Alistair Whyte enriches us on his origins towards becoming a master potter.   

"I have been working as a potter for what seems a lifetime, and get great pleasure from it. My skills come from years spent studying and working in Japan learning fine porcelain techniques, though I make a diverse range of ceramics in stoneware, earthenware, raku, and by pit firing. I also gain much satisfaction having people use my work for everyday life. For me, function and use is an important reason to make pots. My studio reflects my nature and the satisfaction I get from spending time there. I hope you will come and visit so that you can gain some insight into my world and the pots I make.  

♦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alistair_whyte/  

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together!

♥ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast/

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Painter and Potter Susannah Paterson gives us an insight into working with multiple mediums in the Fine Arts industry.  

Susannah Paterson spent three years at TAFE college studying Fine Art and Ceramics (2004 - 2007), numerous workshops and courses with some of Australia's finest teachers. Since 2016 she has attended the Open Studio Program at Brookvale TAFE (Northern Beaches) Ceramics Department under the guidance of Master Potter Christopher James.  

"I have always been a dreamer, and influenced by the imaginal worlds. I was born into a Scottish Highland farming family and sent to an English boarding school at the age of 8. My parents were divorced and both remarried . My father remained on the farm in Scotland, and my mother moved to London, married a jazz pianist and lived a bohemian life. It was between the stark contrast of these three lives that I found refuge in the creative - dreams, fantasy, music, stories and art." - Susannah Paterson.  

She became a Psychotherapist in the early 1990s and have very recently retired. It is no surprise that my work in this field greatly influences her art practice. Susannah Paterson  explores ways to integrate painting and pottery more and more, either through painting images from my paintings onto large platters, or using those wheel thrown platters as canvases. She also enjoy making Dogimals (dog-like animals) as a way of honoring animals.   

"My work is always evolving. I am obsessed with color, emotions and the need to keep drawing the viewer’s attention , as I might have drawn a client’s attention to what is unseen, unexpressed, invisible and what has potential and infinite possibility." - Susannah Paterson.  

♦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susannahpatersonpaintsandpots/  

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together!

♥ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast/

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Euan Craig shares with us his story of clay.   

Euan Craig, born 1964 in Melbourne Australia, grew up in the historic pottery town of Bendigo in Central Victoria. Due to family illness, his own asthma and wide exposure to the disabled, from an early age Euan addressed questions of existence and social values. As a result, at the age of fourteen he chose Pottery as a career path, not because of what he wanted to do, but because of who he wanted to be. While working part time at local potteries to earn tuition fees, he pursued an education in pottery, finally graduating from the Latrobe University with a BA in Ceramic Design in 1985. Three days after graduation he opened his first Studio Pottery in the Northern Victorian town of Swan Hill.  

Influenced by the “Mingei” philosophy from his early career, in particular the healthy and natural beauty of functional art and the life style of potters like Shoji Hamada, Euan sold his pottery in Swan Hill to take up a position as production manager in a pottery in Mashiko, Japan in 1990. During that year he studied Japanese language intensively in his private time. In 1991 he was accepted as an apprentice “Deshi” by Tatsuzo Shimaoka, National Living Treasure. His time there studying the traditional process and the heart of Mingei has influenced his work philosophy ever since. After graduating from Shimaoka’s in 1992, he rented studios in Mashiko until establishing his own pottery there in 1994.  

Dedicated to a wholesome and environmentally responsible lifestyle and work process, he developed a 1 cubic meter fast fire “eco” wood kiln practical for a single person production pottery. In 2000 he moved his home and studio to a traditional farmhouse in the neighboring town of Ichikai, where he lived with his wife and four children until the earthquake and nuclear disaster of 2011. He has now established a new studio and earthquake resistant kiln in a 140 year old farm house in Minakami, Japan.  

Euan has held numerous solo and group exhibitions, taught workshops and summer schools and presented at art conferences and forums in Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and Denmark. He has also written and been featured in many articles for magazines, newspapers, radio and television in Japan, Australia, the United States and Europe. He is a member of the Japan Mingei Association and is recognized internationally as a master of Mashiko Mingei.  

♦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/euan.craig/  

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together!

♥ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast/

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Join us as we speak with talented and experienced potter Minna Graham.   

Born in NSW Australia, Minna grew up roaming a large rural property in the Snowy Mountains, immersed in a rich world full of nature and creativity. As a child any artistic endeavor was greatly encouraged which in turn instilled a need to create. To create became a necessary part of daily life. Exploring Australia during early adulthood Minna observed life in the remote and harsh landscapes of the country. 

Settling in Daylesford, Victoria Minna enrolled in a Diploma of Ceramics at the University of Ballarat in 2009. Upon completion in 2012, Minna was awarded the Brian McLellan Award for Outstanding Achievement.   

Over the following years, Minna has worked as a studio potter, her work collected by numerous galleries and private collectors. She is a founding member and Director of Clayspace -Daylesford and Region Ceramics Collective since 2010, and continued to work in this role until 2018.   

Minna regularly conducts workshops and classes for all age levels in various institutions and privately. Minna continues to travel and seek out cultures with strong ceramic traditions. Having completed ceramic courses in Japan, Minna has also spent time learning traditional pottery and firing techniques in Myanmar, East Timor, Cambodia, across South East Asia and Europe.   

In 2014 Minna undertook a further year of study at Federation University applying herself to a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in Ceramics. During the course of the year Minna was awarded the Albert Coates Memorial Award for Excellence, two Scholarships, as well as being inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society for high achievement in her field. Minna was awarded the Michael Hallam Award for Innovation in Ceramics in early 2018. Exhibiting regularly in both group and solo shows, Minna's work features in galleries and retail stores across Australia as well as international online stores, catalogues, publications and collections.   

Minna continues to work from her Daylesford studio where her work follows the seasons and nature is still her greatest influence. Minna's sensitivity to her surroundings is embodied in her work. Subtle changes in the seasons are perceived and responded to in every aspect of her arts practice.   

♦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minnagraham/  

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together!  

♥ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast/

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Today we have the honor to speak with Dana Lundmark about her wondrous journey in the world of clay. 

After completing her B.A. (UNSW) and her Diploma in Fine Arts, Dana has travelled extensively and has spent extended periods in studios in Paris, Florence, Krakow (Poland) and other places. Her travels are a great source of inspiration for her work. Her paintings have been exhibited in the Salon des Refusés, many times finalist in The Portia Geach Portrait Awards, and in various group and solo exhibitions. Her times in Paris resulted in the 2012 exhibition Paris Rooftops. Dana likes to work in all mediums and is very interested in figurative work.  

A chance introduction to clay in 2014 gave her opportunity to create sculptural and functional objects, allowing her to incorporate her years of painting knowledge into 3-dimensional art. Dana is very interested in sculptural, functional and decorative forms and likes to experiment with different clays and glazes. She enjoys the process of carving and altering hand-built and thrown forms.   

♦ Instagram 1: https://www.instagram.com/dana_lundmark/ 

♦ Instagram 2: https://www.instagram.com/crackpotstudiosandgallery/ 

♦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Crackpot-Studios-Gallery-100464282132925 

♦ Website: http://danalundmark.com/

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together!

♥ Patreon: www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast

♥ PayPal: bit.ly/donate_to_claystation_podcast

♥ Instagram: www.instagram.com/claystation_podcast

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We dig up some treasures today with raw materials expert Mike Mangion.   

♦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike.mangion.3   

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together!

♥ Patreon: www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast

♥ PayPal: bit.ly/donate_to_claystation_podcast

♥ Instagram: www.instagram.com/claystation_podcast

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We interview creative expert Kara Pryor and discuss her story of stories. 

Kara has been an artist since small, drawing from an early age and a love of sci fi and fantasy.  After the birth of her daughter, she discovered a pottery class in her local community center been taught by Sue Buckle.   From then on, there was no stopping her, her 2D pictures became 3D in clay.  Kara went on to study Ceramics full time at Northern Beaches TAFE, where she completed her Advanced Diploma in Ceramics in 2013.  Kara’s achievement at TAFE, was with the purchase from the TAFE of her magnificent Dragon. 

Kara is known for her characters, exhibiting great attention to detail with her design and color.  Kara uses underglazes and usually fires to earthenware or mid fire.  Kara combines throwing with her hand building to create her detailed characters. 

“My greatest pleasure is to see your reaction to my work, it normally brings a smile to your face” 

♦ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceramicsbykara 

♦ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeramicsbyKara   

♦ Website: http://www.ceramicsbykara.com.au 

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together!

♥ Patreon: www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast

♥ PayPal: bit.ly/donate_to_claystation_podcast

♥ Instagram: www.instagram.com/claystation_podcast

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Today on The CLAYSTATION Podcast we interview master artisan Suvira McDonald and delve into his rich history as a professional full time potter. 

Suvira’s work is a confluence of multiple ceramic techniques and disciplines: having produced a broad range of ceramics for over 25 years, it includes tableware, vessels for botanicals and plants, tea wares, funeraries and large vessels marking place. He also works in the architectural vein. His firings are with wood and gas maintaining an extensive palette of reduction glazes.

His work also explores the relationship of ceramics with landscape in not only visual and thematic terms but also of materiality. Beyond vessels, the explorations extend to sculpture and two dimensional landscapes. Throughout this period the study of form and relevant surface treatments has occupied his utmost attention.

He is not one to inhabit pigeon holes rather the versatility that becomes a practitioner who has been endlessly innovative over decades. With an individual tireless creative force, he has been influenced by Asian traditions, his Australian peers and teachers as well as the operative market requirements of the time.

He studied at Lismore TAFE and Southern Cross University, attaining his Masters Degree in 2000. He has a long exhibition history including as a curator and has project managed the installation of sculptural works. His work is in collections worldwide and has tutored classes ceramics at various levels until recently when woodfiring became his chosen platform for transmission.

Instagram: studiosuvira

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together!

♥ Patreon: www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast

♥ PayPal: bit.ly/donate_to_claystation_podcast

♥ Instagram: www.instagram.com/claystation_podcast

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Welcome to The CLAYSTATION Podcast! Join us as we interview Arun Sharma and delve into his career and thoughts on ceramics. 

Arun has lived and worked as an artist in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and the UK where he was awarded a US-UK Fulbright grant to research the Fragmented Figure at the National Center for Ceramic Studies at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff. 

Arun has received numerous grants, awards and residencies nationally and internationally and has been invited to lecture and teach at universities in the UK, USA and Australia. Arun Sharma now lives in Sydney and continues to exhibit his artwork nationally and internationally. He was also selected in the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale 2019 Korea. 

Arun Sharma’s autobiographical fine artwork revolves mainly around the figure. He examines birth and death and their relationship in the overall schema of human life. He is also interested in the relationship clay has to the human body, both physically and metaphorically. Using emotively beautiful work he elevates the viewer’s senses by drawing them into a world beyond the familiar, all the while presenting identifiable themes. 

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together! 

♥ Patreon: www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast 

♥ PayPal: bit.ly/donate_to_claystation_podcast 

♥ Instagram: www.instagram.com/claystation_podcast 

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Janet trained as a botanist before taking up ceramics. Her work expresses aspects of the Australian landscape. She writes: ‘I am transfixed by small flashes of colour in what may sometimes be seen as ‘drab’ country, as they draw me into an examination of the beauty of small things. This is a way to enter into a big landscape and a way to find one’s way in the world.’ 

After completing a science degree, Janet DeBoos studied ceramics at East Sydney (National Art School) in 1970/71. She has taught at and been in charge of ceramics at various colleges in Sydney (St George and Randwick TAFEs) and was Head Teacher at East Sydney when she retired from full-time teaching in 1980 to run a production pottery for almost 20 years. 

She has written three books on glazes (Glazes for Australian Potters, More Glazes for Australian Potters and Handbook for Australian Potters), been invited as a speaker at national and international conferences, and conducted workshops or demonstrations in most states of Australia, the USA and China. 

She is also an editorial consultant on Ceramics Technical and Ceramics-Art & Perception, and a regular contributor to these and other journals. She received Australian Research Council Grants in 1996, 1997 and 1998 to examine the stability of barium glazes. DeBoos exhibits regularly both in Australia and internationally and is represented in many major permanent public collections in Australia, UK, Canada, China, Taiwan, Belgium, and New Zealand. 

Join us as we interview Janet and delve into her career and thoughts on ceramics. 

SERENE CERAMICS is a studio service set to promote Talented Artists in the Industry. Bringing together and enabling artists to focus on making what they love. Like, Follow, Subscribe and support today! Become part of the community and let’s advance together!

♥ Patreon: www.patreon.com/m/claystation_podcast

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