Jam Packed interview with jeweller Linda Hughes

Tell us about yourself, how did you become a jeweller?
I've always 'made' things. I started out as a sculptor and just scaled down to jewellery objects.

Which jewellers, craftspeople, writers, artists, musician, anyone do you find particularly inspiring?
I admire Australian artists such as, Brett Whiteley, Rosalie Gascoigne, Jeffrey Smart and Clarice Beckett. I like street art; graffiti

Jewellers in particular are, Manfred Bischoff, Ramon Puig Cuyas, Katja Prins, Helen Britton and Rian de Jong

Have any of these people had a specific influenced the way you approach making? If so, how?
Jeffrey Smart's palette appeals to me obviously, his sense of composition.

Is there any specific quotes, ideas, places that influence this current body of work?
I've been obsessed with the streetscape for years and continue to be.

Is there any specific collections, museums that you have found inspiring and why?
I could sit for hours in front of Jackson Pollock's 'Blue Poles' at the NGA, it's a journey of discovery.  For jewellery, Gallery Marzee and the V & A.

Welcome us to your studio - where is it, do you share the space, if so what are the benefit of a shared space?
My studio is at home, isolated. Bright, warm with real coffee. However, I have contact with my peers at uni and in their studios when a friendly exchange is needed.

The work for the exhibition: Can you describe the specific themes reflected in this body of work?
Street signs and more street signs, subtle changes in pieces and hidden messages.

Describe your method of production in this current work?
Escherlike think parquetry and glue!

Internationally renowned glass artist Katherine Gray is currently conducting a workshop in the glass studio at JamFactory

Based in LA, Katherine Gray is one of the world’s most recognised artists working in glass, her work uses a strong skills base often combining this with innovative and playful approaches to her ideas-based practice.

Katherine graduated from the Ontario College of Art in Canada and received her M.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design, she is currently Assistant Professor in glass at California State University, San Bernardino. Katherine has taught workshops around the world including Canada , France and Japan, as well as writing about and curating exhibitions of contemporary glass. Her work can be found in the collections of the Corning Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Museum of Glass and the Museum of American Glass.

The workshop runs throughout the week with members of the glass community given the opportunity to learn from Katherine, with demonstrations and artist talks. The public can catch a glimpse of Katherine at work from the Glass studio viewing platform throughout the week.

Tom Rowney Workshop June 14-18

MUTATE

MUTATE – Materials Under Transition And Technical Exploration
JamFactory Associates recently undertook a new collaborative project called Mutate.
Mutate provided an opportunity for Associates to work with and learn from fellow associates in the four main studios, allowing experimentation and exploration with new materials and techniques.
In groups of 2 or 3 Associates worked together to design a functional item, working from ideas and sketches to a final prototype in a very short timeframe. The results were then presented and critiqued providing valuable feedback on design concepts, use of materials and working as a team.

The project is the first is a series of cross-studio collaborative projects aimed at expanding and enriching the Associate experience

JamFactory Volunteers Week Celebrations

On Thursday May 20, we celebrated and recognised the support and efforts of our volunteers throughout the year.

The Metal Design Studio held a ‘Make a Silver Ring’ workshop from 1-5pm and a Thank you Ceremony followed, where volunteers were presented with Certificates of Appreciation over drinks and nibbles.

We would like to thank our volunteers for your continued support of JamFactory and time provided in the Volunteer Program.

The Volunteer Program has been established to support the activities of JamFactory, in particular the Gallery. It provides an opportunity for interested people to interact with artists and expose them to professional crafts practice. Volunteer activities include Gallery Invigilation which is an important ‘front of house’ position, providing the first point of contact for visitors to JamFactory.

If you would like further information in becoming a JamFactory Volunteer please contact Kara Growden 
8410 0727 kara.growden@jamfactory.com.au

Liz Williamson: Textiles Opening

Liz Williamson: Textiles was officially opened on Friday 21st May at 6pm by Guest Speaker Kay Lawrence. The exhibition is part of Object Gallery’s Living Treasures: Masters of Australian Craft series which celebrates Australia’s most outstanding and influential senior crafts practitioners.The exhibition runs until 20 June 2010.

Liz Williamson: Textiles is supported by Object’s National Exhibitions strategy funded by the Australian Government program supporting touring exhibitions by providing funding assistance for the development and touring of Australian cultural material across Australia.

1st Year Ceramic Associate James Edwards talks to Jam Packed about the 2010 Clay Energy Conference

This is the eighth in these series of clay events held in Gulgong home to Australian Preeminent ceramist Janet Mansfield. Is this your first trip to Gulgong? If so what were you expecting? 
Yes this was my first Gulgong outing, the 2010 Clay Energy Conference. I just missed the last one in 2007, so I had plenty of expectations, but also knew from talking to others who had been in 2007 what the conference was about. There were plenty of 'artstars' of the Australian and international Ceramics world, and the whole event is really an excuse for every one of all levels to mingle, network and have some fun. That was pretty much exactly what happened. 

What were some of the highlights of the conference – particular key notes etc. and why? 
Highlights of the conference were more outside of the lectures for me. I sat with our Clay Adelaide exhibition most of the conference, and what I'm considering highlights from this are the moments and conversations with artists from all levels talking about our work, and theirs. I had some great informal chats with some influential people in regards to my practice, which was awesome! 

The one artist talk I got to that I did enjoy a lot was Ken Yonetani talking about his work. His work is so highly textural, evocative of the ocean floor in his formations of coral, shells, and mussels made from clay, and then his more abstract pieces, that I couldn't help the immediate attraction to the works. 

Which exhibitions did you like and why?  
There were so many exhibitions, from purpose built gallery spaces to vacant shops full of work, to a neatly placed display in the main streets shop windows. So much work was attractive; to pick a favourite would be impossible...especially when our Clay Adelaide exhibition was totally the best!!!

Interesting exhibitions though, included the Matchbox Competition, where all and sundry could enter a ceramic based work, as long as it could fit inside a matchbox. On the Saturday night of the conference, all the matchbooks (about 400?) were lined up on a pool table in the Prince of Wales Hotel, and it was really interesting to see how innovative and creative entrants had been. 

Another was the '340 grams' - The Australian Ceramic Association Members Exhibition, where members could exhibit anything as long as it weighed 340 grams in total. 
I feel these exhibitions were so attractive to me because of the scope of creativity they offered, and a few inspiring ideas came from some of the exhibits! 

Did you get involved in the wood firings, if so can you tell us about it?
I didn't get involved in a wood firing as there weren't any being run. We did do a massive Raku workshop though as Raku is a much faster firing process than wood, and that meant the conference was actually long enough to go from start to finish in the whole process of making, drying and firing, while still allowing people to take their finished pieces away. 

We did however fire a few wood ovens, a tri-pot Tandoori wood oven, and various other wood-heating ovens that created some decadent food on the last day at Janet Mansfield's property. 

Adelaide Ceramist had a show as part of Clay Energy Can you tell us who was part for this exhibition and where it was held? 
Our Clay Adelaide exhibition was held in the front upstairs room in a beautiful Victorian style shop fronted house, now officially to be the Headquarters and home of Mansfield Press, at the end of the main streets shopping section. The show opened in conjunction with 4 others in the same building, including National Art School, Woodfire Show, 10 artists from South Australia, Ceramic Study Group, NZceramics, and Royston Harpur - Paintings. 

Our exhibition was to present the work of 10 ceramic artists from Adelaide and its surrounds, which included one plinth each dedicated to Jane Burbidge, Maria Chatzinikolaki, Susan Frost, Suzanne Gregor, Tamara Hahn, Charmain Hearder, Stephanie James-Mantton, Wayne McAra, Jane Robertson and myself. 

The exhibition was a great success, I had a lot of great feedback and critique, and we sold a few pieces and all of the 90 handmade beakers we each chipped in towards being our opening's wine vessels. 

Could you describe your work form the show – the ideas behind the work you produced and your process of making? 
Everyone wants to enjoy an environment that is their ideal space. Everyone desires to live amongst ‘stuff’ which brings good memories and makes a good ambience.
 
By drawing together items and objects that have a memory of past lives, stories unfold and personal memories find their way interweaving with a new element, to cannibalise the original item into something new.
With a fresh face, the objects make their way back into the world to continue their existence, creating and enhancing new memories as they go.

So my work, Parchments, is a desk lamp from a series I'm currently undertaking, involving the cannibalisation of found or op-shopped lamp stands and shades, where I have to create either the shade or stand to match the existing half. 

Parchments was created by walking past a house in my street and intercepting an elderly lady putting out a shade-less Victorian hot-cast bronze table lamp. So after a lot of deliberation and experiments, I ended up with a cylindrical translucent porcelain shade, with stencilled Fleur de Lyss on the upper face.