2020 - A year that won't be forgotten

It has been a busy and challenging year for everyone in so many respects.

I am feeling very fortunate to have completed my studies before the pandemic hit. I started my MA in Visual Arts/Ceramics in 2014 and, taking it slowly between family commitments, graduated at the close of 2019. It is nice to able to get on with making now, without the concern of assessments. The study was great and I am very grateful for the place it has taken me to in my creative process, but now it is time to take that research and put it to work!

The restriction of living in a COVID world has enforced my studio practice. Sadly I had to cancel my classes here at Lilli Pilli Studio after term one and I have thrown myself into making for the remainder of the year.

I have been working over the last few months towards our family exhibition (see my "Exhibitions" page for more info). I have fired work in my electric kiln, in Sandy Lockwood's wood-fired kiln, in my Steve Harrison wood kiln and I have also had a pit firing. I have made figurative sculptures, decorative pots, and domestic ware. I hope that it will work together as a body of work and show the diversity of my interests in working with clay. My fabulous siblings have also been very busy and the exhibition promises to be full of fascinating work and should be great fun.

My creative practice is only a portion of life for us at the moment. My gorgeous parent in-laws , who are 91 and 93, have been struggling to live independently since the start of the year, so we have been spending an increasing amount of time with them. While it is time-consuming and at times difficult to deal with, it is also a great privilege to have this precious time with them. They are an inspiration. The humility and humor that frailty of body and mind can bring is, at times, breathtaking. I love them and it gives me great joy to be able to help them where possible. It brings home the fact that life is short and precious and priorities are important. As we watch their memories fading and their bodies slowing down I feel very fortunate to have known these lovely people and their strong fearless characters. They have powered through life enjoying family, the environment, animals, art, music, and culture. They will have our priority and attention for as long as we can help them. 

So life continues....always full of surprises!