Based in Brisbane, Australia, Mel Robson's ceramics combine art and craft in a way that you rarely see. How often do you see conceptual ceramics out there?
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| Keep Calm and Carry On (coat of arms), 2008, slipcast porcelain, 20cm x 34cm |
Every year Mel's work is more powerful than the next. I found her work via Pinterest, via Jealous Curator. I can't believe I remembered that. These days it's so hard to track the endless paths one takes on the internet.
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| Fortitude, 2006, slipcast porcelain with decals, 10cm x 5cm |
I was first drawn in by her maps, you know me. I love the image transfer but what makes it such a powerful piece is the translucency with the map in reverse shining through on the outside. Beautiful. Her ceramics are well crafted, thoughtfully detailed and very clever. Her series Keep Calm and Carry On addresses stories she heard from the women in her family who experienced war time. It addresses what it must have been like for them while they went on with their daily lives while the men were off at war.
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| Weeping Willow (Keep Calm and Carry On series), 2008, found ceramic plates (water jet cut), 8cm x 10cm each |
A very successful series and beautifully made. Water jet cut, eh? Hmmm, the ideas are flowing!
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| Shot Gun, 2008, ceramic plate (water jet cut), 95cm x 60cm |
Where to stop? I can't! The Absence of Objects installation was inspired by the heritage collections one finds in libraries. So many stories that have been forgotten are saved here. Mel calls them "little doorways into the past". Individually, the pieces are powerful in their own right.
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| Spoon Works, 2007, slipcast porcelain 4cm x 11cm each |
But seen as a whole, they make a powerful statement.
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| The Absence of Objects (detail), 2006, slipcast porcelain with decals |
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| Fight and flight (detail), 2007, slipcast porcelain with decals, 11cm x 11cm (set) |
See her blog Feffakookan (named after a german biscuit her nana used to make) to see lots more of Mel's work. Enjoy!
8 comments:
Thankyou, Kathryn, I love the wit and craftsmanship of Mel Robson's work.
these are GREAT. thank you so much for letting us into your studio today. was really great. !!!
love love what you are working on !!!
Am very impressed with Mel's ceramics. Thanks for sharing them with us/me. Jan, Yorkshire, England
Oh boy...I can see you are well and truly bitten by the ceramics bug...but I guess in your case that started in childhood. Did you work alongside your parents?
oh my. these are gorgeous. wow, wow, wow. and looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! xo.
I love the combination of thought, craft and playfulness in these. There is something about them - the water shooter cut out particularly - that reminds me of Cornelia Parker. Enjoy getting your hands in the clay :)
Thank you Karen, love her work..never seen it before!
Hi K., I have been neglecting your blog! Awful of me, I 've been so busy. The upside is I find all these new artists here- this conceptual ceramicist (?) is awesome. The two revolvers are witty...
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