evokes rugged, inhospitable landscapes, using reactive glazes and materials collected from the artist’s home and studio. The ceramics are reminiscent of protective outer shells, while Menna’s windows provoke reflection into what lies beneath, portending a portal to an inner realm. The letterbox invites connection, waiting patiently for snail mail, whilst the security camera warily protects these homes.
This work speaks to shared desires and frustrations of both artists; seeking connection whilst yearning for time to disconnect in solitude and cultivate their inner worlds.
Menna McAlpin is an emerging jeweler, graduating Melbourne Polytechnic in 2023 with an Advanced Diploma of Jewellery and Object Design. They have always loved making things with their hands and are inspired by magic in the mundane, queerness and fluidity of identity.
Lotte Schwerdtfeger’s practice expresses an instinctive process of play. Primarily hand building, both functional and sculptural works, they combine tendrils of research spanning historical ceramics traditions. References to natural forms and processes, utilitarian objects and cultural artifacts, arise from Lotte’s interest in anthropology, symbolism and ritual. Lotte is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts; regularly working on commissions, collaborative projects and gallery exhibitions.
Peter Pilven & Phil Berry
Title of Artwork: Corner shop
Artwork Dimensions: 32 h x 24 cm w
Medium: clay and underglaze
Price: $500
Artist Statement:
Both Phil Berry and Pete Pilven have long held deep interests in social and local history with Phil’s thesis for his Masters degree based on the corner shop and iconic milk bar.
Anne Langdon & Paul Gerardi
Title of Artwork: Containment
Artwork Dimensions: 70 cm h x 30 cm w x 30 cm d
Medium: Ceramics, collage
Price: $950
Artist Statement:
Both artists explored this theme of keeping something harmful contained. Paul‘s barn- like monolithic ceramic structure projects a feeling of abandonment and danger .We can imagine its past memories and use but this silo like shape is like a relic that still stands bravely in its’ setting.
Anne’s collages wrapping two walls of the ‘barn’ are a reflection of what the building projects. Each artwork dwells on how the individual is holding onto an inner sense of strength to resist outward pressures. The dog, cactus, birds and dress are protective shields, as is the building.
Both collages are almost like relics also, that portray the bodies but express feats that can resist any dangers. Paul’s hand build construction used heavily grogged Raku clay. By using intricate slab techniques he was able to problem solve this immense and complicated structure.
The collages were also convoluted and a mixture of different techniques. Monotypes, silkscreens and gelli plate transfers were the printmaking techniques incorporated into the collages. Painted sections, magazine and calendar papers were featured on both collaged walls.
The collaboration between Anne Langdon and Paul Gerardi was a challenging task as both artists are miles apart in terms of imagery. However, both artists realised they wanted to showcase and incorporate their strengths within this sculpture.
Pauline Doran & Nick Doran Adams
Title of Artwork: Arsenic and Old Lace: Memento Mori
Artwork Dimensions: 35.5 cm h x 25.5 cm w x 15 cm d
Medium: Glass
Price: $1700
Artist Statement:
‘Arsenic and Old Lace: Memento Mori’ is a collaborative work by glass artist Nick Doran Adams and printmaker Pauline Doran. In this artwork we looked at the power of history. Bringing historical elements into a 21st century work of art. The concept behind this work, started with looking at traditional uses for glass in history, particularly referencing old 18th century poison bottles. The image on the glass is based on Victorian lacework, while the wooden top is a stylised church. There is also a skull and crossbones along with the arsenic atomic number 33 on the back. All contributing to the artwork becomes a Memento Mori, reflecting the Victorian’s obsession with death and a reminder of its inevitability. Reinventing something from history and transforming it into a contemporary sculptural work. The large glass bottle needed to be solid to enable the print design to be placed on it. The bottle was sandblasted to create the finished piece. Changing the perception of glass from a fragile medium into something robust and solid. Combining the aesthetics of printmaking into glass by referencing the harsh bold lines of printmaking with the soft organic form of glass.
Kelly Miller & Sam Ward
Title of Artwork: This (and)
Artwork Dimensions: 40 x 20 x 15 cm
Medium: Stoneware ceramic, cold glaze with acrylic
Price:$580
Artist Statement:
Have you ever considered what makes a good conversation? Is it one of give and take? Is it one of many ideas and different perspectives? is it one of comfort, or one that challenges comfort?
To us, 'This (and)' is a good conversation. A conversation of two mediums from two people; where an idea is 'this' and can still be 'that'.
three dimensional x two dimensional
sharp lines + smooth curves
tension (resolution)
perfection / imperfection
Sara Ghazi & Sam Ward
Title of Artwork: touch
Artwork Dimensions: 45 x 25 x 20 cm
Medium: Glazed stoneware ceramic
Price:$620
Artist Statement:
Initially, 'touch' came about from trying to understand my relationship with touch, and finding ways of immortalising movement and showing affection. Navigating these thoughts clay presented as the perfect medium to show gesture, as it begins so malleable but after firing has this extra state of rigidity and permanence. I was drawn to Sam's work as he transforms such a soft shapable material into striking angular forms. These straight lines and edges gave the perfect contrast to the softness of the idea. I often feel with ceramics, that every step of the process requires care to make the "perfect" form. For us, altering and indenting the form with handprints and slip makes the piece unapologetically human. I think this piece was always meant to be a collaborative piece and with our two different styles of work were able to show affection and care we have towards our friendship and our work.
Patrick Duffy & Peter Sparkman
Title of Artwork: ‘What’s on the tele tonight honey?”
Artwork Dimensions: 70 x 70 x 70
Medium: Recycled Cardboard and printed digital Illustrations
Price: $1500
Artist Statement:
Both Patrick and Sparkie have a love for, and as children, were influenced by 60’s and 70’s Television especially the vamp, camp, and comedic shows like The Addams Family, Batman, and Lost in space so using the vibrancy of Sparkies digital illustration work with the monochromatic texture-based 3D work of Patrick’s cardboard sculptures they found the perfect vehicle for their collaboration. Patrick has drawn on the influences of the Victorian toy theatres and layered paper cut lightboxes to create a cleverly appropriate ‘frame’ for Sparkie’s digital illustrations, creating a fusion of old and modern techniques to draw the viewer in, inviting them to connect to the nostalgia of watching with wide-eyed wonder the shows back in the 60’s
So sit back, tune in, put ya feet up, it’s the Ad-dams fam-mi-lyyyyyy
Katherine Malone & Glenn Smith
Title of Artwork: NEST
Artwork Dimensions: 40 x 40 x 40 cm
Medium: Wheel thrown stoneware and signature glaze. Acacia Salicina (sally wattle) reclaimed from cyclone Yasi 2011, hard wax oil finish
Price: $3850
Artist Statement:
We found a common interest in nurture, protection and cocooning found in nature. The way a creature contrives a space to create new life and care for it, the places they in habit in the natural and built environment and the materials they repurpose. This work is a synergy of diverse crafts developed and expressed as one showing unity of material and detail. The timber element is informed by the pottery. It cradles and enhances the work, doesn’t compete with it and explores the theme where a sanctuary is made in response to the anticipated guest and it’s environment.
“Nest” is the containment, cradling and presenting of something precious, offering up a homage and sharing the object to be observed in a way that isn’t utilitarian but values the time and materials taken to create it by giving the viewer detail and form to explore. Akin to the desire to climb up and look into the “nest”. The desire to look, or even touch, but knowing we shouldn’t and must resist the temptation. The more you explore the more the work reveals itself. The contrast of the ceramic to the wood allows the eye to move between the two separate but united elements, providing details that give the eye a moment to pause.
A hollow post, found objects and a mound. The three pieces represent various ways of inhabiting the environment, using materials, adapting and repurposing. The rigid geometry of the exterior imparts strength that protects it’s inhabitants.
Alexandra Davison & Melissa Griffin
Title of Artwork: Pensive
Artwork Dimensions: 12.5 cm h x 20 cm w
Medium: Earthenware with underglaze colour and pencil.
Price: $120
Artist Statement:
Our work reimagines the reflections from the sky in a vessel made of the earth. The textural marks around the outside show the daily rhythm of our lives and how there is beauty in repetition. “. The synergy between a mother and daughter comes together from a lifetime of viewing , loving and respecting nature.
Peter Pilven & Claire Blake
Title of Artwork: Golden Legacy
Artwork Dimensions: 27cm diameter
Medium: Mid-Fired Ceramic
Price: $200
Artist Statement:
Golden Legacy is a collaborative ceramic plate by Claire Blake adorned with a range of slips, underglazes, and glazes by Peter Pilven. Our artistic partnership spans over two decades, marked by friendship, mentorship, and a shared love of ceramics. Peter has been instrumental in my artistic growth, transitioning from lecturer to colleague. His guidance and expertise have been invaluable, leading us to create a piece that embodies our mutual passion for ceramics and our connection to Ballarat and its rich mining and gold heritage. The landscape motif pays homage to Ballarat’s historical significance as a hub of gold mining. While it honours the perseverance and creativity of those who shaped the landscape and left behind a legacy of prosperity, it also acknowledges the devastating impact that mining can have on the environment and society at large. This piece represents a bond between mentor and student, artist and collaborator, capturing the timeless beauty of ceramics while celebrating our shared journey and connection to Ballarat’s heritage.
Clare Murphy & Matthew Selwyn
Title of Artwork: Pollinators
Artwork Dimensions: Height: 25cm Width: 28cm
Medium: clay, lustre
Price: $220
Artist Statement:
Although certain aspects of nature can be grotesque and disturbing, everything has a role to play. ‘Pollinators’ explores the concept that we all have a place. Even the creatures that make us feel unsafe and uncomfortable are essential. Human activity has meant disaster for so many other creatures. Living in complete harmony with nature may be unrealistic but should still be something to strive for.
Lyn A Baines & Peter Ries
Title of Artwork: ‘Homage to the foreshore’ suite
Artwork Dimensions: 49 x 27 x 11 when displayed together
Medium: Ceramic, underglaze
Price: $2400
Artist Statement:
Peter and Lyn share a respect for the outdoors and nature. The blues of sky and sea against the boulders are natures timeless carving tool of the rocks along the shoreline. The sea and foreshore near Peter’s home is a pattern for the forms he has thrown. Peter’s works reflect the erosion on the foreshore boulders, the swell of the shoulder, the free thrown form and the natural lip of the vases serve Lyn’s decorative techniques. Her inspiration is taken from her continual travels observing the Australian landscape. The Northeast coast of Tasmania is where the remarkable orange lichen covers the rocks in both an expansive and linier serendipitous manner. The result is an abstract expression composition. Her cone 6 lilac blue satin glaze was especially developed for the interior of these works. Coloured slips, painted, stencilled and sponged, glaze stains, onglaze enamels and 12 carat gold lustre complete the pieces.
Jan Alexander & Jem Olsen
Title of Artwork: Reclaimed
Artwork Dimensions:
Ceramic bowl H 13 x Diam 15 cm
Textile mat H 29 x W 27.5 x D 0.5 cm
Medium: Stoneware bowl, multiple glazes, found quartz, copper wire
Quilted placemat using segments of local property guide, discarded tea towel, gold foil wrapper.
Price: $500
Artist Statement:
Reclaimed unites two artists—one ceramic, one textile—to explore the shifting meaning of home and identity in modern society through the lens of reconstruction and change. The fractured ceramic bowl symbolizes the “home”; of self-identity and the process of transforming brokenness to reclaim individuality and build strength. The gentle waves and depth of blues suggest that compassion and understanding are essential foundations for restoring comfort and a sense of belonging to a once-broken spirit. In contrast, the textile piece critiques Australia’s property boom, crafted from local property guides and discarded tea towels. Through collage and quilting, it reveals the tension between the traditional comforts of home and the growing commodification of property as a financial asset.
As home ownership becomes a measure of success or status, materialism often displaces deeper values like togetherness, security, and emotional support. The unchecked pursuit of financial stability can lead to fractured relationships, isolation, and a decline in the importance of nurturing social connections, which are essential to a healthy society.
Together, these works prompt reflection on the intertwined values we place on both personal identity and home. They invite the viewer to question what ethical values have been lost or altered over time and how they might be reclaimed.
Dianna Kellerman & Diana Boyd
Title of Artwork: Pestilent Beauty
Artwork Dimensions: Height 64cm Width 44cm
Medium: Grapevine outer ring with copper woven water. Cedar dragonfly, lotus flower bud, lily pads with copper stalks. Grapevine woven with raffia for leaves and weed
Price: $850
Artist Statement:
Invasive imported waterlily Egyptian Nynphaea Caerulea also known as the Blue Lotus can be found in many ponds and waterways. It adds a pretty and calming look to a body of water but it can also cause problems for the ecosystem. It is believed the ‘Blue Lotus’ has taken over many areas which native Australian tropical waterlillies (subs. Anecphya) once grew.
They can spread rapidly if left unchecked with dense mats of vegetation that can outcompete with native plants. Blue Lotus clog waterways and make it difficult for fish and other aquatic animals to swim. They can also reduce oxygen levels in the water, which can harm other organisms.
Lorentz Lossius & Carlos Guerrero
Title of Artwork: Whale exhale
Artwork Dimensions: H: 67cm. W: 60cm. D: 50cm.
Medium: Radiata pine and Oregon fir, burned and sealed. Wire, shells, glass, lapis lazuli.
Price: $1200
Artist Statement:
As diverse ancient texts have revealed, a thing, a creation, comes into being by the touch of chaos upon the stillness of perfection. Chaos, in this instance the burning up of life, is painful to comprehend with peace of mind, but it is a prelude to a renewed cycle.
Carlos Guerrero, from Colombia, has been making kinetic sculpture for many years, and Lorentz Lossius, from Norway, has recently begun exploring the effect of fire on carved wood. Together they have made a whale rise from the symbolically scorched and depleted depths to exhale into the quiet air of its rebirth. Thus the whale, in this symbolically barren state, blows forth the spume of its continued existence.
Peter Cougle & Alison Parkinson
Title of Artwork: POTENTIAL installation
Artwork Dimensions: W 40cm x D40cm x H70cm
Medium: Porcelain and Dark Matter clays. Glaze. Iron Rods. Redgum blocks
Price: $2800
Artist Statement:
Ideas are like seeds. They morph and shoot and evolve Alison Parkinson delights in clay sculpture. Her Kiln mentor, Peter Cougle, an Artist who had been a Professional Potter in the 1970’s and 80’s. The concept of Peter throwing the egg-shaped components in Porcelain and Alison hand building, using Dark Matter clay, followed the decision of the subject matter and how to achieve this. Mindful Peter had not thrown on a wheel for 35 years. The decision to glaze the inner parts of each components, leaving the earthy ‘dark matter’ , to colour in its own rawness, contrasting against the white of the clear glazed porcelain. Steel rods used as the inter-connectors from the redgum blocks to the individual components. The firing collars, we decided, were integral to the creating and thus included. The seed was sown and within the process we gave a gentle nod to mounted emu/ostrich eggs.
A beautiful rhythm of co-creation
Geoff Bonney & Sarah Lloyd
Title of Artwork: Gentle on my mind
Artwork Dimensions: 90 cm h x 60 cm w x 26 cm d
Medium: Found objects and poem
Price: $950
Artist Statement: It all started with this song and Sarah learning to play it on her guitar in our kitchen. Geoff, taken by this image, went off to the studio and recorded the musical instant in a sculpture made from the many bits and pieces foraged from the palette of his studio floor and his trusty hot glue gun. This is a two way collaboration with Geoff Bonney, the sculptor and Sarah Lloyd, the poet. We are forever indebted to John Hartford, the writer and composer of Gentle On My Mind. Sarah, loving the joyful gesture of the sculpture showing off her dubious musical prowess, was inspired to write of it and Geoff's love of her and her's of him. The sculpture and poem feed off the song which condenses a time and a relationship using memory and reflection, in the song's immortal words: '...that you're waving from the backroads by the rivers of my memories, ever smilin', ever gentle on my mind." The song particularly resonates for us as our personal relationship took the long and winding road (now there's another sculpture and poem!).
Jodie Goldring, Margaret & Therese Moloney from Flash and Goldie
Title of Artwork: Bird with listening device
Artwork Dimensions: Wall sculptural relief, approximately 60cm high x 70cm wide x 10cm deep (variable)
Medium: mixed media (enamelled copper, cord, leather strapping, split flax, sisal rope, dyed raffia and steel wire)
Price: to be confirmed
Artist Statement:
Our work explores the act of listening to bird song and the challenge of translating nature's language into something humans can understand. Birds communicate in their own system of sounds, but as we listen, these sounds often remain unfamiliar, requiring more than just hearing to comprehend.
Using technology to amplify bird song, any instrument made by human hands, picks up the sound; but it does not translate the meaning. The question arises: Can we truly understand what we hear?
This work aims to highlight the skills of those who study nature, like ecologists, who can reveal the relationships and layers hidden in sounds for us. The work invites reflection on connecting with the natural world, and how easily (or not) sound can shift between noise and meaningful language when passed from one being to another.
Minna Graham & Jackie Gorring
Title of Artwork: "Best Red Food Storage Jar with Sunlight Scent Bowl”
Artwork Dimensions: W50cm x D35cm x H34cm.
Medium:
Best Red Food Storage Jar- local tamed clay and terracotta, spray paint, oil stick, woven cotton, paint.
Sunlight scent bowl- local tamed clay and terracotta, paint, wood, paper relief print, wire, tape, $650.
Price: Jar: $650. Bowl: $650
Artist Statement:
Minna Graham and Jackie Gorring, a mother and daughter duo, embarked on an artistic journey rooted in their heritage and the rich history of the Victorian Goldfields. As descendants of Chinese immigrants who arrived in Australia in 1851 from modern day Xiamen at the beginning of the Gold Rush, they drew inspiration from the Chinese ceramics found in their region. Their vessels pay homage to the past while exploring contemporary interpretations of these historical forms. Both now live and work in the same region where their ancestors once settled. Minna, a ceramic artist specialising in sculptural vessels, designed pieces inspired by Chinese ceramics found in the Centre for Gold Rush Collections (Sovereign Hill Archive). She used clay sourced from her property and other sites once rich in gold, honouring the materials that artisans of that time would have used. This process deepened their connection to their ancestry and the land they inhabit.
Jackie, a printmaker and sculptor who focuses on recycled and found objects, decorated the vessels, embedding her designs in the rich tapestry of Chinese culture. Initially using carved wood, she later incorporated materials such as recycled plastic and rubber. This evolution reflected a conscious engagement with contemporary practices, allowing her to blend traditional motifs with modern elements, creating a dialogue between past and present.
Mimi Leung & Kaye Poulton
Title of Artwork: Abreast
Artwork Dimensions:
Abreast 1: 10 cm D x 15 cm L x 14.5 cm W
Abreast 2: 7.5 cm D x 15 cm L x 14.5 cm W
Abreast 3: 8 cm D x 12.5 cm L x 13.5 cm W
Medium: clay
Price: $650 each
Artist Statement:
Visual artist, Mimi Leung, and ceramicist, Kaye Poulton, are frequent collaborators. They met at Shepparton Art Gallery (now Shepparton Art Museum) and have a mutual admiration for each other’s work. Mimi is the mother of two young daughters and Kaye has experienced breast cancer resulting in a double mastectomy. In this work they explore the symbolic, biological and sexual nature of the female breast. The protrusions grow uncomfortably in puberty and signal sexual readiness as the girl becomes a woman.
Sometimes viewed as physical burdens, often as objects of desire, breasts serve much more than a cosmetic function. Inside breasts are milk-producing lobules and ducts to carry it to the nipple, all supported by fatty tissue. They are a miraculous part of the human body, capable of nourishing a newborn through to infancy. It can be hard to comprehend that within these miraculous appendages cancer can grow. The diagnosis of breast cancer can bring a devastating feeling of betrayal and loss especially when removal is the best option for survival. As Kaye plays with the role of gravity on form, Mimi’s abstract visuals suggest the physical and psychological processes beneath the surface.
Elizabeth Bell & Lauren Danger
Title of Artwork: Earthen Sunrise
Artwork Dimensions: 21.5 cm H x 18 cm W
Medium: Stoneware ceramics and acrylic
Price: $600
Artist Statement:
“Earthen Sunrise” is a collaborative piece by Elizabeth Bell and Lauren Danger, embodying a harmonious blend of tactile stoneware and expressive painted landscapes. At the heart of this work is Elizabeth’s meticulously crafted wheel-thrown vessel, sculpted from raw stoneware clay. Its simple form serves as a grounded canvas, inviting focus on the captivating landscape that Lauren has masterfully painted.
Lauren’s inspiration for this piece comes from her childhood in the Otway Ranges, where she experienced breathtaking sunrises that influenced her abstract interpretation of this natural phenomenon. As you circle the vessel, her acrylic landscape unfurls in a vibrant cascade of colours, capturing the essence of dawn as it breaks over the hills. Each angle reveals a new layer of emotion and depth, transforming the piece into a 360-degree visual journey.
The striking contrast between the earthy stoneware and the fluidity of Lauren’s colors creates a unified aesthetic, celebrating the beauty of nature alongside the solidity of ceramics. The seamless interaction between form and landscape enhances the viewer’s experience, engaging them in a dialogue between the two mediums.
Together, Elizabeth and Lauren invite you to reflect on the serene beauty of a sunrise and the dynamic interplay of their artistic collaboration. “Earthen Sunrise” stands as a testament to their shared vision and the powerful connection between ceramics and painting.
Kristen Spalding & Belle Kidd
Title of Artwork: Weightless
Artwork Dimensions: 25 cm h x 26.5 cm wide
Medium: Ceramic (wheel thrown), stoneware, underglaze and glaze
Price: $1650
Artist Statement:
'Weightless' was a concept, an energy that was waiting to be made whole. It waited patiently in the peripheries of our minds until the time came when we were drawn together, prompted by the Ruby Pilven Infuse Art Prize, as artists (not just cousins) to combine our skills and birth a unique and beautiful ceramic vessel. Once we committed to it, the process was easy. It was effortless in fact. Designing the body of the work, something sturdy and grounded, to complement the decorative element, which is movement, joy and weightlessness. The endless anticipation of the plunge, the strong female figures, the rush of adrenaline. It all ties together to reflect the makers' similarities and differences, and results in a piece that is truly us.
Belinda Michael & Tiffany Titshall
Title of Artwork: Branded With Guilt, And Crusht With Treble Woes
Artwork Dimensions: H39 x W37 x D37 cm
Medium: Earthenware with slip, local clay, oxide & overglaze, sgraffito
Price: $3000
Artist Statement:
Belinda Michael and Tiffany Titshall live and work on Dja Dja Wurrung country. Belinda was the recipient of the Vice-Chancellors Acquisition Award from the University of Ballarat in 2012 and the Australian Ceramics Association Award for Excellence in 2014. Completing her honours degree in printmaking at Monash University in 1995, Tiffany has exhibited in many curated exhibitions locally and in metropolitan Melbourne.
Their collaborative exhibition The Chosen Vessel - a work of feminism on the goldfields - was exhibited at Federation University’s Post Office Gallery in Ballarat 2023. Work by both artists has been acquired by Central Goldfields Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ballarat, and is held in numerous private collections.
Initially they collaborated to create a story that allowed them to unpack colonialism and gender inequality. In doing so they invented a woman with a harem of men, depicted on ceramic vessels. In this scene the heroine ‘brands’ her male slave.
The collaboration was inspired by storytelling used on ancient pottery. The process evolved over three years - testing methods of building large forms, using sgraffito and layers of slips and oxides and trialling different local clays and glazing methods. In the final stages they experimented with some mixed media.
The technical challenges of hand-built scale and image making on ceramics were visible in the evolution of a series of twelve forms in which Tiffany’s drawings responded to Belinda’s large gourd-like vessels. The process of collaboration informed and enhanced both artists’ practice greatly, pushing them to new discoveries.
Jimmy Pasakos & Claire Blake
Title of Artwork: Metamorphosis III is a continuous theme.
Artwork Dimensions: 22 cm diam
Medium: clay and silk screen
Price: $295 each or group of 4 - $890
Artist Statement:
I was invited by the Greek Cultural Australian League (GCAL-Melbourne) to participate in a project commemorating the bicentenary of Greece’s independence from Ottoman rule. The exhibition, titled ‘Metamorphosis’; featured Greek artists.’
My involvement sparked new discussions with colleagues and inspired me to explore innovative techniques in my printmaking practice. The recent ‘International Multi-disciplinary Printmaking, Artists, Concepts and Techniques, IMPACT” conference in Bristol-UK allowed me to develop the ‘Metamorphosis’; theme, collaborating with 3D artists (Claire Blake) Federation
University, Australia, Ballarat and blending printmaking with ceramics. My ongoing work ‘Identity’ continues to explore how personal, cultural, and societal identities are expressed and interpreted through artistic creation. Thematic home/migration/destination also reflects individual experiences, heritage, and social constructs, often blurring the lines between self-perception and external perception.
The collaboration was with Visual Arts colleague Claire Blake – Federation University Australia-Ballarat.
Susan Watson & Cathy Erdman
Title of Artwork: Stuck
Artwork Dimensions: 570x520mm
Medium: Digital photograph printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Cotton Rag 308gsm, with mixed media elements added
Price: $850
Artist Statement:
A collaborative piece by sisters Susan Watson and Cathy Erdman. The concept for this art piece came about with both sisters raising neurodivergent children and wanting to share the emotional challenges these children can face in a world that is not set up for them. As mothers, they are constantly learning and adapting.
The sisters sat down together in Cathy’s studio and discussed how the raw emotion portrayed in Susan’s powerful photograph (printed on 100% cotton fine arts paper) could be infused and complimented by Cathy's mixed media prowess. They brainstormed what they wanted the piece to say, how to show the many complexities that cannot be seen, and the desired aesthetic qualities. They spent time experimenting and sharing ideas, with Cathy demonstrating various mixed media techniques and discovering those best suited to this printed surface. The impactful design is intended to draw the viewer closer to discover intricate details and attune to this subject.
The resulting artwork is called Stuck. Brilliant mind dropping into abyss. Torment from incessance. Shrinking into dot point. Hiding from expectation. Sinking towards despair.
Through learning and openness we can together progress towards UAA Understand - Accept - Adapt
Robyn Rayner & Eliza Munro
Title of Artwork: Moth1 and Moth3D
Artwork Dimensions: Moth1: 160 x 140 mm unframed/ 290 x 280 framed.
Moth 3D: 160 x 160 x 90 mm
Medium: Mezzotint. Porcelain, grogged porcelainous mix, glaze. Cone 6 oxidation
Price: $330 each or $660 for both
Artist Statement:
Moth1 and Moth3D are a collaborative piece between Printmaker Robyn Rayner and Ceramicist Eliza Munro. Together the Printmaker and Ceramicist envisioned a visually appealing, tactile and accessible representation of the Natural World. Each work sitting in reflection of the other, and depicting the vital yet unassuming Moth.
Moth1 and Moth3D are a visual celebration of biodiversity in an era of catastrophic loss*. This work asks the viewer to pause, and to embrace the beauty of the small unassuming creatures we share this Earth with. In doing so, become consciously aware of the fragility of all life.
John Quinlan & Peter Gregg
Title of Artwork: A.Abbott
Artwork Dimensions: 43 x 43 x 7 cm
Medium: Cast iron and timber
Price: $800
Artist Statement:
We both tend to gravitate and collect obsolete bits and pieces. There’s a certain history and beauty to be found in them.
John’s sculptures are primarily wall pieces constructed with found materials, left overs from an industrial society, that are rejigged into a different usefulness. Petercreates mostly 3D artwork, also usingrefuse that is repurposed into sculpture. For us simplicity is paramount, a guiding principle with our work.
With ‘A Abbott’, we used old cast iron machinery parts to form the figure. This is complemented by faded, worn andpartially eaten soft drink box panels that provide background colour.
Note: White ants have come and gone.
The title was the most difficult part of the project and working with another artist is where our collaboration became most important. For example, do we call it Mr Rabbit, Budgie Smuggler or Tony! In the end we figured it is an abstract portrait (arguably) of Tony Abbott. So we titled it A. Abbott.
The work is intended to be neither an insult nor complementary, it’s just how John pictured this person in his mind over the last decade.
Jessica Shroeter & Sylvia Nevistic
Title of Artwork: Etched landscapes
Artwork Dimensions: Prints (Diptych), etching on watercolor paper (A/P), 150mm x 150mm
Vessel - copper, silver solder with patination, 130mm (w) x 150mm (h) x 45mm (d)
Medium: above
Price: Print and Vessel $1,320 (framed) Limited edition of prints (5/5) $275 each
Artist Statement:
The technique of etching formed the basis for Jess Schroeter and Sylvia Nevistic’s collaboration. Etching is used in both printmaking and metalwork, which are disciplines each artist focus on within their own practice.
The artists’ conceptual ideas are based around memories of time spent in the natural landscape.
The mark making on the copper plates were done in dialogue with each other over the course of a day. The plates were then etched with a mordant and Jess printed the plates onto paper to create a diptych print.
Once the copper plates were printed, Sylvia fabricated a vessel from them using traditional silversmithing techniques, the etched plates acted as front and back for the vessel. The container was given a patina, subtly highlighting the etched surface.
The prints and vessel together, act as a conversation between the two artists, a way of connecting and supporting one another through their artistic practices.
Clare McEldrew & Kat Pengelly
Title of Artwork: Unpaused – an empowered, unapologetic proclamation of menopause
Artwork Dimensions: 42 cm x 59 cm x 70 cm
Medium: Leather, studs, feathers, boning, cloth tape measures, fabric dye, fabric paint, heat set vinyl, biro, fabric
Price: $3300
Artist Statement:
We are both going through menopause, a subject slightly whispered until we found ourselves experiencing symptoms. This led us to seek specifically older female friends to assist in making sense of this profound life transition.
We have created our artwork with the intention of inspiring more conversations on this natural phenomenon so that future generations of females do not find themselves as we did, lost in a metaphoric wood that was on fire! Meeting at each other’s studios for a total of 15 sessions over 6 months, culminated in 70 hours
of collaborative work. We kept a journal detailing activities of each session. Skills shared included sewing, pattern making, draping, industrial dyeing, painting, leather work, heat setting vinyl, documentation, research, and development.
We find it insightful that resilience and interconnection is an aim of Infuse, for as well as our creative partnership flourishing, we felt a deepening of our personal and professional relationships. Whilst we were solid friends at the outset, we now have a much greater understanding and appreciation of each other’s processes, and the challenges faced in our work.
The collaborative partnership was seamless as we integrated each other’s ideas with ease, there was not one moment of creative conflict. It has been a great privilege to work together.
“Working with Kat gave me creative inspiration and confidence to push myself into unknown territories.”
- Clare McEldrew
“Clare’s kindness and expertise has given me confidence in my own sewing skills and abilities”
- Kat Pengelly
Justin Poole & Sandra Holloway
Title of Artwork: The Colour and Curves of Progress
Artwork Dimensions: 45 x 45 x 65 cm
Medium: LED lamp made from Jarrah and Blackwood with painted acrylic
Price: $360
Artist Statement:
lluminate your space with a spark of collaboration!
This lamp embodies the balance of hard lines and fluid forms, merging wood and abstract painting into a vibrant collaboration. Building on our previous work, we discovered that it’s the bends in the road that bring us closer to something truly illuminating. Softly diffused light stands as a tribute to transparency and the moments when we let the light out, revealing the intersections of thought, vision and friendship.
It was a joyful creative adventure, the collaborative process is as vital as the product. We’ve engaged in spirited conversations and spontaneous sketches, allowing our creative energies to intertwine.
Velislav Georgiev & Tor Roxburgh
Title of Artwork: The Last Roast
Artwork Dimensions: 42 x 30 cm
Medium: tempera and gold leaf on plywood
Price: $980
Artist Statement:
“The Last Roast” captures a fleeting moment of everyday grace: a supermarket worker emerges from the fluorescent glow of the deli counter, bearing a golden-skinned roast chicken as if it were a sacred offering. Part of the "Beyond the Barcode" series, this work reimagines the mundane act of grocery shopping through the visual language of religious iconography.
The subject embodies the archetype of The Provider, recast in the theatre of contemporary commerce. The traditional golden halo surrounding the worker's head transforms his ordinary actions into a ritual of care and sustenance.
By applying the techniques and visual vocabulary of icon painting to this everyday scene, the work challenges us to reconsider the boundary between the sacred and the secular. The roast chicken becomes a symbol of universal nurture and a bridge between ancient rituals of communal feeding and our modern methods of food procurement. In this moment, the fluorescent-lit aisle is a site of quiet transfiguration, where the ordinary reveals its extraordinary nature.
Karla Devlin & Lyndell Allen
Title of Artwork: Mending Feather
Artwork Dimensions: 94 x 33 cm (Ruby accepted these dimensions)
Medium: acrylic and pen on canvas with textile (felt, slow stitching, borro, embroidery, beading)
Price: $490
Artist Statement:
Mending Feathers is just what the work’s name suggests; a work using textile feathers to mend a damaged canvas. Both the new work and the original were created to help “mend” the artists who made them.
The work began life as a feather, created by Karla using acrylic paint and pen on canvas. When it was accidently damaged during storage, it went to live in Lyndell’s Studio. Seeing it every time she worked in the studio inspired Lyndell to create a feather or two of her own, using wet felting, nuno felting, appliqué, slow stitching and beading, which she then used to mend the original canvas.
Feathers mean diKerent things to diKerent people; they can be a symbol of honour, a connection between the owner and the creator, a message that angels are near. Colours of feathers can also infer meaning; black for protection, orange for creativity and change, red for stability, strength and passion, yellow for joy. The colours used here represent progress in the artists’ journeys; from using only black and white to the use of many colours, but also a shift from darkness to light in the artists’ minds. Much of the fabric used is Japanese. Along with traditional embroidery, the slow stitching is reminiscent of traditional Japanese Sachiko, used by ordinary folk to creatively mend, preserve and decorate clothes.
Woollen fibres combining in the felt, together with the increasing intricacy and closeness of slow stiches reflect the artists deepening friendship.
Sarah Canham & Wendy Sheridan
Title of Artwork: ‘Remember that time…’
Artwork Dimensions: 70 cm l x 30 cm d x 2 pieces to sit on shelf
Medium: The artist book consists of: Porcelain paper clay, oxides, underglaze and glaze, leather fixings.
Price: $750
Artist Statement:
Sarah Canham and Wendy Sheridan met at university at the start of their Visual Arts degrees and became fast friends. Over that time, they have shared the highs and lows of solo parenthood, life, love, loss, work, and creativity, through a mutually supportive friendship. The past few years have been significantly challenging with mental health issues, isolation through COVID, financial stress and balancing motherhood, work and studies. These times reveal the opposite of ‘fair-weather’ friends, and the journey has made their friendship even more valuable. It is a collaboration supporting their lives – the vulnerabilities, desires, hopes and regrets.
The clay artist book they have created is a unique piece revealing a dialogue reflecting the theme of collaboration on many levels. It is a shared story, written, stamped, drawn, and painted, based on their lived experience. The book is a biographical reflection of a friendship built on memories, feelings, mutual respect and being there. The creative process created the book iteratively as they talked, laughed, worked and created it together. It is composed with deliberate acceptance of life’s imperfections, flaws and differences.
The creative process for Infuse was a joyful time as they reflected on moments, stories, and challenges they’d experienced together. The work celebrates a journey through tough times and the laughs as memories are built, for them both and also those who they shared these times with. They both contributed to this book as author and artist, with each other and muse.
Emily Van Der Molen & Robyn Fisher
Title of Artwork: Defying the cult of motherhood
Artwork Dimensions: 52 cm h x 65 cm w x 29 cm d
Medium: acrylic paint, oil paint, mixed media, timber
Price: $2150
Artist Statement:
Friends for seventeen years.Artistic collaborators for six months. How do you pull all the threads of seventeen years of mothering alongside one another in contemporary western society together in a single artwork? What do all the many layers, contradictions, loves and losses look like? Where do all our concurrent yet separate experiences converge and diverge?
The process of making “Defying the Cult of Motherhood” has raised as many questions as it has answered, the very essence of motherhood. The work tells the many layered and unfinished stories we’ve shared in our shared mother’s group over almost two decades. From the fragile, vulnerable, volatile and out of body beginnings of it all, until now; preparing to launch young adults into the world.
The work itself is a hybridised picture book/theatre stage/walled garden. Within it we’ve told the stories that have defined this time, each story overlapping and crashing into the next.Play, pain, beauty, love, obligation, overwhelm. It’s a lot. Mothering is a lot. And the process of creating the work echoes this.
We’ve created it in the spaces between. In diarised meetings, via texting photographic updates, sharing files, iPad scribbles and light bulb moments. Physically relaying the work between our independent studios, painting into the wee hours on the couch, then waking up early to parent and work day jobs. This is our shared reality. And from it we’ve grown exponentially as artists. Robyn has taken a leap into Emily’s mixed media artistic lawlessness. Emily has reigned in her chaos to be more methodical and deliberate in her painting.
“Defying the Cult of Motherhood” tells these complex stories.
Madeleine McCarthy & Vicki Randell
Title of Artwork: The Bunny Pot
Artwork Dimensions: 25 cm x 20 cm
Medium: Stoneware clay with Chun glaze and Stains
Price: $450
Artist Statement:
As artists living on the Southern Mornington Peninsula (Boon Wurrung Country) we are both passionate about, and inspired by the unique and fragile ecosystem that surrounds us.
In this collaborative piece, we have explored in clay and drawing the paradox of the introduced species, the European rabbit.
The rabbit is both pest and pet, whimsical as well as destructive, competing against our native wildlife for food and habitat
Initially we drew on our strengths and relied on our ability to produce a worthy vessel. Madeleine, with a background in drawing and sculpture, along with the throwing skills of Vicki, a full time potter.
In the making of this piece we chose to expose it to the most extreme and robust method of firing (a 36 hour Anagama Woodfiring). We have pushed our skills and this pot to the limit, as the rabbit pushes our natural environment to the brink. As a result of this method of firing, the flame, ash and glaze have the rabbits disappearing and then re emerging around the pot.
This collaboration has been an enriching, challenging and learning experience for both of us.
PS: Rabbits choose not to make burrows in clay.
Rachel Black & Timothy Dell
Title of Artwork: Sitting here with you
Artwork Dimensions: 70 x 70
Medium: oil on canvas
Price: $1600
This artwork has an audio section*
Artist Statement:
Rachel’s art is concerned with the inner world; her materials are thoughts, sensations and emotions. She considers the creation of the self and one’s life to be the ultimate work of art.
Timothy’s art is concerned with the exploration of what is seen and felt. His painting directly deals with notions of movement and stillness, silence and sound.
In our multi-media piece, ‘Sitting Here With You’, we have paired a looped recording of our ‘co–sensing’ conversation over Zoom with Tim’s abstract painting responding to the conversation. The co–sensing conversation provides a framework to bring awareness to our senses, our internal world, and the present moment. Statements may include anything observed from our ‘sensing self’, sight, sound, sensation, smell, taste, or anything from our ‘thinking and emotional self’. The conversation creates a temporary sound portrait of the two artists at a particular place and time. Timothy's abstract painting is inspired by their shared moment in time, space, and movement through gesture and design.
Rachel and Timothy's collaboration, as a whole, is an abstraction of time, place, and connection. With the combination of sound and paint as materials, the moment in time is evoked in the viewer’s imagination through the suggested and the abstracted.
Heather Horrocks & Tobias Horrocks
Title of Artwork:
(ho)rrocks/paper/scissors #1
(ho)rrocks/paper/scissors #2
Artwork Dimensions: below
Medium: wall-mounted box 600 x 600 x 350mm, objects various sizes
plinth 500 x 500 x 1200mm, objects various sizes
Price: $1500 each (individual objects)
Artist Statement:
Tobias Horrocks folds cardboard. His architectural forms display the baroque work of his mother, Heather Horrocks, who crochets using discarded VHS tape.
Tobias works with museums, retailers and event management companies on installations that help reduce their carbon footprint. He has exhibited widely as an artist and received a number of major commissions. A Ballarat High School alumni, he recently returned to Ballarat with his partner, bringing his successful practice with him.
In 2023, Heather, with long-term friend and photomedia artist Karenne Ann, exhibited images of her absurdist masks as one half of the ISOyoh collaboration in Ballarat Art Gallery for the Ballarat fotobiennale. They were finalists in the 2024 Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) 2024 Bowness Prize. Heather returned to Ballarat seven years ago after living 20 years in Footscray.