jane annois tours

Jane Annois, lives in the bushland of outer Melbourne and comes with many talents. She has been a ceramic artist for over 25 years teaching at all levels. Since 2001, Jane has been running Marche de Potiers [Potters Markets] just like the ones in France here in Melbourne.

Jane spends large amounts of time between Australia and France where she shares her local knowledge of France, the culture, people and artists with guided tours each year.

Zoneone Arts is delighted to bring her thoughts to you...

Jane Annois Potters, Teacher, Expo Organiser & Tour Guide - Victoria, Australia

How would you describe your own pottery style.

I work in two styles: in raku, originally a Japanese firing technique but adapted to modern equipment and desired results. These pieces are more sculptural or decorative where I explore surface textures, contrast of colour and play with form.

The second style is “terre vernissee”, French tableware using traditional honey, green and blue glazes. These pieces are intended for everyday use and reflect the colours and style of the south of France.

What art qualifications do you have? How did you decide to become a potter?

The qualifications came after the decision to become a potter. I was always interested in pottery, making things with my hands, the practical and creative nature of pottery, and subsequently the history, cultural differences and the science behind pottery. I was already working as a potter when I decided that if I wanted to pursue it further professionally, and learn more about the processes, I needed a qualification.

I studied for a Graduate Diploma in Ceramic Design at Monash University in 1988/89. With ceramics I never stop learning. I attend workshops by my favourite artists, attend conferences and have learnt a lot from my involvement and work with the French ceramic artists.

Explain about your time in France where you learnt you craft?

I went to France in 1997 to work in a pottery studio and visit other ceramic artists. I was a French teacher in secondary schools in Melbourne, then taught English as a Second Language part time and worked as a potter part time. I went to France to use and improve my French and discover the French ceramics scene.

I spent a month working in a studio with artist Sylvie Deverchere in Bourgogne, throwing, decorating and learning how it works in France. I was able to meet many ceramic artists not only in Bourgogne, but also at La Borne, a ceramics centre in the middle of France, in Provence and the Rhone Alpes. I assisted at several ‘marches de potiers’ where I was inspired to begin a similar event in Melbourne. Since forming these friendships I have returned annually to France, to visit the potters, participate in the marche de potiers and eventually exhibit in galleries in France.

Pottery workshop at Cliousclat, Isabelle decorating.

Is there an artist who has influenced you?

There are several artists who have influenced me. In the raku technique and style it would be South Australian artist Jeff Mincham who pushed the boundaries with raku, creating large forms with intriguing textures. The other raku artist is Frank Boyden from USA, who introduced me to the technique of terra sigillata in raku, which instantly struck a chord and I have been pursuing it ever since. Jeff Mincham also said to me once, that ceramics enabled him to travel the world, sharing his knowledge, meeting some wonderful people and sharing his common interest. This has also inspired me and I have been fortunate to have had similar experiences.

With terre vernissee, my French friends Yves Gaget and Jean Jacques Dubernard from the Rhone Alpes ,have influenced and taught me a lot about the techniques. Jean Nicolas Gerard has inspired me in his freedom and strength of his work.

Participating in raku workshop at La Grange Dimiere with Fran Brunet

Explain how your knowledge of French culture, and the people has developed into tours of France where you network with French artists? Tell of several special moments that you have had during one of your tours?

I have always been a Francophile, majoring in French at University, spending a year in France before beginning a career as a French teacher.

I began taking Australian ceramic artists to France to visit ceramics studios, potters markets, and rural areas. This has taken off as the beginnings of a cultural exchange, which continues strongly today.

Pots drying in the sun at Cliousclat

Having participated in many French potters markets in the years leading up to the tours, I had met potters from all over France, and visited some of the most spectacular parts of France. During these markets, I stayed at the local potters homes, shared meals and enjoyed their company. The tours allow me revisit and maintain the contacts with all these people, introduce them to the Australians and vice versa.

The tours are quite personal where we are welcomed into artists’ homes.

Visiting the pottery studio and showroom of Jean and Catherine Mercion

Each time I go to France, I take time to visit new areas, take part in new events, and explore further options.

Many who have come with me, wished to return again but visit different regions of France

I have diversified to run tours with a music focus, going to the wonderful summer music festivals in France, particularly Jazz at Vienne; wine – visiting the Beaujolais, Bourgogne and Alsace regions; art – taking a professional artist as tutor, a mix of exploring the background of various French artists/museums/galleries and hands on painting and drawing, in Provence, the Dordogne, the Loire Valley and in Brittany [4 tours]; a gourmet tour with a French chef, gardens etc. However all the tours enjoy local cuisine and wines, artists, rural villages. I now have some people returning for their fourth tour.

Chateau Pommard

The tours go to the Rhone Alpes, Drome, Provence, Camargue, Dordogne, Loire Valley, Borgogne, Alsace, Languedoc, Cote d’Azur, Brittany and more.

As the tours are small, [max 8 people] we are able to be spontaneous, and take advantage of local events and surprises.

During the recent fete de la musique, the evening of the summer solstice where there are free music performances in the streets all over France, Jacques Long, husband of ceramic sculptor Brigitte Long, played guitar and sang the blues with fellow singer Elisa and band. I then asked Jacques and Elisa if they would perform for our Australian group. The special moment was our wonderful evening at Brigitte and Jacques’ house, a private performance, we all brought food and wine, just loved the music, all joining in at the end.

Music tour: Jazz at The Facteur Cheval: Robyn McKelle [June 2012]

Another special moment happened when we visited Montelimar, initially for its nougat, but then discovered the museum of contemporary art. One of our group was admiring a painting when the artist passed and struck up a conversation. He invited us to his solo exhibition in the countryside. After a few twists and turns, we came upon a Roman aqueduct carrying water to what was once a silk factory, of which there were many in the area during the 17th and 18th centuries.  This ancient building, remarkable for its architecture, housed his exhibition and that of another sculptor. Again a privileged experience, in an extraordinary environment.

Explain some of the similarities and differences between pottery in France and Australia.

We are all individual artists , each working in our own studio. The French say that we are free from the history and tradition, which can underpin and influence their work, that we are not restricted in any way. However the French artists may be informed by their history in their initial studies, but generally use the medium of ceramics to express themselves freely. As Australians we still look towards Europe and Asia for inspiration from ceramic history, and often follow similar trends and styles. Many regions of France do have distinctive styles derived from local clay deposits, traditions in kiln firing etc, but contemporary ceramic artists both French and Australian have moved beyond regional specifics to reflect concepts rather than location.

The main difference between the two countries is that the French are professional potters. They do not have a second job. Their sole income is from ceramics. Most have a “salle d’expo” or gallery showroom attached to their studio. Their sales come from the potters markets, galleries and their home gallery. In Australia there are very few who can make a living from ceramics alone. Most have a second job – often teaching.

Having said that the French are finding it much harder since the economic crisis, and may be forced into restructuring their work life.

Pottery studio of Isabelle Gatineau at Pelussin

Explain about the pottery expo, how it came about and how we can become involved?

The French could not believe that we did not have a potters market in Australia. It is an essential part of being a potter in France. It is a showcase for not only the public but for galleries and commissions. It is an opportunity for networking and socializing for a solitary occupation.

It provides a major percentage of a potter’s income. Work is selected and must be of the highest standard. Therefore it raises the quality each time, as it is difficult to be accepted. It is like the Olympics of the pottery world.

Jane at the Pottery Expo at Federation Square, Melbourne Australia, December 2011.

Yves Gaget and Jean Marc Plantier came to Australia in 2001 to help me get the first Pottery Expo off the ground. While in France I learnt the do’s and don’ts of the market. First it must be a Pottery Only event.  High quality, exhibition standard. Beautiful natural setting where the public will come, free entry.  Educational component. Clay hands on activities.  Food. And so on …….

Also your favourite galleries in Melbourne and a gallery/ies in France that you recommend?

In Melbourne, I explore Fitzroy and Collingwood galleries. Potier in South Melbourne, Lighfactory in Eltham.

In Paris Galerie Helene Poree near Odeon and La Celestine in rue St Paul, le Marais, Nadia B in Dieulefit in the Drome.

What does success mean to you?

Being able to live my desired lifestyle; to be able to share the best of France with others, and introduce new experiences; To make a difference. It is a thrill when people say that the trips have changed their lives.

I feel successful if I can spend summer in France doing all the things that I love and then summer in Australia. In between trips I can work in my ceramic studio and prepare the Pottery Expos.

My signature Zoneone Arts, question – what are the most important design elements? Please answer this question.

Harmony of surface and form. The contrast of texture and smoothness. Tactility. In a functional piece, it would be functionality and form. Simplicity, harmony of decoration/glaze with form. Balance.

How do you see your art evolving?

I am currently working collaboratively with two artists, I see my work as becoming more sculptural, preparing the surface for line drawings, developing textural surfaces.

The other style “Terre Vernissee” I would like to develop more in France, working alongside some of the French ceramic artists in this field. Ideally I would like to immerse myself for a few months and allow myself to experiment with techniques I have learnt. Who knows?

Inside Fondation Maeght, Vence

www.potteryexpo.com

Www.zestefrenchtours.com.

Jane Annois, Victoria, Australia,

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, August, 2012

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Other artists you may be interested in:

Harlinah Teoh Ceramics

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Frances priest ceramic artist, tina vlassopulos ceramics.

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Warrandyte ceramic artist Jane Annois opens studio as part of Nillumbik Artists Open Studio

CERAMIC artist Jane Annois combined her love of French with her love of ceramics after seeing 'rock star' potters at markets in France.

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CERAMIC artist Jane Annois always wanted to combine her love of French with her love of ceramics.

"My grandmother was a potter and my grandfather was an artist," Annois said.

"I studied French at university, but my fun thing was the pottery classes."

Annois has found a balance, travelling twice a year to France where she conducts ceramic, art, music, food, wine and language tours.

She also regularly attends and displays at potters markets in France, and in 2001 started the Melbourne Pottery Expo which is held annually on the banks of the Yarra.

Annois said French potters used their markets to promote and sell their work, but also to socialise and network with one another.

"I was blown away when I went to the first market, there were thousands of people there, you couldn't get close to the displays," she said.

"They (the potters) were like rock stars. And the French potters I met were shocked we didn't have anything like that here.

"The expo can really open the doors to people, especially when you consider it can be an isolating experience making pottery in your own studio."

Annois said the annual expo gave potters the impetus to make special work and expand their repertoire.

Annois' own work covers functional and decorative uses.

She practices raku, which is a Japanese decorative or sculptural form, and terre vernisse, traditional French tableware for everyday use.

"The terre vernisse features honey glazes and olivey coloured glazes on terracotta, and is very typical of what is used in southern France," she said.

When she is not travelling overseas, working in her studio or preparing for the Pottery Expo, Annois can be found as an artist in residence at local primary schools, helping students explore their own creativity.

"I like the variety of my work. I love being in the studio but I also like being out and doing things with other people," she said.

"I find it stimulating working with the kids, they always have great ideas."

Annois' studio , at 109 Kangaroo Ground Rd, North Warrandyte, will throw open its doors to the public as part of the Nillumbik Artists Open Studios weekends.

Details: 9844 2337.

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Exhibitors at a Glance

Sean Aitken

I strive to have my work achieve clean refined forms with elegant and beautiful proportions, inherent to this challenge is the selection of material and the combination of glazes and finishes to achieve the form and function desired.

Jane Annois

Jane is a ceramic artist from Warrandyte. She has taught ceramics in schools, TAFE Colleges and at Potters Cottage, Warrandyte. She has exhibited and given workshops internationally. Her ceramics are in the style of “Terre Vernissee’’ terracotta slipware, influenced by her time working and travelling in France. Jane has been running ceramic and art related tours to France since 2004 as ‘Zeste French Tours’ and has organised the Pottery Expo event in Warrandyte for the past 22 years. She is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics. Her work is primarily functional with rich honey and green glazes, with thick slip brushwork decoration. Her pieces are intended for the table to enjoy using everyday.

Tony Barnes

I work from my home studio making wheel thrown functional and one off pieces. I have made my living as a studio potter since 1977, and are still fascinated with the technical aspects of this craft. I currently work with fine stoneware clay, and use a range of traditional Chinese glazes that I have developed over the past 40 plus years.

Arnaud Barraud

Hand thrown porcelain and stoneware functional pottery

Pippas Pots

High fired wheel thrown tableware and sculptural forms. Slips, sgraffito and layered glazes are utilised to create interesting surfaces.

Froni Binns

I create porcelain jewellery using the Nerikomi technique of staining and patterning the clay body. Based in central Victoria, I came to ceramics over the past four years having previously studied fine art over 25 years ago. My work is both bold and delicate in the colour and designs in her pieces. my references range from geometric abstraction to the decorative design. By polishing, rather than glazing the pieces, the jewellery has a wonderful tactile quality for the wearer.

Raku and stoneware, functional and collectable. Emphasis on work that expresses the beauty of form and surface relationships.

Shireen Brown

State of Permanence was born from a simple love of everything clay. We design and create homeware ceramics with a balance between form and function that can be used on a daily basis, as well as placed as features within your home. We work with a neutral palette that celebrates clay for it's tactile and sensory experience, bringing interest through texture and light play. I hope that you get the same pleasure from my pieces.

Danni Bryant

A bespoke range of finely made, handbuilt functional and decorative wares displayed alongside evocative, suspended and freestanding sculptures.

Sarah Canham

Sarah has a passion for clay and in particular, experimenting with stamping and printmaking techniques on her hand built forms. Her work reflects her inspiration from the natural landscape, her family and community. The forms express her respect, awe and concern for native flora and fauna in Australia, and a human response to our surroundings. Recently, the theme of home has been explored in her hand built forms.

Josephine Cassar

I create wheel thrown functional dinnerware and decorative items for home decor. I take a minimalist organic approach to my work, focusing on the natural textures and tactile beauty of the clay mixtures and subtlety of the glaze mixtures to give each piece its own unique character.

Natasha Chant

Working from a studio nestled at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges, a ceramic artist I create sculptures with a focus on the form and the natural quality and colour of the clay. Pushing the clay to its extremes, my pieces are often tilted precariously, their asymmetry creating a feeling of tension and drama in an otherwise simple and organic form.

Adriana Christianson

I am a studio potter based in Croydon, an outer eastern suburb, near Mt Dandenong in Melbourne, Australia. All works are made and fired in my tiny studio, surrounded by a rambling garden and 1920's original farmhouse. I produce two different bodies of work - my functional production range and my hand decorated 'Bird' series porcelain range .

Katrina Climie

My work takes on the experiences and inspiration I have gathered over my lifetime. Making art in small batches and incorporating found objects makes up a large amount of my work. I have found that creating a variety of crazy and unexpected pieces can bring a smile to your face.

Daisy Cooper

Hand Built ceramics for the home. I create unique pieces that are inspired by the natural world, through colour, texture and shapes. Using traditional hand building techniques, each piece is made by hand, glazed by hand and designed to last a lifetime.

I work as a full-time potter from my Mirboo North studio in beautiful South Gippsland. In the past a great deal of my work was created through hand painting/drawing, slip trailing and carving techniques on stoneware and porcelain. A little over 10 years ago however, I decided to take myself out of my comfort zone and delve into the fascinating, intriguing and always challenging art of crystalline glazing. I was amazed by the chemistry, the technical precision and focus required by this glaze, while at the same time realising how random the final results could be, how little control I actually had. I found myself thoroughly drawn into this beautiful contradiction.

Ange Davidson

I like to explore the beauty of nature using clay to create soft and unique textured flowers, gum nuts, seeds and vases of different shapes and sizes. I enjoy the rawness and richness of the clay bodies I use and am passionate about bringing nature into our communal living spaces in a form which is both artistic and forever lasting. My flowers can be found in vase arrangements of different shapes, sizes and colours and can be enjoyed as single stems too.

I am a Melbourne based Ceramic Artist. Nature, family and relationships captivate. Expressing the relationships between form, maker and viewer drives the creative process.

Yvette De Lacy

I am an accomplished ceramicist who has been producing work under the name Mountain Clay for several years. I studied Ceramics at Victorian College of the Arts and went on to teach. I have worked in collections both here and overseas and recently was commissioned by Tarrawarra Museum of Art to make a range of work that featured the Tarrawarra landscape. I have an affinity with nature and the landscape and use my surroundings as stimulus for my work.

Kerrie Docker

Wheel thrown, stoneware fired, contemporary tableware with glaze on glaze decoration.

Penelope Duke

I am a New Zealand born ceramicist, now living and working in the Yarra Ranges. Using textured stoneware clays on the potters wheel, I create functional pieces designed to be useful as well as beautiful. Shadows and light play a large part in influencing the design of her pieces, with the simplicity of the work intended to bring peace, and to calm the mind of the viewer.

Mud Dept. creates ceramics for lovers of a slower life. I am a potter, artist and small batch maker, with a background in landscape architecture, who creates ceramics inspired by the beautiful mountains and forests of South East Australia. Mud Dept. ceramics are contemporary, earthy and textural, and designed to bring beauty into the ordinary everyday.Our work is made of earthy stoneware clays, mostly thrown on a pottery wheel and reduction fired.

Glenn England

I make both functional and decorative items in stoneware and porcelain. My work is largely influenced by the natural environment.

My work is focused on creating simple irregular forms and aligning the surface treatment to highlight and exaggerate the form. I am inspired by the colours of nature and the constant contrasting of colours it displays. My work is hand built using a variety of clays and fired to 1220degrees.

Toshiko Fujiyama

Using a rolling pin, I flatten balls of clay. These small round balls of clay become very thin pieces - each of them unique in appearance and shape. The individual pieces of clay are then crafted together - building and forming a flower vase creation. I hope you will enjoy arranging beautiful flowers in my vases.

Ann-Maree Gentile

Joyful, ceramic sculptures

Minna Graham

I respond to my natural surroundings by creating functional, contemporary forms and employing traditional techniques and practices. I use contrasting elements to achieve balance. I carve, tear, cut and rip to expose what is below the surface. Using slips, pigments, and glazes to create tonal contrasts and textures, I describe my emotional responses to contrasting seasons, cultures, and traditions.

Brent Harwood

I am from Wild vs Wild ceramics, I'm a relatively new potter who enjoys bringing new technology and techniques to this age old craft to create beautiful drink ware like you have never seen before.

Cathy Hayward

I am a Buffalo Ceramic Artist of thirty years' experience, who specialises in hand-thrown porcelain and stoneware. Her functional ware takes on a fluid sense of line while respecting the classic form but still incorporating a balance of organic and elegance.

Ana Maria Hernandez Y Jensen

I make a range of hand thrown domestic ware. All pieces are made by me in my studio in country Victoria.

Terunobu Hirata

I have been working in stoneware and porcelain for over 35 years. I originally worked as a chef for many years in Melbourne. My history as both a chef and potter has meant the use of my work is essential to my practice and each piece is made with careful consideration of both its form and function.

My one-off, hand-built pieces are adorned with inscribed lines, marks and textured painterly effects – achieved through the application of colours, slips and engobes, giving a natural openness and freedom of form that’s equally beautiful when viewed from all sides. I draw on, and am influenced by, the open space and freedom of a country upbringing. On discovery of ceramics, I was excited at the potential clay had in helping me to express his ideas through colour and form.

Corina Horstra

Colourful domestic ware, decorated using underglaze colours with a clear glaze on a mid fire clay.

Rosemary Irons

Mt Cooper Pottery features functional ceramics inspired by architecture and the urban and the natural environment. Unique clay blends and handmade glazes are influenced by the rich textures of redgum and eucalyptus trees and exposed volcanic rock. Large vases, bowls, beakers, cups, platters and plates feature textured and layered surfaces with smooth and silky or dry finishes.

Angie Izard

My work starts with wheel-thrown forms, after which I alter the surface by carving, sgraffito and painting with slip. The aim is to make tactile work that calls to be held and brought into everyday use. I blend a variety of stoneware clays to create a body that has strength and visual interest and then I fire in reduction to draw out the individuality of each piece. My work is a distillation of my daily activities, the pursuit of meaning and a desire to connect with life.

Platinum Flora - Impressed porcelain clay pieces inspired by our native garden that are finished with an onglaze platinum firing. My work is both decorative and functional - from small wearable art pieces through to larger sculptural vase forms and food presentation vessels.

Mim Johnson

I create high fired ceramic art, both functional and decorative. Her artwork highlights tactility of surface texture often inspired by the rugged Australian landscape and natural geology. Reactionary glazes feature predominantly throughout Mim’s portfolio, deeply entwining glaze chemistry and ceramic design. My ceramic work is created in limited series and small batches. Each piece is made by hand from start to finish, allowing inherent differences and striking variation.

Claire Johnson

Functional and decorative stoneware, wheel thrown and decorated with layered glazes.

Janice Keen

Janice has been refining her art for many decades. Creating one-off pieces and small groupings of work Janice strives for beautiful surfaces and forms that create an immediate relationship between object and user. A piece of art for the everyday. She is inspired by traditional forms and surfaces but seek to make these her own by continually exploring the possibilities of clay, glaze, and heat. "It is such a pleasure to see my work in people’s homes. Perhaps adorning a shared table or simply being their cup of choice first thing in the morning. "

We, Wonki Kim and Jaeha Lee create functional ceramics designed to be natural, simple and practical for the home to everyday life. Majority of our works are made of very rough and dark stoneware clay decorated with white slip so the colour and texture from the clay body come through and creates magical contrast when fired. This method is called Buncheong in Korean, we give this tradition a little twist by adding a touch of pigment from wild clay dug in Victoria.

I am a woodfire potter and ceramic artist at my studio Nioka. My work ranges from traditional cups plates and bowls to exotic sculptural pieces often containing interesting succulents.

Gillian Martin

My work reflects an investigation into several areas of interest including, colour, rhythm, balance, movement and how surface pattern relates to the three-dimensional form.

My work concentrates on form, texture and colour. I focus on decorating the surface using alternative firing methods including Raku. I enjoy playing with copper and the often unexpected colours and effects that can be obtained. My work features dry copper matte glaze, naked Raku and ferric chloride and horse hair. Recently I have added a functional range to my work with traditional forms and glazes.

At Oxart Pottery we love making pots that you can use! I am a skilled thrower with many years of production experience and continues making functional pottery at Oxart HQ a bustling working and teaching pottery in Taradale, Central Vic. A love of making larger statement pieces with functionality remaining at the forefront of his design continues, with large water and garden features being available for purchase and order at the expo. And .... sometimes I make just for fun!

Sue McCormick and Sharon Edwards

Sue is throwing serving-wares for the table and a multitude of Ceramic Pears. Sharon’s specialty is carved porcelain vases, sculptures for the garden and serving wares.

Denise McDonald

I produce ranges of ceramic tableware that bring together a celebration of our unique Australian flora with a love of heritage motifs and rich glazes. This fusion results in pieces that have a contemporary design with a hint of nostalgia. You will find 100 year old flannel flower patterns and scribbly gum wiggles (among other delights) on functional stoneware and porcelain.

Sue Mcfarland

An eclectic range of work displaying the many styles of work that I am interested in playing with. Asian inspired water pots, utilitarian ware, wearable art pieces as well as Bonsai pots with permission from Murrumbung Studio. Wood fired pieces stand out from the soft palette of oxidised ware.

Pauline Meade

Special Ordinary objects Every day objects that are held and embraced A moment of comfort and pleasure Each is considered, is unobtrusive but of substance Sitting quietly ready to take part in the rhythms of life. Senses of touch and sight A sip, warmth, a pause Soft and strong They are for your use.

Lilach Mileikowski

Lilach creates sculptural works that combine potency and delicacy through the multifaceted use of clay, glaze, fabric and wire. Fusing through the firing process, these transform into one entity. Comprised of reiterated elements, her works reflect on the basic human need to connect, and nature’s malleable way of reproduction. The singular is supported by the whole and the whole united by the singular. Evoking personal and global significance they embody vulnerability, fortitude and unification

Louise Mueller

My inspiration is often taken from mystical creatures and fairy tales. I’m drawn to the strange fantasy of playful monsters and the whimsical beauty of pixies and forest creatures. All my pieces are unique and each character has their own personality. Whilst all my work can be used as a sculpture, I always try to combine a functional use for each product. When artwork is functional, I believe it encourages people to hold and interact with the work … hopefully leading to further enjoyment!

Marlize Myburgh

Form and function are masterfully combined in my delicate, intricate, charming and captivating pieces – each one a work of art. Growing up in a creative household began a lifetime of exploration in patterns, textures, colours and shapes – resulting in work drenched in memories and rich in design. I am both artistic and creative with a love of drawing and painting.

Belinda Nailon

Belinda is inspired by the meditative and elemental expressive nature of working in clay and mainly throws non-functional forms using Raku firing technique. Belinda’s current art practice focuses on letting go, accessing the present moment and connecting to her internal and external environment, expressed through wheel thrown forms and embracing the ‘happy accidents’ in her work.

Donna Parker

I am one of four Eastern Studio Potters attending the expo. My ceramics is sculptural, stoneware and designed for gardens. Fluid, organic and calming. They are designed to fit together in any combination or make a statement as a single piece.

Chandra Paul

I'm a Clunes ceramic artist making small batch, hand built stoneware pottery. I build my forms from coils and slabs, a slow process compared with slip casting and wheel throwing. I work this way because I love the asymmetries and makers marks which individualise each form and make them unique.

Federica Pelizzari

I visualise my art through meditation which spiritually immerses her into the four elements of Mother Earth: Earth, Water, Sun, Nature. In love with the Australian landscape from which the inspiration comes from. Using organic materials such as Terracotta clay and Raffia, the expression of these four elements and the respect for natural sources is more prominent and alive. The perfect and imperfect forms and details make Federica Pelizzari art organic and unique.

Mary-lou Pittard

Individually designed and hand painted stoneware ceramics using underglazes and oxides. The pieces focus on functionality and bringing the colours of flora & fauna to life.

Jessie Pittard

I am an Eltham based artist specialising in functional ceramics. Working with high fired porcelaneous stoneware Jessies distinctive ceramics can be recognised for the highly detailed illustrations and whimsical designs.

Vicki Randell

I make wheel thrown functional pieces and tableware utilising glazes that will create a coastal feel and a unique, individual finish.

Damien Santamaria

Individually handmade ceramic wildlife sculptures.

Chris & Anne Sfetkidis

A family affair - Chris makes well designed functional dinner ware and beautiful lidded pots as well as a range of espresso cups and coffee mugs. Anne makes quirky hand built sculptural ladies, garden ponds, planters, earrings, wall plaques and fruit bowls. Together they make decorated travel mugs with well fitted lids and a range of surprising designs that will make you smile.

Sergei Shatrov

Woodfired stoneware pottery using local found clay and slips that reflects Sergei's education and training in Japanese methods of pottery making. Forms include utilitarian ware to sculptural vessels. Sergei favourite form is the vase or blossom jar shape. Living locally in Warrandyte and having grown up on the Monaro plains in southern NSW, I use found materials in my work that is then worked in the fire to create an alchemy of beauty.

Steve Sheridan

I make finely crafted pots in porcelain and stoneware for the table. Individual drinking bowls, cups, breakfast bowls, up to larger salad bowls, are made in a translucent porcelain, and larger pieces such as dishes, jugs, moon jars and fruit bowls are made in a stoneware clay. I make my own stoneware clay using clays from the Gulgong area. I am a glaze specialist, with celadon glazes my particular emphasis, and an ongoing academic interest in the history and technology of these glazes.

Clay Sisters

Karen and Alli have been working together for over 17 years and love producing home wares and occasionally garden pieces. Their influcences come from the colours and shapes of nature.

Trevor Smith

I have been potting since 1975. My work is loosely thrown and mostly Shino glazed. I prefer using unpredictable temperamental glaze mixes. The results can often be delightful … or disastrous.

Gilbert Stewart-Lambert

I (b. 2004) am a Naarm/Melbourne-based ceramicist. Since the age of 14 I has been mentored and taught by one of Australia's master ceramicists. My love of ceramics is shaped by trialling, rebellion and texture. In October 2021, I created Running Late Creations as my studio name began selling my creations to the public in early 2022. I focus on creating functional pieces, and whilst there is cohesion across his work, he maintains a strong desire that each piece is unique.

Jenny Stokes

Hand made and decorated earthenware homewares and garden ornaments. I am part of the Eastern potters and artists group.

John Stroomer

Handthrown crystalline glazed porcelain fired to 1300C.

Brigid Sundborn

I create functional pots for home and garden under the banner of Sundborn Ceramics with a focus on shared centrepieces such as serving bowls, vases and planters, as well as the most personal vessel – the cup. My continued exploration of form and function results in an evolving practice in which balance is realised through the interplay between clay body, glaze and form. Her approach is informed by Scandinavian design and Japanese aesthetics.

Claire Sunderland

Hand building all my functional stoneware bowls and vessels allows me to embellish and decorate them with my unique Sgraffito style. Relief carvings of Australian flora and fauna adorn my work which adds texture, light and shade to each piece.

My stoneware pieces combine line work and sgraffito. From functional bowls, mugs and plates to decorative garden pots and hangers each piece is an individual creation. I don’t plan my designs, I allow them to evolve themselves.

Nahid Tayebi

My work displays the colours of my dream and tells the story of the world and its population of all different races and colours in work including crystal glazed mugs & tumblers and beautiful carved bowls. I will be sharing a marquee with Eastern Studio Potters.

Larissa Taylor

I create hand built sculptural works, using a mixture of clays; earthenware and stoneware, which invoke a whimsical narrative. My works range from functional, highly decorated with relief illustration vases and vessels to non functional figurative pieces. Celebrating colour with intricate underglaze painting, I like to explore the relationship between ourselves and other flora and fauna, noticing the possibilities of symbiotic relationships. The works stand between 15 and 50 cms.

Judy Trembath

High fired stoneware table and kitchen ware. Primitive sawdust and tepee fired pots

Steph Wallace

Using large vessels as a substrate my work features complex line work illustration of invasive botanical species using the mishima technique. Often using locally foraged clay that I processes in my Ballarat studio, through my practice I seek to explore both my connection to place as an immigrant and the dichotomy of the Australian landscape.

Richard Walsh

Wheel thrown stoneware table and kitchenware. Wheel thrown and slab built vases, bird baths and planters.

Gravity defying bud vases and small sculptural pieces admiring the simplicity of fruit as form. Frutta Wares is inspired by the vibrancy of the 1970’s, slip cast, wheel thrown and hand assembled to evoke subtle and playful humour. The Frutta Wares range has evolved to include more challenging configurations to include clocks, candelabras and chandeliers.

Peter Watson

I have been making ceramics from my studio in Warrandyte for 30 years. I had a break from ceramics during the 2000s and returned to the wheel in 2016 and re-mastered my techniques during the pandemic. I love my time in the home studio, even on frosty wintery mornings. All items are thrown, turned, glazed and fired out of his Warrandyte North studio. I also works as a tiler / stone mason and began my journey into ceramics making my own wall tiles.

Juliet Widdows

My work has always been an exploration of colour, glaze, form; mainly throwing on the wheel. I have been further exploring textural surfaces using coloured slips, and also pit firing to create new works. I test and explore glazes , finding the perfect fit for the forms I throw. I love the process of creating with clay, from preparing it, throwing, firing and glazing, to finally presenting it. It fills me with a deep satisfaction and calms my soul.

Steve Williams

A maker of mostly useful wheelthrown, wood fired pots utilising local materials. Pots are made on a kickwheel, are completed in one sitting and make their way into the kiln with the least intervention.

Laura Windmill

I specialise in alternative firing techniques, such as Saggar firing and Raku, resulting in unpredictable random results. A low fired white porcelain clay is used to enhance the colours and patterns left by flames passages, combustible materials and the atmospheric conditions in the kiln. My work is strongly influenced by the natural landscapes of Central Australia, glaciers, volcanos and erosion patterns. Due to this process, every piece is truly unique, non functional and one of a kind.

Greg Yeaman

I love creating my wheel thrown pottery in my studio in Knoxfield and produce mainly functional stoneware using both commercial glazes and my own glaze recipes. My aim is to produce pieces that are not only useful and easy to use in daily life, but are also attractive to look at, giving pleasure as well as functionality. I tend to make small batches of work, avoiding bulk production, trying out variations in form and glaze effects on popular themes, such as mugs and vases

I continually search and maximis the distinctive attractions of handmade ceramic. My lust for perfection determines the high quality of my work. I use porcelain with exceptional studio developed glazes. The incorporation of shapes and decorations is the pathway I use to express inspirations and compose poems that whisper sensations from Shangri-La.

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Académie internationale de la céramique

International Academy of ceramics

Jane Annois

AIC-IAC, Musée Ariana, 10 Avenue de la Paix, 1202 Geneva - Switzerland

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AUSTRALIAN POTTERY AT BEMBOKA

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Jane Annois

Jane Annois has been a practicing potter since the late 1980s. She trained and worked as a potter in France and regularly returns there to exhibit and to conduct tours of the French countryside. Based in Warrandyte, Vic, she specalises in raku and 'terre vernissee', a decorative form of terracotta tableware. She also teaches in the tertiary, secondary, primary and private sectors. In 2001, she established the Pottery Expo concept based on pottery markets held throughout France each year. Her work is signed with an incised 'Jane Annois'.

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Call Toll Free: US 866 725 5250; or London UK 0790 552 4717

Jane Austen and Literary Heritage Tours

• Small Groups
• Interesting Itineraries
• Personalized Service

Literary Heritage Tours  are general sightseeing tours with an extra layer incorporating where authors lived, worked and were inspired. It is quite an experience to stand in the place described in your favorite novel, images leaping from the page! Some people get so excited, for them it is a pilgrimage. There is also plenty for those with a more casual interest. We incorporate a few film sites for fun too!

Our literary tours visit sites you would probably visit anyway – stately homes, gardens, iconic places like Stonehenge and Bath - the theme is almost an excuse to get more in depth, including some lesser known gems that visitors might miss otherwise.

Join us as we follow in the footsteps of one of the world's most beloved writers, Jane Austen...and all of classic authors and their inspirations across UK, Ireland, France and Italy. Shakespeare-Dickens-Wordsworth-James Herriot-Brontes-Tolkien-Lewis Carroll-Beatrix Potter-’Downton Abbey’-‘Harry Potter’-'James Bond'-'Dr Who'-'King Arthur'-'Sherlock Holmes'-James Joyce-Yeats-Rabbie Burns-Dylan Thomas-Ernest Hemingway-F Scott Fitzgerald-Tennesee Williams and more

Our aim is to introduce you to the ‘real’ country and its people. Our Small Group Touring Concept  allows for a leisurely touring pace and flexibility, incorporating local events and special requests from traveling companions whenever possible. Who travels with SGT?  Everyone. All welcome!

LITERARY INSPIRATIONS - AUTHOR TRAILS

"Just thought I would send a quick review of the tour. EXTREMELY PLEASED! LOVED DAVID. He was an absolute GEM! Couldn't have asked for a more attentive, punctual and factual guide as well as being a funny and caring person...Can't praise enough the ITINERARY! I loved Stourhead Gardens, Wilton House, Lyme Regis and Stanage Edge and of course Chatsworth and all the Jane Austen stops. It was a special treat meeting the relative of Jane Austen in Bampton purely by chance that day...Not really Shakespeare fans, but it wasn't a hardship to see the Shakespeare stuff and the city had charm...."

"I was a little uncertain about taking a tour but I loved it. Travelling with like-minded people is great. It also helped that the tour guide [anticipated] what we would like or not...Tops - great with people, knowns his history and literary [heritage.] ...just a great experience."

“…amazing to see settings of favorite novels come alive and also the places where the artists lived and worked! I gained some new perspectives for books that I already loved. It was also very interesting to see such the diversity of culture in a relatively small area. I had a wonderful time and hope to tour with your company again next year.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Small Group Touring is traveling with just 6 - 14 guests per departure. It is our aim to introduce you to the 'real' country and its people, not just ticking the boxes of a standardized route and treating you as an individual and not a number. Our concept allows for a leisurely touring pace and flexibility, incorporating local events and possibly special requests from traveling companions. Of course you'll see the major sites but so much more too! See Why Our Tours for more info about the advantages of the Small Group Touring Concept.

We believe that you get what you pay for, quality over quantity. It is the difference of shopping at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods versus somewhere like Sam's Club. Our tours offer more personal service than big bus tours. You will be in the company of just ten or twelve other guests and not fifty. Your driver/guide will know you by name and, quite often, become a friend by the end of your tour. Many tour companies advertise a low initial price to attract you. Once you're on the tour, you find your purse or wallet is constantly open as you pay for additional options and extras. Our tours are designed to be as inclusive as possible for value's sake while allowing for some flexibility and independence.

Mainly North America but, as tours are all conducted in English, we welcome any guest fluent in English. Your traveling companions may hail from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe and sometimes even Britain!

Our accommodations cover a wide range of lodging types including inns, farmhouses, manor houses, quaint b&bs, small family run hotels and even the occasional castle. Each is chosen with care, with reference to architecture, comfort, location, cuisine, and friendliness of the host. All lodgings are three or four star category/similar rating in converted historical properties, not custom built hotels. Please see our accommodations page for further details and some photos.

SGT works with an exceptional team of driver/guides. Please meet a few on our Meet Your Team page.

Our tours are designed for the reasonably active traveler. On all itineraries, there will be some walking. Some itineraries involve more walking than others. It is strongly suggested that all tour participants be in good health.

The flexible nature of our tours means that there will be some free time during your touring day, allowing the opportunity to sit in a cafe or elsewhere if you wish. You can of course go at your own pace and there is always the option to opt out of an activity or attraction if you do not feel up to it. Please do note that you will be visiting places with cobbled streets, uneven surfaces and most of the accommodations do not have lifts/elevators so stairs may be involved. Low floor rooms can be requested, when required. Tours cannot always access historic town centres/villages solely by mini-coach as vehicles of any size are forbidden entry in certain locations. Please consult us if you are in any doubt about tour suitability.

Yes, all tour packages include taxes and tips except for those you may choose to offer your driver/guide. You are welcomed to supplement in accommodations and restaurants if you feel that their exceptional service deserves such.

With Special Group Tours (SGT), you will have the advantage of expert advice from those who have not only visited, but have years of experience living in and loving the cultures you will visit. We hand pick our suppliers with your comfort and expectations in mind. Special Group Tours is a tour operator, specialty travel agency and custom design tour service dedicated to giving YOU the vacation you deserve!

Everyone from age 7 to 97 is welcomed on a SGT tour. We welcome women, couples, families, teachers, students, professionals and retirees. Our clients are active, fun-loving, educated people looking for a safe and comfortable adventure off the beaten track. Please note that there is ample walking on our itineraries so, if you have mobility issues, please discuss suitability options with us.

On the longer scheduled tours, guests tend to be in the 40+ range as they have a bit more time to travel while the shorter, mini-tours are a great fit for younger professionals with week long American vacation breaks.

Some scheduled itineraries are suited for children while others are less so. We can assist families with younger children on private, custom departures. Harry Potter, children's literary and King Arthur themed tours are popular family favorites. SGT designs many student tours for high school and university groups, so we certainly can cater to all ages on both scheduled and custom, private departures.

The majority of the fleet is 16 seat Sprinters but the size of the vehicle is dependent upon the size of the group. Each vehicle is chosen with your safety and comfort in mind. We utilize 2 person saloon cars, 6 - 7 seat MPV/SUVs and 13 - 16 seat mini-coaches. Full details and photos, please see our vehicles page.

Yes, all rooms are private/en-suite facilities. Some have bath-tubs with a hand held shower while others have stall showers. If you have a special need or preference, please discuss your requests with us at time of booking and we will do our best to accommodate.

Note that washcloths/facecloths are not readily used in the UK and Europe so, while towels are of course provided in your bathroom, if you want a facecloth/washcloth then you will have to bring it with you.

We request that you only bring one suitcase, and one piece of hand luggage per person. Hand luggage is defined as a purse, day pack or camera bag - whatever you will have with you on the mini-coach during your touring day. Your main case will be stored in the vehicle's specially designed luggage section. Space is limited to accommodate all guests so we do ask your cooperation for the comfort of all tour companions.

If you are on an extended, multi-tour vacation, we can request bag storage in one of the hub city hotels but please do note that this is subject to availability. Please discuss your needs with us and we will do our best to accommodate.

Our tours are designed to travel off the beaten track, on the ‘a’ and ‘b’ roads as much as possible. Most itineraries are based in one location for several nights running so you can get in-depth in your local touring area, minimizing the distance between your accommodation and areas visited. Inevitably, each tour participant will have a different idea as to the ideal driving time but we strive to have guests off the vehicle as much as possible.

The length of drives varies per itinerary but you should not be on the vehicle for longer than 2 hours in any one stretch, many times less. Once in a while, a longer drive may be required. There will occasionally be a bit of motorway driving on the longer tours when traveling between regions, especially on the ‘sampler’ or ‘highlight’ type of itineraries that visit several different counties. It is important to us to avoid the motorways as much as we can so you can maximize the opportunity for local experiences in the smaller towns and villages.

Well, that is up to you based upon what you think he/she deserves. Tips are usually approximately 15 USD per person per day; some people give more if they can afford it, some less if that is all they can manage. It is totally to the guide’s performance and your discretion & budget. It is appropriate to offer your guide a tip in the local currency (Pounds Sterling or Euro.)

Call us Toll Free on: US 866 725 5250; or London UK 0790 552 4717

Email: Tours@SpecialGroupTours.com

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Don't see a suggested itinerary that perfectly fits your wishes? Let us provide you with the solution.  All you have to do is choose the dates!

Please get in touch and discuss options with us.

Literary Heritage tours are among are most popular theme tours and SGT creates dozens of literary themed custom trips each year for individuals, small groups of friends, book clubs, universities, alumni groups and more. We would be delighted to help you too!

http://www.specialgrouptours.com/private-custom-designed/tailor-made-tours

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A Conversation With…

Jane Goodall Is More of a Dog Person, Actually

Dr. Goodall, who is best known for her work with chimpanzees, recently celebrated her forthcoming 90th birthday with as many dogs and explained why she isn’t slowing down.

By Darren Incorvaia

Darren Incorvaia interviewed Dr. Goodall in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., after attending the pup-filled beach gathering in her honor.

Jane Goodall is turning 90 on April 3 and the primatologist-turned-activist seems busier than ever. This year, she’ll be on the road for 320 days. She’ll be raising money for her nonprofit organizations, the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots, and encouraging people to take environmental action.

But she is still managing to find time for fun. On Saturday, revelers congregated on the beach here for a 90-dog salute. Hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Network, a nonprofit, and its founder, Charles Knowles, the event saw guests’ Great Danes, goldendoodles, chihuahuas and other dogs bound across the sand in honor of Dr. Goodall, who has said that dogs are her favorite animal (although she is best known for her work on chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania).

On-and-off rain briefly lifted just as Dr. Goodall arrived, which one attendee, Jeff Horowitz, attributed to a phenomenon called “Jane Magic.”

After the canine salute, Dr. Goodall talked with The New York Times. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I first want to get your thoughts on what just occurred on the beach. I will confess that a dog salute is not something I’d heard of before.

It’s never been thought of before. You know, it didn’t go as they planned it. What they planned was at the end, the dogs would file past me and we’d have a photo. That was the salute. But the rain came. So actually it was much better the way it was. I don’t think anything like that’s ever been done. Never.

Does that feel special?

Oh, it’s amazing. This tour is my 90th birthday year tour around the world and there are events everywhere. We’ve got 25 Jane Goodall Institutes in different countries, and they all make use of my birthday. They do events, they can make money and do auctions. And because it’s Jane’s 90th, big deal — for them. This was the only event I really, really looked forward to in the whole year. And it was as good as I could have imagined.

How do you think it would have gone if it’d been a 90-chimp salute instead?

It would have been a disaster. I wouldn’t have come.

The world knows you best for your research on chimpanzees, but I know you want to talk about dogs, and especially your childhood dog, Rusty. When you left Africa to get your doctorate, what was it about that relationship with a pet that helped you understand primate behavior?

Here I am registered at Cambridge, and very nervous. First thing, I was told that I’ve done everything wrong. Chimps shouldn’t be named, they should be numbered. You can’t talk about their personalities. You can’t talk about them having brains capable of solving problems. And you certainly can’t talk about them having emotions. You cannot be scientifically objective if you have empathy with your subject.

Well, the last I just knew was wrong. But the first three — personality, mind, emotion — my dog Rusty, when I was a child, taught me that was absolute piffle. Balderdash. Rubbish.

What about Rusty showed you that old ways of thinking about animals were wrong?

Probably any dog would have taught me. We all know that they can be happy, sad, fearful and that they’re highly intelligent. Rusty, I’ve never known a dog like him. He didn’t even belong to us. This is the strange thing, like so much of my life. He belonged to a hotel down the road. He used to come along, bark outside our house at 6 in the morning, get let in, stay with us all morning, go home for lunch, come back and leave when we put him out at 10. The hotel knew, they couldn’t have cared less. It was as though he was sent to me.

Sent to you by who?

[Dr. Goodall pointed up.] What I was talking to, saying, “Please don’t let it rain on the whole afternoon today.”

How do you feel about being labeled an icon?

I was walking through the market in Santa Fe. This couple came up, and the woman said something nobody’s ever said since, thank God. She said, “Are you Jane Goodall?” I said yes. She said, “Can I touch you?” Imagine. I said, well, we could shake hands.

The media have created an icon. The only way I can cope, and it took a while, was to think there’s two Janes. This one — the one you saw on the beach with the dogs — and the icon. I have a jolly hard job keeping up with the icon, I can tell you. At first, I put dark glasses on and let my hair down; they still recognized me. Then I realized, for what I’m trying to do, I need to use this.

Was your decision to focus on activism and advocacy a way to take control of the image that the news media was constructing and use it to do good in the world?

Sort of. Right at the beginning, the media was not very kind. When my first information about Gombe came out, about tool-using, there were scientists saying, “Why should we believe her, she hasn’t been to college, she’s just a girl.”

The thing was, I never wanted to be a scientist. Because when I was growing up, women weren’t scientists. Articles began writing and saying, “Jane Goodall is only recognized because she’s on the cover of National Geographic. And she’s only on the cover of National Geographic because she’s got good legs.”

So for me, what did I want to do? I wanted to get back to the chimps and go on learning about them. So if it’s my legs that have got me this position, thank you, legs.

When you ramped up your conservation activism in 1986, were you concerned about an increase in media attention, given this history?

Because I knew what I was supposed to do.

One of the few people who has criticized me recently was Elon Musk . He was critical of what I always say about human population growth as one of the things that we have to think about when we want to protect the planet for future generations. I invented “Voluntary Population Optimization.” Could you criticize that? Voluntary? And optimizing? I talked about V.P.O. and I never got heckled, I never got any problem.

There are worries, though, on the other end of the spectrum, about human overpopulation concerns being turned into involuntary population control.

You must never use control. Never. Control is wrong. You can’t control people like that. It has to be voluntary.

Around Gombe, we introduced this program, TACARE, to help people find ways of living without destroying the environment. It includes restoring fertility to overused farmland without chemicals, and then we introduced scholarships to give girls a chance at secondary education. And also family planning.

So family planning for you is connected to lifting people out of poverty.

And giving women the power to choose for themselves how many children they have.

I’m curious about your packed, worldwide birthday tour. I don’t think I would have the energy for this, and you’ve been traveling extensively for decades.

At your age, I wouldn’t have had the energy. No way. You realize when you get to 90, I don’t know where the end will be, but I’m obviously closer to it than I was when I was 70. Much closer than when I was 60.

But if you feel you have a mission to try and get more people to understand we need to take action, and that your individual action will make a difference, then there’s so much of the world that hasn’t had this message. Instead of slowing down, what can I do but speed up?

One former high school teacher told me she stumbled on the dog salute by accident. But she got the chance to chat with you, and she was ecstatic.

It can sound kooky, I know, but things have happened in my life that look like coincidences, but I don’t think were. And I personally think every person comes into this world with a role to play.

When I look back over my life, I mean, my goodness, the coincidences that led me to the path where I am now were quite clearly points where I could have said yes or no. It depends whether you think there’s just this life or something beyond, I happen to think there’s something beyond. I feel I was born with a mission. Right now, that mission is to give people hope. So when I get exhausted, I look up there and say: “You put me in this position, you bloody well help me get through the evening.”