NEWS from Lisa: June/July in Jingdezhen
Leonard & Lisa amongst the crowd for the grand opening of the IAC Members Exhibition
What a thrill it was in June/July to visit mainland China for the first time to attend the International Ceramics Biennale and 52nd Congress of the Academy of International Ceramics! On the way, my wonderful travel buddies Leonard Smith and Cally Bruer and I spent a couple of beautiful days in Shanghai visiting the Shanghai Museum, seeing the architecture light show from a boat on the harbour and meandering around the fascinating former French Concession.
Taoxichuan Ceramic Centre
We then caught a not-so-fast train south-west to Jingdezhen - the 1000 year old home of porcelain, staying in the Taoxichuan Ceramic Centre. Originally a porcelain factory precinct this area has undergone a huge program of cultural and urban renewal over the past 10 years and this year been named a Unesco World Heritage site. The brick buildings are now beautifully restored to accommodate hotels, ceramic studios, ancient and modern kilns, ceramic galleries, shops, weekend and biannual international markets. This area attracts thousands of Chinese and International visitors each year, who are interested in both traditional and contemporary ceramics. It is also an international hub for inter-cultural exchange between artists from all over the world, offering many ceramic residency programs.
In addition to very inspiring presentations, talks and exhibition openings on the topic of ‘Inheritance and Innovation’, we also enjoyed some afternoon excursions to other parts of Jingdezhen, visiting working potteries, ancient kiln sites, tea farms, imperial porcelain factories and more international ceramics exhibitions. We ended this amazing trip with a post-conference tour including two days in Lonquan, also known as the ‘City of Celadon’ and Dehua, another city famous for producing porcelain that is so transparent it can easily be mistaken for glass.
Many thanks to Leonard for his digital and cultural guidance in such a truly foreign environment and to Sarah for hosting Thursday night Open Studio while I was away. If you’d like to hear and see more about our China Adventure, we will be hosting a talk on Thursday August 20th, 6-8pm.
Back in the Studio
Over the past couple of months, I have continued working on the Stone Hinge project adding two more sculptures to the series to create a small installation of works.
Stone-Hinge Installation
Bird feeders are also evolving with more Hundertwasser-inspired colours and patterns. I also continued my new series of gum blossom sculptures called ‘Holy Macro Carpa’. The one you can see below includes a charcoal tree trunk-like base oozing with golden sap. See below for images of each. If you’d like to learn to make ceramic gum blossoms, due to popular demand there will be another flower totem workshop this year commencing October 24th.
Hundertwasser-inspired Bird Feeders - front
Hundertwasser-inspired Bird Feeders - back
SAVE THE DATES:
China Trip Studio Talk August 20 6-8pm
Come along to the Bakehouse Studio for more about the 52nd IAC Conference and Ceramics Biennale in Jingdezhen, from Cally, Lisa and ceramics guru Leonard Smith.
Sculpture in the Vineyards Wollombi
I am very excited to be exhibiting in this biennial event again this year. Come and discover 180 works by leading and emerging Australian and international sculptors along a sculpture trail that winds through the historic villages of Wollombi and Laguna including 6 indoor galleries. You will find my work outside and inside the St John’s Anglican Church.
As part of this festival, I will also be running some ceramic sculpture workshops at Winmark Wines in Broke. You can find more information about booking workshops and free Sculpture Park events here:
Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival
Spring Early Bird Specials
This month, we’re releasing a few more early bird spots for our upcoming Spring workshops—available exclusively to registered newsletter subscribers.
Be sure to check your August newsletter for access to these special links, which unlocks a 20% discount on selected workshops. Each workshop has just four early bird places available, so don’t miss out!
Hope to see you soon!
Lisa
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Abstract Birds at Winmark Wines, Broke
September 15
Native Flower Totem - New Dates
October 24, 31 & November 7
Birds
August 29 & September 5
Totems
October 24, 31 & November 7
Goddess Candle Sculpture
December 9
Monday Mornings
10am - 1pm
Thursday Evening
6pm - 9pm
Friday Afternoons
2pm - 5pm
BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE
STUDIO CLOSED JUNE 24 - JULY 8
Studio Induction / Orientation sessions:
2026 Studio inductions can be completed on-line for those who are new to the Studio.
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