Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources

 

Handpainted Owl pot – Lindy Rontji

 

The culture of the Australian indigenous peoples is deeply entwined with their landscape, plants and animals. The rugged, ancient land has a vastness that conveys a sense of the pervasive power of the elements and time.
You could venture to say that the ancient landscapes of Australia have aged gracefully. Despite the ravages of time, there remains a vitality and defiance in the features of the land, highlighted by the ubiquitous bold ochre colours and slashes of vivid hues from the wildflowers and also reflected in the expansive smooth surfaces of the eroded rocks. The eternally elegant gumtrees are locked in synch with the timelessness of the land, reflecting a spirit of survival which is also expressed with smooth, strong trunks that are juxtaposed against the raw, rocky terrains. The distinctive landscapes are a vision of endurance and seem to stretch into infinity and have more hues and subtle tones in their palette then the green European landscapes. The enchanting vistas are simultaneously unfathomable and alienating while remaining inclusive and embracing. Birds have survived in these inhospitable environments along with many unique Australian animals through formidable adaptation and by virtue of the massive underground water table ( 1/3 of the continent) which feed the creeks, billabongs and springs.

 

Flinders Ranges, SA – Hans Heyson

This natural and wild environment has acted as a source of inspiration for many Australian and overseas artists. The pottery art of the indigenous artists based in Hermansburg, in the remote Anada region of the Northern Territory, Central Australia, vividly expresses their connection to their environment. I once witnessed a 7 ft tall red kangaroo on a remote beach in Western Australia in its natural environment and from a distance of a few metres it was an impressive animal that left an indelible impression. Along with the koala, it was a popular inclusion in the decoration of the Mid Century Australian pottery. Below I’ve included ceramics and sculptures and photos showing the diversity of the Australian landscapes and animals along with images of some of the lesser known Australian animals such as the Quokka and the Numbat.

 

 

Handpainted outback vista pot – Irene Entata

Hermannsburg Potters, NT

 

 

 

‘Bilbi’ – Irene Entata

Hermannsburg Potters, NT

 

 

 

Titjarritjarra (Willy Wagtail Dreaming)’ — Anita Ratara

22cm height

 

 

“This work depicts my traditional Country, Palm Valley, west of Hermannsburg”. -Hayley Coulthard Panangka, 2016

Western Aranda artists of Ntaria

Photography by Tobias Titz Photography.

 

 

‘New Marks’ by The Hermannsburg Potters

 

 

Lidded parrot vessel – Hermannsburg Potters

 

 

Terracotta Jar with owl lid and motif – Hermannsburg Potters

 

 

 

Lidded vessel with an Echidna – Judith Pungkarta Inkamala

 

 

 

Wedgetail eagle – Judith Pungkarta Inkamala

 

 

 

Frilled neck lizard jar – Rahel Ungwanaka

Hermannsburg Potters, NT

 

 

 

‘Red Dress Girl’ by Judy Prosser

 

 

Goanna vase – Aboriginal artist Tammy Kealy Kiralaa

 

 

 

Hand carved Koala’s ornament – Artesania Rinconada

Uruguay

 

 

 

‘Banksia Grevillea Bell Vase’ – Janet De Boos.

Thrown porcellaneous stoneware, black underglaze, terra sigillata, sgraffito, clear glaze,

 

 

 

 

Barrier Reef jug

 

 

Aboriginal arts platypus vase

Tatiana Lou – ebay

 

 

Raku jar, bunny figure lid – Jane Sabey

South Australia

 

 

 

Black Galah wood sculpture – Valley Reserve, Melbourne

7.3 ft tall

 Artist?

 

 

 

Two convex laser cut metal sculpture ‘Pendant’ disks

The Flower Garden

 

 

Reclining wombat sculpture – Chris Stubbs

 

 

Cockatoo metal sculptures – Kooper Tasmania

Height 1 metre

Kooper Tasmania is a creative partnership between Folko Kooper and Maureen Craig.

 

 

Blue Budgies glass birdbath – Kooper Tasmania

 

 

 

Emu sculpture – Kooper Tasmania

 

 

 

‘Land of the Budgies’ – Erica Evans

 

 

 

‘Feeding Cocky’ sculpture – Folko Kooper and Maureen Craig (Kooper Tasmania)

 

 

 

Pelican sculptures – Kooper Tasmania

Corten-steel, 8m wing spans,

 

 

 

Galah and Cocky vase – Anita Reay

 

 

‘Arrernte welcoming dance, entrance of the strangers’, Alice Springs, Central Australia

Photographers – Walter Baldwin, Spencer and Francis J Gillen – 1901

 

 

 

Kangaroo and joey  – Lisa Larson

 

 

 

Peter Ferguson

 

 

 

Stoneware handpainted parrot plate

 

 

 

‘Laughing Kookaburra’ mug – Ian Bell

 

 

 

‘Wombat’ – Ian Bell

 

 

‘Lyrebird’  ( mimic extraordinaire)  – William T. Cooper

 

 

 

Kookaburra figurine – Hebb

 

 

 

‘Tassie Devil’ – Anita Ray

 

 

 

Salt and Pepper Owl Shakers – Kanga

 

 

 

‘Wombat’ – Silvio Apponyi

Maroochy Botanic Gardens, QLD

 

 

 

Koala in a ghost gumtree

 

 

 

Quokka feeding at Rottnest Island, WA

 

 

 

Natural rocks – Kangaroo Island

 

 

 

Striped ‘Numbat’, Australia

 

 

‘Mischief’ zookini sculpture – Jenny Orchard

 

 

 

Large Lucas Daisy Ware vase

 

 

 

‘Conference of the Birds’ charger – Barbara Swarbrick

 

 

Retro Australian Banksia Decorated dish – ‘the antique store West Pymble’

1950’s

 

 

‘Conference of the Birds’ vase by Barbara Swarbrick

 

 

 

 

Owl sculpture, corten steel, on stone plinth – Kooper Tasmania

 

 

 

‘Spheroid’ sculpture Kooper Tasmania

1.8 metres tall

 

 

 

Adriana Christianson ceramic bowl

 

 

 

Yuparli – Eunice Napangardi

 

 

 

Clay statue merged with a tree – William Ricketts Sanctuary

 

 

Irishman Alan Dizon in Australia – underwater seal selfie

 

 

 Alan Dixon with smiling wallaby.

 

 

 

Quokka selfie @ Alan Dixon

 

 

 

A seagull sharing a chip with a cockatoo – Alan Dixon selfie

 

 

Irishman downunder Alan Dixon meets with a white kangaroo

 

 

 

Vintage Possum Pots plate – Bev Puckridge and Ian Winter

Sold @ Bemboka Pottery

 

 

South Lagoons vessel with teabowl

Jeff Mincham

 

 

‘Arrkingarra (barn owl)’ – Lindy Rontji Panangka

Terracotta and Underglazes

Photography © Tobias Titz Photography.

 

 

A rather regal looking koala paperweight – Royal Crown Derby

 

 

”The legend of Albatross Bay’ – Thanakupi

The big legends of my country are often about the birds: Emu, Brolga, and many others. In this sphere you can see the foods as well, yams, yam seeds, small fruits, and others. – Thanakupi

 

 

‘Wacombe the bushman and Ndhwalan the dingo’ – Thanakupi

 

 

‘Emu Corroboree Man’ – Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri

Early 1970’s

see more Australian aboriginal art here

 

 

 

A Ponga Ponga woman carries a pet possum, Northern Territory, 1922

 

 

 

Possum Jug – Melrose Art Pottery

1932-42

 

 

A huge Rainbow Serpent painted on the roof of a cavern, extending down into the sandstone overhang, Mount Borradaile, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia

 

 

 

Large Goanna lizard sunbaking – Ben Pearse

Blue Mountains, NSW

 

 

 

‘Bunabiri’ Australian aboriginal art plate -Westminster Fine China

 

 

 

 

Echidna ceramic sculpture Aleida (Liddy) Wright

 

 

Endangered Spotted Tiger Quoll

 

 

 

George Nissen-•-Inventor of the Trampoline jumping with his Kangaroo

 

 

 

Noongar artist Laurel Nannup’s sculpture ‘First Contact’

Elizabeth Quay–Perth

 

 

Young Tasmanian devil joey intrigued by falling snow

 

 

 

 

 

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