Frederik Wantzel

in interview…

Q. What is the best thing about making pottery?

A. For me it is a therapeutic escape from the ordinary or stressful things in life. I also like the tactile nature of the medium. It is good to set aside time for an activity that elevates us to the world of art and craft and thinking differently about things. It is not so much about creating objects but how we engage our minds in creating them (and getting our hands dirty ).

Q. Wheel throwing or hand building?

A. I admire the skills of people doing wheel work, I have never done any wheel work at all. However I enjoy the fact that hand building requires no equipment and anybody can do it almost anywhere. You can go away on a weekend and take a piece of clay with you and that is all you need.

Q. Tell us about your techniques.

A. My hand building involves taking little pieces of clay and adding it till it eventually becomes the complete work. I also enjoy the primitive technique of firing small things in the backyard in the coals of a fire. I tend to fiddle too much with my sculptural work after I finished the basic form so I am trying to improve my technique by "letting go" at an earlier stage.

Q. What is the best thing about being a member at PSP?

A. The best thing about PSP is the opportunity to engage with its members - I have had some wonderful and fun conversations on every topic imaginable while working with members in the evenings, I wish I had more time for that.

Being part of such a creative group is very stimulating, especially if I see the talent and diversity of things our members create for our exhibitions.

Francesca Geromino

in interview…

Q. When was your first experience with clay?

A. Since I was 5 years old, I used to travel every year for a couple of weeks in Tuscany and Umbria. I remember being fascinated by the artisans in the main streets of the small towns, working on the wheels and selling their amazing Majolica.  

I had to wait until 27 years old to be able to attend my first ceramic course, thanks to a local Potter who opened a small studio in my hometown.

Q. What does your work aim to say?

A. My work is a hymn to nature. Organic shapes, colours that reminds my Sea and Mediterranean herbs I printed in the clay. It's a romantic memory of my land.

Q. Tell us about your techniques?

A. I use hand building techniques like slabbing and coiling. My main creations consists in plates, vases and mugs.

Q. Do you plan ahead for your ceramic creations?

A. No, I don't. It's very spontaneous. At the beginning of each collection, pieces just happen to arrive. I have periods were I experiment a lot, without thinking to the final result. Then I would pick one specific design and reproduce it multiple times but each piece would be different from each other.

Q. What do you appreciate the most about Perth Studio Potters?

A. I appreciate being part of such an old ceramics club and being part of a very knowledgeable community. I feel like I can learn a lot.

Q. If you were a glaze?

A. I would definitely be a crackle turquoise!!


Irene Schneider

in interview…

Q. What do you like most about pottery? 

 A. Pottery is my meditation. Its calm mindfulness process and grounding effects brings you completely into the present moment of clay sensual exploration.  

Through my experiences of pottery and teaching yoga + meditation I started holding clay meditation circles to share this experience with others and use clay as an anchor into the present moment. 

Q. How would you describe your ceramics? 

A. My style has evolved over the years; initially my style was heavily influenced with Scandinavian and Japanese design - functional, clean white, minimal form playing with pastel colours and using predominantly porcelain. I still love this aesthetic however over the past few years I love to explore more organic forms, recycled clays with more texture and earthy colours. 

Q. In what circumstances did you start pottery?  

A. I started my first pottery classes when I was a tiny 6 year old and I still remember the piggy bank I made and was so proud of. Then in uni I studied product design and reconnected with clay with the love of clay's potential to explore form and shape. I have been coming to PSP classes on and off for almost 20 years!

Q. If you were a clay/glaze what would it be? 

A. I would be a matt pastel pink porcelain.



Kelly Andrews

in interview…

Q.  Do you plan ahead for your ceramic creations?

A.  I think about what I’m going to make before I start. I usually do some sketches and make a few notes. This is to remind me of the idea rather than a structured approach. I only ever handbuild so the process is gradual, and I often change the form as it progresses. I use different clays so these influence the finished work.

 

Q.  What subjects inspire you to create your ceramics?

A.  Just about everything! Everything around me suggests another idea. It may be a walk along the beach looking at the patterns in the sand, a shape on the skyline, inspiration is everywhere. I admire those artists who develop their work consistently, but it doesn’t seem to work for me.

 

Q.  What is the best thing about making pottery?

A. One of the best things for me is that you can take a lump of clay and with simple tools make it into a vessel or an ornament and know this is the same technique that has been used for thousands of years. This link with a 5000-year-old Chinese pot is fascinating in this age of technology.

 

Q.  What is the best thing about being a member of PSP?

A.  Contact with so many talented people. The generous sharing of information. The mix of different people, different generations, different backgrounds. Humor and friendship.



Jeanne Powell

in interview…

Q. When and where did your interest in clay begin?

A. With marriage, migration and motherhood sorted, my long wished for journey in ceramics finally got underway in 1971 when I found myself in Albany for a couple of months with not a lot to do.  The Albany Potters group welcomed me into their world of clay,  buckets and pots of glaze, an electric kiln and firing charts on the wall.  I noted them all.  The local library had 25 pottery  books on the shelf. I read them all. In those few weeks I filled and fired the kiln then returned to my island home with clay with which to play. 

The next year I bought a kiln, 13”x13”x13”, electric.  Logistics became my problem.  Island life is such that everybody knows and most want a go.!!!  Keen to not let my hobby cost the family, I immediately started giving lessons.  Six people for six weeks for $6 plus expenses per person.   I was deeply indebted to my one time neighbour and life member of PSP, Jane Hall, for doing my shopping for me over 12 years!

 

Q. Which ceramic artists have inspired your pottery path?

A. Although I was largely self taught, Ian McCrae of Beaufort Pottery in Perth  sailed into Flying Fish Cove and gave us a demonstration. I also attended workshops whenever I was in WA - notably by Bela Kotai whose altered forms and ambitious scale were impressive, and Robin Hopper whose use of slip really caught my interest.

Q. Do you have a favourite pottery technique? 

A. Once living in Perth I joined the Perth Potters Club and enrolled at the Carine College of Tafe where I really enjoyed the wood firing and technology. Line blends and triaxials are my idea of good fun. 

I have always been more interested in the how than quantity production and regard myself as Jill of all trades and Mistress of none. The fact is that I have enjoyed it all - what more could I want?


Valerie Schoenjahn

in interview…

Q: In what circumstances did you start pottery?

A: I started pottery after having my first baby. He was 5 weeks old I think, and I really needed a reason to leave the house and do something for myself for a couple of hours a week.  I struggled settling in as a mother, and the creative expression in clay helped me find a link back to myself, which I have held onto since then. 

Q: Wheel throwing or hand building?

A: I have a strict 'no rules apply' when it comes to working with clay. I am very irresponsible, mixing different techniques, dabbling, and finding my own way. I like to be process driven and to experiment.  My work is mostly non-functional and I think my playful approach shines through in my sculptures.

Q: What is the best thing about making pottery?

A: To me, the best thing about making pottery is that direct connection of my head to my hands, and my hands into a bit of earth.  Working with clay is real and immediate. My thoughts become actions that create forms. It is very satisfying, especially in our current environmental and political context, where we understand the scale of many things, but feel unable to change any of them.

Q: What do you like most at PSP?

A: The diverse community of members is what really draws me to PSP. I really enjoy the network of different people coming together, being passionate about the same thing. Whether you are 25 and just starting out, or 75 and have been potting most of your life, there is common ground and stories to share, which I find so interesting and valuable.


Jane Aitken

in interview…

Q. When was your first experience with clay?

A. I first started pottery in my early 20’s doing a few beginner courses at the Fremantle Arts Centre.  I then went on to the Claremont School of Art doing Ceramics and Sculpture for 4 years where I incidentally met my husband.  It was a fantastic facility with great teachers and is where I developed my skills in wheel throwing.

Q. Best thing about being a member of PSP

A. I had a long break from Ceramics as my children were growing up but about 10 years ago, a friend told me about a pottery club in Cottesloe called Perth Studio Potters and said I should go back and do some classes to refresh my skills and see if it reignited the flame.

Well I can say it was the best thing for me.  PSP has such a wonderful community of like-minded people who always offer encouragement and ideas and there is such an incredible range of talent amongst our members.

The club facilities are fantastic along with the ability to display and sell your work in the gallery.

I am very grateful that I am a member of this wonderful club.

Q. Wheel throwing or hand-building?

A. My ceramics are generally functional but I also like the sculptural ability.  I often throw my pieces on the wheel and then alter them at leather hard stage.

Over the years I have done a number of painting classes through the Fremantle Arts Centre and I tend to switch my focus between painting and ceramics and use my ceramic pieces as a canvas.

My love of the natural world and in particular the West Australian flora has brought me to represent our wildflowers onto my pieces using a variety of techniques including, sgraffito, Mishima and Nerikomi. 

My latest work is now incorporating three dimensional additions.

Ceramics has limitless potential and is what drives me to keep exploring the never-ending possibilities this craft has to offer.



We acknowledge the Whadjuk people as the Traditional Owners of the greater Walyalup area and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still important to the living Whadjuk people today.  We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.