In early 2013, Professor Ted Snell invited me to join a group of Western Australian ceramic artists for an exhibition titled Here&Now14 at the Lawrence Wilson Gallery. Despite my initial apprehension, I recognised this as a wonderful opportunity and accepted with enthusiasm.
The exhibition was set to open in July 2014 and run through September. At the time, I was teaching ceramic classes at North Metropolitan TAFE and did not have my own studio. My connection to North Metropolitan TAFE, as a graduate (of what was formerly Perth Technical College) and a current lecturer, was crucial in securing an Artist in Residence space in the main ceramic studio. This allowed me to create the work I would exhibit in Here&Now14.
During the twelve month residency, I created heavily textured spherical forms inspired by the land and seascapes of my West Coast Australian upbringing. These forms were displayed on a curved plinth in the center of the Lawrence Wilson Gallery, with Pippin Drysdale’s expansive ten meter panorama as a backdrop. The contrast between the delicate porcelain panorama and my central installation of large, textured forms was deeply moving for me and highlighted the skills I had developed through years of collaboration with Pippin and my own clay journey.
The interplay between these forms and the Western Australian landscape also captured the attention of Chris Malcom, the director of the John Curtin Gallery. On the opening night of Here&Now14, Chris approached Pippin and me with an invitation to create a body of work that celebrated our ceramic practices, which would be featured in a major exhibition at the John Curtin Gallery in 2018.