Hedley POTTS (09/11/1936 - 01/06/2023) Hedley Potts studied ceramics at RMIT in the early 1960s. In 1974 he received an Australian Council Crafts Board grant to study overseas, and was visiting artist at the Goldsmith's College, University of London in 1979. He was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Ceramics at the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education in 1972 when he introduced Ceramics into the program fo the first time. By the 1980s Potts he was a senior lecturer in Ceramics at Monash University's Churchill Campus (now Federation University). In 1995, Hedley Potts was appointed artist in residence at Kingston Arts Centre in Moorabbin. He was one of the artists represented in the Ceramics Victoria Inc 40th Anniversary exhibition in 2009. He incises his works 'Hedley Potts' on the base.Handbuilt raku fired earthenware.ceramics, blackware, jan feder, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, gippsland campus, moorleigh ceramic co-op, hedley potts

Len CASTLE (23 December 1924 – 29 September 2011 ) Born Auckland, New Zealand 'My best work is when intuition and conscious choice come together successfully.' Len Castle trained as a secondary schoolteacher and started making pottery in 1947. Initially self-taught, he was the first potter to be awarded a fellowship from the Association of New Zealand Art Societies, travelling to St Ives to work with Bernard Leach in 1956-57. He lectured at the Auckland Teachers' College until the early 1960s, before concentrating on making stoneware at Titirangi, New Zealand. Len Castle was an artist in residence at the Gippsland Centre of Art and Design c1979.Press moulded bowl. Gift of the artist.ceramics, jan feder, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, len castle, gippsland campus

Len CASTLE (23 December 1924 – 29 September 2011 ) Born New Zealand 'My best work is when intuition and conscious choice come together successfully.' Len Castle trained as a secondary schoolteacher and started making pottery in 1947. Initially self-taught, he was the first potter to be awarded a fellowship from the Association of New Zealand Art Societies, travelling to St Ives to work with Bernard Leach in 1956-57. He lectured at the Auckland Teachers' College until the early 1960s, before concentrating on making stoneware at Titirangi, New Zealand. Len Castle was an artist in residence at the Gippsland Centre for Art and Design (GCAD).Two piece press moulded ceramic form with glaze wash surface.ceramics, len castle, gippsland campus, jan feder memorial ceramics collection

Robin WELCH ( 23 July 1936-5 December 2019) Born Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England Robin Welch is one of the most highly respected contemporary British potters. The full range of his work includes large vessels with related paintings, fine drawings, and distinctive bowls and vases which explore colour, surface texture, form, detail of edge, and line. He is one of small group of significant British potters who expanded the language of throwing pots on the wheel through post-wheel additions and alteration. This gave his generally cylindrical forms a more organic and sculptural aspect, but their heavily coloured and textured surfaces were as much about painting, too, as Robin sought an integration of the visual disciplines he enjoyed. As he once wrote: “There’s no divide between art or craft. You decide to be an artist and you’ll use anything. If marooned on a desert island you’d use driftwood.” (https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/dec/27/robin-welch-obituary, accessed 23 March 2021) Initially studying at Penzance School of Art under Michael Leach (son of Bernard Leach) and the Central School of Art, London Robin Welch then worked part-time at the Leach Pottery between 1953 and 1959 before opening his own pottery in London's west end (1960 to 1962). After a couple of years of world travel, including working in Australia from 1962 to1965 helping Ian Sprague set up his Mungeribar Pottery and exhibiting in Melbourne, Robin Welch returned to England setting up Stadbroke Pottery in Eye, Suffolk in 1965. Apart from his studion work Robnin Welch was a skilled designer for industry including Wedgwood. When not in his Suffolk studio Robin Welch spent much time in Australia where he appreciated the outback’s arid earth, brilliant light, grittier textures and luminous colour. Stoneware bowl on a tall foot. Calcium matt glaze, underglaze colour with underglaze metallic lustre. ceramic, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, robin welch, gippsland campus, mungeribar pottery, stadbroke pottery

Robin WELCH ( 23 July 1936-5 December 2019) Born Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England Robin Welch is one of the most highly respected contemporary British potters. The full range of his work includes large vessels with related paintings, fine drawings, and distinctive bowls and vases which explore colour, surface texture, form, detail of edge, and line. He is one of small group of significant British potters who expanded the language of throwing pots on the wheel through post-wheel additions and alteration. This gave his generally cylindrical forms a more organic and sculptural aspect, but their heavily coloured and textured surfaces were as much about painting, too, as Robin sought an integration of the visual disciplines he enjoyed. As he once wrote: “There’s no divide between art or craft. You decide to be an artist and you’ll use anything. If marooned on a desert island you’d use driftwood.” (https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/dec/27/robin-welch-obituary, accessed 23 March 2021) When not in his Suffolk studio Robin Welch spent much time in Australia where he appreciated the outback’s arid earth and brilliant light, its grittier textures and luminous colour, qualities he sought to convey in-the-round and on canvas. Apart from his studion work Robnin Welch was a skilled designer for industry including Wedgwood, Midwinter and Denby. Initially studying at Penzance School of Art under Michael Leach (son of Bernard Leach) and the Central School of Art, London Robin Welch then worked part-time at the Leach Pottery between 1953 and 1959 before opening his own pottery in London's west end (1960 to 1962). After a couple of years of world travel, including working in Australia from 1962 to1965 helping Ian Sprague set up his Mungeribar Pottery and exhibiting in Melbourne, Robin Welch returned to England setting up Stadbroke Pottery in Eye, Suffolk in 1965.Stoneware bowl with split flange, glazed with matt white, black and a touch of copper red Tobin Welch stamped on basejan feder memorial ceramics collection, ceramics, robin welch, gippsland campus, jan feder

Professor Vernon Patrick was a visiting artist to the Gippsland Campus. In 2018 he was listed as an Emeritus Professor of the California State University.Woodfired stoneware vase formgippsland campus, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, churchill, ceramics, vernon patrick, stoneware

Professor Vernon Cecil PATRICK (18 November 1943- ) Born Haure , Montana, USA Professor Vernon Patrick was a visiting artist to the Gippsland Campus. In 2018 he was listed as an Emeritus Professor of the California State University.Stoneware vase featuring a girl and dalmation.vernon patrick, gippsland campus, churchill, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, stoneware

Professor Vernon PATRICK (1943- ) Born Havre, Montana, United States of America A lecturer at the Montana State University, Vernon Patrick was a visiting artist to the Gippsland Centre for Art and Design (GCAD).A stoneware platter with decoration featuring Ned Kelly in armour. vernon patrick, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, ceramics, gippsland campus, churchill

Professor Vernon PATRICK (1943- ) Born Havre, Montana, United States of America A lecturer at the Montana State University, Vernon Patrick was a visiting artist to the Gippsland Centre for Art and Design (GCAD). Contextual or historic informationPlatter with glaze design and stickvernon patrick, ceramics, gippsland campus, churchill, jan feder memorial ceramics collection

Valarie Marshall was a Diploma student at the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education from 1972 to 1974.Shingle style hand built pot with clay pellets lightly coloured with copper oxide. gippsland campus, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, ceramics, valerie marshall, gippsland institute of advanced education, alumini

In particular I have been using these methods of construction [slab] to interpret the traditionally spherical form of the teapot as a cubist painter might by squaring it up and transposing curved surfaces into planes and angles. These geometric versions provide flat surfaces for pattern making and light reflection, and the objects become increasingly more decorative than functional. I find enormous pleasure in bending convention to the verge of impracticality. But not so radically that l miss the challenge of producing a form that still incorporates most of the elements of a properly functioning teapot, such as the height of the spout to the pot, the ease of filling, emptying, and handling. Surface decoration plays a vital role in reinforcing the abstraction. Bold areas of black underglaze are applied with distinct boundaries dictated by the form’s angles and planes. In pairs or ad hoc groupings the teapots react with each other and the spaces between to present complex geometric patterns. High firing produces a dense, almost vitrified body and the surface quality I admire without the need for glaze. Although some with more functionality may be glazed inside.(http://www.diannepeach.com/, accessed 23 July 2021)Dianne PEACH (1947- ) Since being introduced to pottery by Milton Moon and David Smith in the mid 60s Dianne Peach initially focused on wheel thrown functional war, which expnded include the infinite possibilities of slab building and casting. This work was purchased from the "Fresh Clay' Exhibition in 1983.Electric kiln fired slip cast earthenware teapot with stencils and coloured glazes. Purchased from the 'Fresh Clay' exhibition, 1883.dianne peach, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, jan feder, ceramics, teapot, fresh clay exhibition

"I am an Australian of German parents born in Persia. I was taught by Peter Rushforth, with a very strong Japanese influence. My work attempts to incorporate these four elements of my history. For form, my influence comes from Art Nouveau, or Jugendstil as it is called in Germany. Techniques are informed by pottery from Japan, China, Korea and Germany. My colours are inspired by the Australian landscape. Using the language of woodfiring, I create a personal vocabulary with new subjects, grammar and syntax, which make each pot a one-off object containing all my diverse influences." (Roswitha Wulff)Roswitha WULFF (1941- ) Born Tabrize, Iran. Arrived Austrqalia c1949 Roswitha Wulff spent her early childhood with her mother, potter Helma Klett, in Germany. In 1964, she obtained a ceramics certificate from the East Sydney Technical College. From 1964-65, she worked with Robin Welch and Ian Sprague at Sprague's Mungeribar Pottery in Upper Beaconsfield, VIC. In 1966 she worked at the Sturt Pottery in Mittagong, NSW under Les Blakebrough. Between 1967 and 1969 Roswitha Wulff travelled overseas, spending 6 monthe with Robin Welch after his return to England and 9 months as a full-time thrower at Briglin Pottery, London, as well as working in potteries in Denmark and Germany. From 1969-70, she worked in North-West Pakistan as a research scholar for the Smithonian Institute and the University of NSW. Returning to Australia in 1970, she set up a workshop in Paddington, NSW, with the help of an Australia Council grant and taught part-time at the East Sydney Technical College and the Willoughby Workshop Art Centre. Since then she has been a lecturer and Head of Ceramics in many institutions, including the National Art School. In the 1990s she moved her studio to Botany Bay, NSW.. While working with the vessel form, she sees her pots as abstract landscapes. Recently she has also been working with wall tiles. During a residency at the Canberra School of Art in 2002, she developed tiles that looked like woodfired pillows with soft rounded rims. In 2007, she used such tiles to create a mural commemorating the Sesquicentenary of St Vincent's Hospital in Paddington. Woodfired stoneware bowl with flay ashSigned on baseroswitha wulff, jan feder, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, woodfire, ceramics, gippsland campus, botany bay studio pottery

Kurt WEBB United States of America Lives Chicago Webb draws his driving force in life and artistic vision from consequential discoveries he makes, while deliberately preferring less ordinary paths to his destinations. Inspirational methodologies in art history including the Dance of Death, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Ship of Fools and Woodcut Novels are cornerstones of his artwork. In 1988, during a visit to Australia, while viewing a small porcelain woodfired bowl and teapot by Australian artist Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, Kurt Webb decided to abandon his desire to make functional pottery. He realized that Piggott’s clay work was beyond comparison or emulation and was impossibly inimitable. In 2015, inspired by using impeccably made, functional commercial tea ware, Webb decided to give pottery making a second chance. As a result, Webb’s new functional work acknowledges traditional influences while he pursues individuality through eclectic subject matter, meticulous construction, and decoratively glazed surfaces–all produced within a contemporary context. A tall vessel with a house and figures at the top.kurt webb, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, ceramics, gippsland campus, sculpture

Jan FEDER ( - 1981) Jan Feder is an alumna of Federation University having studied ceramics at the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education (now Federation Univesity Gippsland campus). Jan Feder was respected by all students for her diligence and technical ability. Her tragic death in 1981 evoked an immediate response from her peers for a memorial. Students discussed a number of memorial options, such as funds for equipment, scholarships and awards. The decision to commence a collection was made based on the idea that all future students culd benefit from the availability of a collection, whereas only a very few individuals could benefit from a scholarship. Students immediately set about raising money by selling 'seconds' called 'Junque Sales'. a total of $760.00 was raised and the first two works purchased were by Victor Greenaway and Victoria Howlett. Ceramic works were purchased from visiting lecturers who became leading ceramic artists around the world, as well as from many of the staff who taught at the Gippsland Campus. The Artist in Residendence Program assisted the collection, with many resident artists conrtibuting to the Collection (ie Robin Welch, Anna Zamorska, Sandy Brown), as well as international guests. Ceramic events such as 'Strzelecki Spotkanie 1984' and 'Woodfire 86' also resulted on major contributions to the collection. Three lidded pots by Jan Feder made in 1981.jan feder, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, ceramics, gippsland campus, alumni, casserole

John ROJO A Post Graduate Student at the Gippsland Centre of Art and Design. Wheelthrown woodfired earthernware urn.john rojo, ceramics, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, gippsland campus, earthernware

Peter CORSER Peter Corser was a Diploma Student at Gippsland Campus.Stoneware bottles, wood fired with glaze from burning plyash.ceramics, gippsland campus, peter corser, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, alumni, woodfire

Grant FINCK Grant Finck graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1991. He started a professional career as a sculptor and ceramicist in the late 1970s, From 1993 Finck coordinated and was a design participant in a regionally based urban design program. From 1996 he has completed a substantial number of public sculpture commissions. In 1987 Grant Finck has a solo exhibition at the Switchback Gallery, Churchill.Earthernware dry glaze orb pot.ceramics, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, gippsland campus, grant finck, churchill

“My main aim is to develop a sense of understanding in the mystery of the human condition, both in the reality of life and the spirituality of death. My work uses figurative imagery, both painterly and sculptural in the ceramic medium.” (http://gallery.baag.com.au/?p=34)Giuseppe RANERI (1959- ) Born Italy Giuseppe Raneri completed a Bachelor of Arts in Ceramic Design in 1982, followed by a residency at the Meat Market Craft Centre before travelling extensively overseas. Upon his return to Australia he set up his own studio in Fitzroy from 1988-1997. His work includes colourful hand-painted tablewareCeramic candlestick with majolica decoration. ceramics, gippsland campus, giuseppi raneri, jan feder memorial ceramics collection

Christine PERKSTwo handbuilt majolica cats with on-glaze painted and woodfired earthernware.christine perks, majolica, ceramics, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, gippsland campus, cats

Wheelthrown hand decorated stoneware platter with Shino glaze.christopher headley, ceramics, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, gippsland campus

As a potter I enjoy the fluidity of the clay and the ability to create beautiful forms from this plastic, sensuous material. It is a journey of discovery especially using local clays and materials to create timeless artifacts. The process of making an object from a fluid material, applying a liquid glaze then firing these works in a wood fired kiln for 45 hours is still fascinating to me. The magic of the results can be both exhilarating and disappointing. (https://www.yarramcourthousegallery.com/calendar-of-exhibitions, accessed 09 July 2021) In 1982, I moved to the Tarra Valley in South Gippsland to build a house, studio and gallery. My main passion at the time was wood fired pottery. I was fascinated with the natural colours and unpredictability of the process. This lifestyle means long hours of work, many failures and a life of poverty. Having a young family meant I had to supplement my income working as a teacher. Wood fired pottery is ancient and seldom practiced art form. The beauty of wood firing is that nature has its way with manmade articles and it is this combination that makes each one of these works totally individual and impossible to reproduce. All works have been fired in a tunnel style wood fired kiln and a down draught wood kiln. The use of terrasigilata sourced from local clays and materials and traditional Japanese glazes help to create highly individual pots that are unique. The use of native hardwood for firing the kiln and creating ash glazes also gives the work a special quality. Many works have been fired multiple times. The use of seaweed and shells help to give each of these ceramic works a luminous natural beauty. These pieces have their imperfections the same as human beings who withstand the rigors of time. These pots are not always perfect, but it is these imperfections that make them individual, unique and intrinsically special. My kilns are like a painter’s palette: they allow me to paint the surfaces of my pots with flame and colour. I love the subtle qualities of the local clays and I have experimented with many types of clay from the local area. Kiln firing can be between 30 to 100 hours. The movement of the flames, the incredible colour variation and the unexpected results make this demanding process rewarding when all goes well. When purchasing my work you are purchasing part of me and 45 years of passion, creativity and individuality. (https://www.yarramcourthousegallery.com/calendar-of-exhibitions, accessed 09 July 2021) John ROJO John Rojo was a Post Graduate Student at the Gippsland campus.Ceramic pot.ceramics, gippsland campus, alumni, john rojo, jan feder memorial ceramics collection

Penny SCOTT Penny Scott was a Post Graduate student in Ceramics at Gippsland Campus. Ceramic low salt fired ceramic form on a tripod stand.ceramics, gippsland campus, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, penny scott, alumni

Heather HUTCHINSON Heather Hutchinson was a Post Graduate student in Ceramics at Gippsland Campus. Ceramic salt fired ceramic form.ceramics, gippsland campus, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, alumni, heather hutchinson

David BRADSHAW (b. 1949- ) Press moulded and hand decorated ceramic platter.ceramics, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, gippsland campus

Nankervis prefers the pre-Industrial Revolution method of firing pottery, involving heating the kiln by burning wood for five days, to the modern, quicker methods using gas or electricity. The distinctive surfacing in wood-fired ceramics is generated by the ash and volatile salts from the burning wood. "Because the wood ash and salts blush the ceramic pieces in the kiln, the finished work tends to take on the nature of the firing process," he said. "One colleague has described the process as painting with fire."(https://www.strathnairn.com.au/studios/artist-in-residence/montessa-maack-ursula-burgoyne-jen-lyall-and-vicki-grima-5ndd6, accessed 09 July 2021)Tony NANKERVIS Tony Nankervis taught ceramics from 1984 when the university was the Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education from 1984. before moving to Southern Cross University (SCU) in 1994. He retired from full time teaching in 2004. Nankervis was a pioneer of the long wood-fired ceramics technique in Australia: a technique he has been practising since the late 1970s Nankervis prefers the pre-Industrial Revolution method of firing pottery, involving heating the kiln by burning wood for five days, to the modern, quicker methods using gas or electricity. The distinctive surfacing in wood-fired ceramics is generated by the ash and volatile salts from the burning wood. "Because the wood ash and salts blush the ceramic pieces in the kiln, the finished work tends to take on the nature of the firing process," he said. "One colleague has described the process as painting with fire. There are particular qualities that only come from firing in that way, he said. "If you see some of these older ceramics, particularly from Asia, the surface qualities are discernible from the surfaces generated by post-Industrial fuels." (https://www.scu.edu.au/engage/news/latest-news/2004/leading-australian-potter-who-paints-with-fire-retires-from-lecturing-at-scu-after-19-years.php, accessed 09 July 2019)Three Lidded Woodfired Cylinders ceramics, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, tony nankervis, tony nankervic

Stephen CUTHILL Stephen Cuthill was a diploma graduate from the Gippsland Centre of Art and Design (GCAD), and was later a tutor. He exhibited works at the Churchill Switchback Gallery iduring the 1980s. His mark is an impressed 'Cuthill' or an impressed stamp 'Stephen Cuthill"A salt glazed bottle with titanium slip glaze.jan feder memorial ceramics collection, salt glaze, alumni, stephen cuthill

jan feder memorial ceramics collection, peter william, raku

Professor Vernon PATRICK Professor Vernon Patrick was a visiting artist to the Gippsland Campus. In 2018 he was listed as an Emeritus Professor of the California State University.Tall glazed ceramic vesselvernon patrick, gippsland campus, churchill, jan feder memorial ceramics collection, stoneware

Four blackware slabsjan feder memorial ceramics collection, blackware, virginia jones

Virginia JONES A ceramic and installation artist, Virgina Between 2002 and 2005 Virgina Jones was the recipient of a Post Graduate Scholarship from Southern Cross University Postgraduate Scholarship from 2002 and 2005 .Blackware sculpturejan feder memorial ceramics collection, blackware, virginia jones