Something a Bit Different

My sister Kylie is a very talented creative writer, specialising in poetry. She recently asked me to collaborate with her on a creative piece to be included in an exhibition for Schizophrenia Awareness Week 2010 (16th-22nd May). Her idea was that we would combine poetry and painting on a canvas. Here is what we came up with:

Captivating Butterfly

How pleasurable life would be,
to sail graceful and free.
Descending only where is safe to lie;
alluring as a beautiful butterfly.

~ Kylie Harrison (March 2010)

Fresh from the Kiln

One of my favourite moments of being a potter is opening the kiln, especially when I have created brand new work that's never been seen before. I stayed up half the night on Tuesday monitoring a kiln (which seems to be a regular occurrence these days), but it was all worth it yesterday when I opened the kiln to a perfect firing! It was filled with a mixture of work, including brand new exhibition pieces, wedding platter orders for the Urban Cow, general production work and some very sweet pieces that my 7-year-old niece Emily made while she stayed with us.

340 Grams Exhibition

340 Grams is an exhibition for members of the Australian Ceramic Association and will be presented during Clay Energy, Gulgong (28th April - 2 May, 2010). The brief was to take 340g of wet clay (the weight of a normal issue of The Journal of Australian Ceramics) and make it into a bowl or sculpture.

I decided to represent South Australia with our state's floral emblem (very patriotic) - Sturt's Desert Pea. It is such an unusual plant and, unless you're into flora, many people interstate have never heard of it before.

I also made this stack of tiny bottles (just for fun):


Each bottle was wheel thrown and joined together while still wet. I decorated it using underglaze stains, decals and gold luster.

Going back to the topic of South Australia - here is wedding platter (detail) I just finished with another unique SA icon - the Balfours' Frog Cake. They use to be a childhood favourite of mine, but they're a bit sweet these days! I really enjoyed painting this one.

Last, but not least, I gave my niece Emily a handful of clay and told her to make whatever she liked. This is what she came up with (a portrait of her auntie):



Love it!

The New Website

Finally, after two years in the making (or as least on my ‘to-do' list), I can announce my website is up and running!

You can now visit:
www.erin.lykos.com.au

I want to say a huge THANK YOU to Jonathan Lykos (web programmer) for the many hours he put in and his friend Soot who designed the site. They are great to work with and I would highly recommend them.

Any feedback or suggestions you have about the website will be much appreciated.
Thanks for looking!

All in a Days Work

Well it's official – I’m back at the JamFactory! I have a small studio space in the centre of the workshop. No more frostbite on the back verandah for me this winter! It feels a bit strange (after working on my own for 16 months), but it’s great to see the old gang again and be part of such a creative environment. Here’s my new home away from home:


Today I had a good view of the studio's Terra Australis production range mugs to inspire me. As always I've got so many ideas (too many), as well as a few commissions on the go and I'm starting to make a group of pieces to sell in a new outlet in Sydney! So with no time to waste, I got stuck into it. Here is today's effort drying in the sun:


Now that I'm a bit more centrally located, it will be easier for you to find me. I'm in the ceramic studio on the second floor. Feel free to visit if you're in the neighbourhood!

Art For Buyers Website

Today I was invited to be included on the Art for Buyers website.

It is a website specifically for retail outlets and galleries around the world to find artists. So I thought I'd give it a go!



You can view my page here.

Madeit Store

I've finally done it! I've put some work online. My store isn't quite finished yet, but I've put 2 pieces for sale on www.madeit.com.au. Madeit is an online store for Australian handmade products. My store name is ErinLykosCeramics. Please take a look and pass on the invite to anyone you think would be interested! I will keep working on my store over the next week.

You can visit my store here.

Old Bakery Gallery, Lane Cove

Today I visited an outlet I supply in Sydney, Old Bakery Gallery, for the first time. It was a really nice little shop and it was great to chat with the owner, John, who I met at the ceramic conference last July. Here's a photo of my work on display: