We have a special episode today – a live recording of the launch for Issue 641 of the The Journal of Australian Ceramics (JAC), Adelaide on Kaurna Land, 3 May 2025 (election day!). 

The afternoon launch event included a visit to the APY Studio Adelaide, including meeting some of the Blak Manta artists featured in JAC issue 641. Then we headed to Es Ceramics studio visit to see a throwing demonstration from Guy Ringwood.

Next stop was The Wheaty for a panel discussion on the journal theme INDUSTRY & STORY with Alison Smiles, Dee Taylor-Graham, Guy Ringwood and Jo Crawford facilitated by JAC's editor Montessa Maack and Myself (Jane) and supported by WA's own Matt Russell. Introduced by the CEO of The Australian Ceramics Association (TACA) Diamando Koutsellis. 

APY Studio Adelaide @collectiveartcentre @apy_ac_collective & Alfred Lowe @aforalfie

Es Ceramics Studio @es_ceramics_australia  

Guy Ringwood  @ringwoodartsco

Alison Smiles @alisonsmilesoften

Dee Taylor-Graham @waldies.school

Jo Crawford @unisa.art

Montessa Maack @montessamaack

Matt Russell @mattrussell7

Diamando Koutsellis @diamando

The Wheatsheaf Hotel @thewheaty

Just a heads up – the sound does get a bit better as it goes on. The Wheaty is a pub on a main road and on a flight path!

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Talk to us via email [email protected] or DM @birdsofclay_podcast

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Rora @aurora_elwell

Jane @jane.orme.pottery

In this episode, we sit down with celebrated Brisbane-based ceramic artist Clairy Laurence, whose bold, expressive sculptures elicit dreams, fairytales, and the surreal. Known for her richly detailed figures and distinctive visual language, Clairy shares the story behind her artistic evolution—from early apprenticeship days to her full-time practice, and her deep roots in Brisbane’s creative community. We delve into her memories of Amfora Gallery, her role in the Field Trip space, and the development of her unmistakable style. Clairy also reflects on the joys and challenges of teaching, the shifting landscape of Australian ceramics, and the development of an artistic voice. 

Instagram: @clairylaurence & @fieldtrip.gallery

https://www.clairylaurence.com/

We head down to Meanjin (Brisbane) to visit the amazing Laura Pascoe at Vacant Assembly, a hybrid arts working space in the vibrant and changing suburb of West End. Laura embraces a sensitive approach to her making, drawing on the Australian landscape. She also has a passion for holding space for others to create and exhibit. Our rich chat covers many topics including the intersection of architecture and clay, community, making, woodfiring and life as a creative.

Laura Pascoe is a Meanjin (Brisbane)-based ceramic artist, interior designer, and art curator with a background in architecture. She blends creativity with community, using her expertise in interior design, art selection, and ceramics to foster collaboration and authenticity through her work and the gallery she co-founded, Vacant Assembly.

https://www.laurapascoe.au/

https://www.instagram.com/la.pascoe/

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Talk to us via email [email protected] or DM @birdsofclay_podcast

Find us on instagram

Rora @aurora_elwell

Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Rora and Jane finally get the chance to sit down and catch up. 

The beginning of 2025 has been a little rocky and both of our lives seem to be dominated by lots of teaching. So teaching? What role does it play in our practice? What about balance? How do we teach? What do we teach and when do we teach? It's a rambling ride of a chat but hope you get something from it.

If you have feedback, ideas or just feeling like sharing, please reach out. 

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Talk to us via email [email protected] or DM @birdsofclay_podcast

Find us on instagram

Rora @aurora_elwell

Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Today we chat with the multi-talented Larissa Warren. We delve into hearing all about her recent commission at HOTA, what it's like being a regional artist, and how she lives a creative life. Larissa also shares her passion for research - examining clay, people and history and speaks about her curation of an upcoming national touring exhibition. We are so grateful for this chat and are taking away some great advice for our own practices!

Check our Larissa's show 'Echos of Place' at Gallery Smith in Prahan, Melbourne until April 19th, 2025. 

Larissa Warren is a ceramicist, curator, writer and art teacher, working from her home studio in an underground bunker on Tamborine Mountain, Queensland. Larissa has gained national recognition through exhibitions and media coverage. She won Ceramic Arts Queensland’s Siliceous Award for Ceramic Excellence in 2018 and HoTA: Home of the Arts in Surfers’ Paradise commissioned a major body of her work for Here and Now: Gold Coast Triennial. She has published in the Queensland History Journal, Pottery Making Illustrated, Australiana and Australian Journal of Ceramics. She is curating an upcoming national touring exhibition with Museums & Galleries Queensland, featuring 12 mid-career ceramic artists who respond to local histories and clays.

ratbagstudios.com

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Talk to us via email [email protected] or DM @birdsofclay_podcast

Find us on instagram

Rora @aurora_elwell

Jane @jane.orme.pottery

This episode we're speaking with Ipswich ceramic artist, Isis Reading. Using very few tools other than her hands, Isis creates uniquely figurative functional and sculptural ceramics, thoughtfully finished with an array of hand-made glazes. We discuss how Isis uses her creative practice to support her family, how she maintains a positive outlook and how she has cultivated a creative, slow, love-filled lifestyle. 

If you'd like to follow her work or stay notified on her markets, check out Isis on instagram: @eyes_of_isis_ 

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Talk to us via email [email protected] or DM @birdsofclay_podcast

Find us on instagram

Rora @aurora_elwell

Jane @Jane.orme.pottery

Today we chat with Ruby Yeh! We discuss Ruby's experience growing up as Taiwanese Australian and the pressure she has felt around achieving.  We also delve into art prizes, chat about dealing with self doubt, and hear about Ruby's adventures. 

(Sorry for the background noise - it's hard to find a quiet place in the big city!)  

Ruby Yu-Lu Yeh is a Taiwanese-Australian ceramic artist in Meanjin/ Brisbane. She uses wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques to create and develop works that can be sculptural and functional. Ruby’s current exploration focuses on creating vessels with texts as a form of meditation, investigating an internal dialogue between her Eastern upbringing and Western education. Ruby has exhibited in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Japan and Taiwan. She was a finalist in the National Emerging Art Prize (2021 and 2023) and a finalist with a Highly Commended Award in The Siliceous Award for Ceramics Excellence (2023). She won the City of Townsville Art Collection Award in the North Queensland Ceramic Awards (2024). She is also a student of Urasenke Chado (Japanese tea ceremony) under the guidance of Sensei Tomoko (Soho) White. Ruby worked for editor Montessa Maack as the assistant editor for The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 63 No 3, November 2024.

Website: https://www.yehceramics.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yehceramics/ 

Email: [email protected]

'Raising Kids and Making Pots' article:  https://australianceramics.com/assets/parenting-article-in-full-jac-633.pdf

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Talk to us via email [email protected] or DM @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Welcome to 2025 and our second season!

In this episode we're having a cuppa and catching up. Chatting about the busy end of 2024, current projects, and goals and expectations of 2025. We have some wonderful interviews coming up that we're very excited for and fingers crossed a wonderful new way to support the podcast through Patreon coming soon.

Thanks for supporting us, we're so excited for this season!

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Talk to us via email [email protected] or DM @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Welcome to Clay Connections, our short side series.

In this episode we are chatting with the wonderful Holly Macdonald. At the time of recording, Holly was undertaking a residency at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop https://www.ssw.org.uk/.  We chatted about this experience, working with clay through performance, community practice and the ups and downs of living a creative life. A wonderful inspiring chat!

Holly Macdonald is an independent artist working across ceramics, performance, interdisciplinary collaboration and community practice. Through her practice she explores the dynamic relationship between maker, material, and place. By following clay into often unknown sculptural outcomes, Holly aims to foreground material agency and remain open to what we might learn about ourselves and our world from working with such a soft and responsive material.

Currently based in Muloobinba/ Newcastle, Holly has exhibited work throughout Australia including at Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Lake Macquarie's Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima, Cement Fondu, Firstdraft and Sabbia Gallery. They have undertaken residencies in the Northern Territory, France, Belgium and most recently at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Scotland. 

As well as maintaining a studio practice, Holly teaches ceramics and has contributed time and enthusiasm to organisations such as The Australian Ceramics Association, The Creator Incubator (Muloobina/ Newcastle) and kil.n.it Experimental Ceramics, Sydney. She is a graduate of the National Art School and holds an Honours degree in Fine Art from RMIT.

https://www.instagram.com/h_ollymacdonald/

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Talk to us via email [email protected] or DM @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Welcome to Clay Connections, our short side series.

Today we chat with the very talented Samuel Leighton-Dore. Sam is a screenwriter, director and interdisciplinary visual artist based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, living and working on the lands of the Kombumerri families from Yugambeh Language Region.
 
Sam's calmness, warm nature and humour shine through while we chat about vulnerability, toxic masculinity, social media and our struggles with boundaries.

Please check out the below links, especially the smile tiles - they really do make you smile.

https://www.instagram.com/thesmiletiles/
https://www.instagram.com/samleightondore/
https://www.sadmanstudio.com

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help now, call triple zero (000). You can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14 — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can also find other supports here https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/mental-health-helplines

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Talk to us via email [email protected] or DM @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery