About The Maker

I live in the beautiful Bellawongarah rainforest on the South Coast of New South Wales where I work in clay and paint.  I make functional and sculptural ceramics and consider myself a small-batch potter. I have a lifelong love of nature and birds, with the surrounding forest providing a constant source of inspiration for my work.  I also spend time each year visiting the remote deserts of Central and Western Australia, where the colours, geological formations and vast landscapes have a strong influence on my ceramics and paintings.

My interest in ceramics began as a teenager while growing up in Vancouver, Canada. I attended pottery classes intermittently before beginning a career in the public library system, where I worked for many years.  After moving to Australia in the 1980s, I attended ceramics classes at Narrabri TAFE in New South Wales. I later undertook more formal studies at Bomaderry TAFE, spending seven years completing Certificates I-IV in Ceramics. After completing my ceramics studies, I spent a further three years studying painting at Bomaderry TAFE. Following a break from ceramics, during which I focused on painting, I returned to working with clay in 2021.

Experimentation is an important part of my ceramic practice. I reclaim and reuse clay from my making process and develop some of my own clay bodies, sometimes incorporating clay collected from my property. My glazes are made from raw materials, and I like to experiment with different glaze recipes, some of which incorporate local clay, ash from my wood heater or other plant material. I throw, turn and hand-finish each piece, and manually operate my 18-cubic-foot gas kiln, built by Australian potter Steve Harrison. Firing in a reduction atmosphere can create some magic, and unpredictable surfaces and colours that give each piece its own character.  

I have exhibited my work since the mid-1990s, taking part in numerous group exhibitions and art prizes, and have held two solo ceramics exhibitions in New South Wales.  Over the years, I have attended workshops, conferences, as well as participating in wood firings and other experimental firings. 

Please get in touch if you’d like to learn more about my ceramics or paintings. 

Carla