I called Roshni in the lead-up to THREADS to ask a series of questions for the MAKERS GALLERY blog.

I was keen to find out what Roshni likes to do outside of working as a Maker. Roshni shared with me that 50 percent of her passion lies in working with kids; seeing how children respond to what is put in front of them, the responsibility of putting things there and the difference it can make in their development. The other 50 percent is creating. Creating is well-and-truly her passion. It is in her blood after all. She is a second-generation Maker.

Roshni grew up in Mumbai, India. Her mother, Dolly Irani, sewed, and worked as a Maker. Her aunt too. Roshni says textiles have always “been there”, even in university, when she shared a house with a student studying textile design. This common thread of textiles in Roshni’s life has brought her work to where it is today, with textiles having formed the framework for her works in THREADS.

“It was textiles, in particular their weaving, that informed decisions about form and colour,” says Roshni.  “Tall forms were based on spindles and the small vessels on weaving shuttles.  I saw the forms with subtle colour: variations of cream, like the shades of natural silk.”

I mentioned to Roshni my experience travelling to Mumbai several years ago. I remember being amazed by the colours of clothing, the colours in homes and on the streets of the city. The intensity of the city is something I expected to see reflected in Roshni’s work. In contrast, I discover that the works are gentle and delicate, quiet and contemplative.

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Roshni’s work in THREADS is hand-formed. She held the vessels cupped in her palm for as long as it took for them to stiffen. It was important for the base of the vessels to remain curved, as Roshni loved the way the vessels gently rocked and found their point of rest.

“Using my thumb to press the clay and then applying pressure from my fingers, I found myself responding to the material in my hand.  It was like a little private conversation between the clay and my hand.  The pressure, the wetness of the clay, the size and the shape of the clay, all influenced the final form. They are truly gestural forms.”

It was from this that the name was born.

“To Love and to Hold”

Stephanie Outridge Field (Curator) says THREADS is about hand, heart and place. There is a gentleness about the work and uniqueness. Only Roshni’s hands could have made it. The curves of the vessels were formed by the contours of her hands and then the smoothing by her fingers. The thin skin of glaze was formed by her rocking the vessels around in her hands, using just enough glaze for each to be gently coated.

“What really fascinated me was the way in which I started making the shuttle forms. Not wanting to waste the finely rolled-out bits of clay leftover from making the tall forms, I started making them in the palm of my hand because the amount of clay was just big enough to fit snugly.”

“I guess that is now tied with the idea of repurposing thread from old and used garments. I treasure the things I learnt about the various pieces: when my mother wore the sari, where it was bought, the garment she sewed, and the stitches she used in her embroidery.  In that sense, the physical threads became a metaphor for the link between Mother’s life as a Maker and mine. The repurposed threads have their own stories and memories.”

Place

The many years Roshni has lived in Australia has strongly influenced her practice. Her time here presents itself in her work as all sorts of things: shells, leaves, tidelines, sand and seedpods. Her work in THREADS was inspired by time spent living in Weipa, a coastal mining town on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. It was here that Roshni connected with Lyn Bates. You can view Lyn’s work on the MAKERS GALLERY website.

“Looking at the work that we have produced for this exhibition, I am astounded by the synergy between it.  The pieces sit so well together and they seem to have the same sensibility about them. I can only put it down to the common influences of Weipa; the country and the culture, as well as all that I have drawn and imbibed from her work and our conversations over the years.”

Roshni’s previous exhibition at MAKERS GALLERY, BODYWORKS, was small, figurative and wearable. Though her work has evolved considerably, exactly two years later, there are still connections to it in the show. Stephanie (Curator) observes that the small, wearable figures Roshni made for BODYWORKS relate to the tall forms in THREADS. They are long and cylindrical, inspired by dancers. The neck of the pots are like the neck of a dancer and the form is characteristic of the movement and fluidity of a dancer’s body.

The tall forms were dipped in a very thin layer of glaze, giving them slight colour variations and tidelines.

THREADS is precious and delicate, thoughtful and considered. We invite you to visit and spend time with the work. Look inside it, look underneath it, hold it, admire it and form your own connections.

The show is open Saturday 21^st of September 2019 & Sunday 22^nd of September 2019 at The Studio Brisbane, 139 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington. Thereafter, at MAKERS GALLERY, 53 Jackson Street, Clayfield.

We at MAKERS GALLERY wish you a safe and joyful Easter.

This Easter-time, we encourage you to dust off special pieces in your home,  reach out to those around you and have memorable, yummy meals in the company of people who lift your spirits.

In this busy time, we hope you’ll find a moment to  read our interview with the incredibly talented and insightful Troy Bungart. Troy lives in the United States, so there’s no mention of Easter Bilbies in this Easter interview. Instead, we have a captivating group of rabbits.

We’re so excited to bring you this special interview. It’s our first international artist interview of the year.

This interview is best paired with a moment of quiet,  your favourite mug and drink, a comfy chair and a special bowl full of your favourite chocolates.

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Why bunnies?

I’ve often used rabbits in my work. Living in the country for most of my life I’ve always been surrounded by wildlife.  Even when I lived in the city during college there were squirrels and possums, rabbits, birds and box turtles always hanging around. 

My recent rabbit-enhanced vessels seem like a new direction to most of my followers; but, bunnies are a motif I keep circling back to to explore from one direction or another.  

Rabbits have a natural, almost childlike appeal.  I like to keep them pure―not saintly but emotionally real. There are some animals I do with obvious humour, but I don’t like to let my rabbits get cutesy.  

Most importantly, from an artistic standpoint, rabbits remain recognisable when abstracted and they anthropomorphise well.

   

There’s incredible personality in each of the bunnies.  How do you create this?

Rabbits are naturally lithe and active animals.  They stretch and bunch, stand and sit, perk up and hunker down. They even sometimes fight or box or dance on their hind legs. Their flexibility allows me to credibly represent them in animal poses that are suggestive of human interaction.  

I like the spontaneity of pinching and posing the bunnies quickly.  I start with an action or gesture in mind and try to capture a moment with as little effort as possible. I don’t want to overwork them.  I make sure the pose conveys movement, and study it from different angles and tweak it while the clay is still wet and impressionable.  

Sad to say, my poses sometimes don’t make it through the firing process.  Clay takes a beating with the chemical and physical changes it undergoes in a kiln and some of my best rabbits have leaned too far or fallen under adverse conditions. I’ve always been one to push and problem-solve, so I consider it a challenge to see what I can do to help my bunnies survive without having to sacrifice their liveliness.  

What will you be gifting this Easter?

Well, my oldest daughter’s favourite animal is the rabbit.  She used to keep rabbits for 4-H and just feels a connection.  I think she had a Sunday school teacher who used to call my kids her “bunnies.”  Lydia will get her pick of the rabbits coming out of this week’s kiln when she visits over the holiday. She will probably choose something she can use for a sauce or as a tray since she cooks and entertains so often.  

My wife always has the option to pick and keep anything that comes out of the kiln.  She says she wants a shino bowl basket to fill with black jelly beans because it’s our favourite Easter candy flavour and they will look good in a bowl with carbon-trapping. 

My mother hosts holiday get-togethers for the family. Her favourite candy is egg-shaped Jordan almonds, so a bunny basket will be going to her for her multi-coloured pastels. 

Do you have an interest in showing in Australia? 

Absolutely.  I had my work shown in a mixed Australian/US show in Portland several years ago.  Australian ceramics are exciting: a somewhat different aesthetic―materials from different mines, people with different approaches, but all celebrating what can be done in the wide world of ceramics.  Thousands of years of pottery and we still have only scratched the surface of what can be expressed with clay. I work at Schaller Gallery and appreciate being able to experience the perspective that comes from showing international work.  If I had such an invitation from within Australia I would consider it an honour to have my work shown Down Under.  

There’s a lovely relationship between the bunnies and your other work. How is your work linked and in what ways is it unique to you? 

Well, the obvious answer is that I make it all myself.  I sleep just long enough to rest, then I wake myself up thinking of the work I get to do today.  I tend to work on an idea until I’ve reached a point with it where I don’t feel as if I’m progressing, then I jump off in another direction.  Over my lifetime, I don’t think my work has always shown cohesiveness because I have done so many different things.  Sometimes I am more reflective, sometimes more technical, sometimes whimsical and often experimental. 

You’ve caught me with this question because I am currently in one of my phases where I am working on a continuum.  It’s been a while since I blended handbuilding and sculpting with wheelwork and I feel as if my rabbit vessels are only the start of my next great adventure.  I think the bunnies are so active because I am in an active phase.  I’m combining things I have previously chased down and consequently feel familiar with.  I suppose that’s the confidence you detect.  But the elements are now speaking to me of directions I haven’t yet explored.  That’s the bunny dynamic.  My wife wants to get me painting on my pots again, so I will probably figure a fresh way to do so. I used to paint a lot of bunnies on vessels, so the rabbits I’m currently making may be a way to come up with a new perspective I can translate to imagery further down the road. 

Troy, thank you so much for your time.

Website – www.troybungartstudios.com/

Instagram – @troybungart

MAKERS GALLERY is a ceramics gallery in Clayfield, Brisbane which offers a friendly gallery experience for Australian Makers and Collectors. We grow value and appreciation for contemporary ceramics and focus on professional development for Makers.

As a family and with help from our friends, friends-of-friends and coffee we:

– plan, set up and run artist experiences, talks, meetings and exhibitions at MAKERS GALLERY and Impress, Wooloowin

– facilitate workshops

– manage the MAKERS GALLERY website, social media and online store

– build connections with local, national and international Makers and buyers

Our gallery is welcoming, intimate and indiscriminate. We encourage buyers and Makers of all levels to visit, make connections and extend networks.

 

What is important to us?  

Connections 

It is important for us to create strong connections with Makers and strengthen our relationships with them over time. When a Maker cannot be present to speak for themselves, we are able to step in with thorough knowledge of the Maker’s work, process and story.

We forge strong connections with buyers as well and connect them with ceramics that we know will resonate and bring joy. We love seeing the emotional impact of work on people and how story and specialness carry through to and evolve with new owners in their own places and spaces.  

Professional Development

We offer curatorial support and respectful and constructive critiques to Makers of all levels, from emerging to master. We work together to produce exciting, impactful and sometimes challenging and experimental exhibitions. MAKERS GALLERY offers a space to view work in a different light, often in series with works from a handful of Makers. The relationship of work with other pieces and the new environment invites Makers to re-examine and modify, refine and add to their body of work.  

Our investment in development extends to participation in other projects and spaces. We show our support for Makers’ ventures and make ourselves available if we can help.

Understanding

We are Makers ourselves, running the gallery in line with careers as a Photographer and Claymaker. We understand the difficult balance of claywork, multiple jobs and “life things” so we strive to maintain a no-stress gallery policy. We do not expect Makers to meet deadlines at the expense of quality and satisfaction. We understand that when a Maker feels everything is right, it is the best work. Through exhibiting, Makers evolve personally and professionally. We do not rush these critical stages of development.

Our no-stress, no-rush policy extends to our buyers. With flexible initiatives like Makers On The Road, we provide a gallery experience that puts Maker and buyer needs first. 

Celebrating The Uniqueness Of Claywork

Ceramics are the fingerprint of our culture and humanity, reflecting environment, history, society, people and rituals. It is important for us to acknowledge this and celebrate the important role claywork plays in our lives. 

Every Maker’s journey is unique, so we maintain an open mind and responsiveness to each Maker, their work and their admirers. We showcase a diversity of beautiful (useful) pieces, stories and techniques and are constantly evolving with our Makers. 

We would love for you to get in touch with us and share your stories. 

Gallery store – makersgalleryaustralia.com/shop/

Facebook – facebook.com/makersgalleryaustralia

Instagram – @makersgalleryaustralia