Sienblue Pottery
artist 's statement &
CV
Renee Compton Ferguson, NSWOMy desire to be an artist and work with my hands just happened as I was growing up. Like most creative folk, you tend to lean more towards what you're good at or at least get "lost" in, if you get my drift. I just like making things.The perfect setting: my parents had an art studio.My father painted on canvas, paper & lead; my mother on porcelain. What I really wanted was a dog but since that wasn't going to happen, they encouraged me to spend time in that studio. And magic happened for me there, kind of like finding your new invisible friend, so I stuck with it.That's how making art became a lifestyle, albeit one that I've shared with a career, pets, social life, marriage and remembering to feed myself from time to time. Ah, the life of an artist in this day and age. I move a lot and the processes I work with are ongoing & always adapting to my new surroundings, allowing me to keep a live connection with the magic (wackiness), in my head.I love making anything with my hands. Sculpting and painting come naturally but it’s pottery that I consider my main medium of choice. The process is limitless in that as a potter, one only has a certain amount of control over the final result, making serendipity a crucial part of the aesthetics; one can let loose and play with ideas, then leave the rest to that last magical dragon-step, the kiln hug. Anything can happen in that final step depending on how the combination of natural elements of earth, minerals, air & fire come together.There's nothing mechanical about handmade stuff; it can be mass produced but like one's offspring, each has its own birthmark. Very nice indeed.The type of clay used, what you choose to give it color with, where its sits in the kiln and which season it is fired in are my artistic challenges. Each piece has its own warmth, temperament and color. All of these qualities beyond my control but oh! so exciting to see when the firing is over.I have taught Ceramics and Visual Art for many years in South America, Asia, and Australia since 1991. The best part of my teaching career has been running a high school ceramics department in Taiwan and traveling to Japan with students to discover the fascinating art of earth & fire through clay.CVParents' studio 1970 - 1983Art & Art History, American University of Paris 1983 - 1986Printmaking and scultpure, Parsons School of Design, Paris1983 – 1986Art & Art History, Richmond College, London1987 – 1988Masters in Art Education, Rhode Island School of Design, USA1994 – 1996MAE Works in Progress, Rhode Island School of Design, USA 1996exhibited work at TAS, Taipei, Taiwan 1997Celadon work with David & Margaret Frith, Tokyo, Japan 1997Workshop with Friths, Denbigh, Wales 1998Workshop with Euan Craig , Mashiko, Japan 1998Studio use, Sturt Gallery, Mittagong NSW 2003exhibited at The Illawarra Grammar School 'Major Works' 2009Golden Jubilee Art Exhibit & speaker, TIGS 2009Ten Hands, Exhibit, Wollongong 2009Workshop with Sandy Lockwood, Balmoral Village, NSW 2010wood firing at Reedy Marsh Pottery, Deloraine, Tasmania 2011WorkArt Teacher, Colegio Francia, Venezuela 1988 – 1989Art Teacher, Escuela Campo Alegre, Venezuela 1990 – 1993Art and Ceramics Teacher K-12, Taipei American School, Taiwan 1994 – 2002Art, French, & Design Tech Teacher, The Illawarra Grammar School, Australia 2004 – 2007Self-employed artist, Sienblue Pottery, Australia 2008 – present
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