Tag: PJ Pottery

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Breathe in, breathe out

PJ Pottery news

My beautiful boilermaker and I had a glorious week up in Far North Queensland. It’s our second visit there during winter. The landscape and greenery are large and lush and the beaches soothe the soul with every step you walk. Together, we built a large mandala sand sculpture on Mission Beach which brought joy to a few curious onlookers. The tide washed it away that evening. We have come back rejuvenated and ready to get back into work, for me that means Spring Fever potters’ market and competition time!

collage of photos from Far North Queensland
Photos by Nicci Parry-Jones
What an artist does when on holidays!

Competition time

Being a professional potter means you are always looking at ways to design and create new work to satisfy your customers and part of this process involves entering competitions that provide a challenge to create work to the best of your ability. You often need to fulfil a brief, sometimes to a theme (like the Sydney Teapot Show) and to hopefully – if you are successful and your work is chosen – you can expand your audience of ceramics collectors and pottery lovers.

I am pleased to say my Steampunk teapot, Beatrix has been selected as a finalist in the Klytie Pate Ceramic Award. The Klytie Pate Award for Ceramics is a National prize, open to all ceramicists in Australia and New Zealand who are experienced in the craft. It carries a biennial prize of $10,000. The opening night is Thursday 14th September at 6pm, MACE 145 High Street Mansfield, Vic.

Ceramic Arts Queensland hosts the Siliceous Award every second year and I am hoping to have an entry in this.

Beatrix Steampunk teapot
Beatrix, Steampunk Teapot

I won an award in last year’s Sydney Teapot show (you can read more about this HERE). I have a work in progress for this year’s show, here’s a sneak peak at this new Steampunk teapot. My estimate is that I’ve spent 7-8 hours on this piece so far, now I’m crossing my fingers it survives the two firings and glazing process!

Spring Fever Potters’ Market

PJ Pottery will have a stall at the Spring Fever Potters’ Market Saturday 2 September, 8am – 12pm at Maleny Showgrounds. Hosted by Suncoast Clayworkers with over 30 stalls and free admission! Come say hi and fill your bags with wonderful handmade ceramics.

flyer for Spring Fever Potters Market

Thanks for reading and your continued support, if you ever have any questions about pottery or would like to see any my process, let me know. Cheers, Nicci

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Welcome to winter on the mountain

This is where you will find PJ Pottery next…..

rainforest artisan bazaar flyer

The Rainforest Artisan Bazaar is a unique marketplace showcasing the talents of 15+ local artists. Nestled amidst lush greenery at Thunderbird Park, Tamborine Mountain the bazaar serves as a meeting place for both artists and visitors, where the atmosphere is infused with a sense of community and appreciation for art. Each booth you will be greeted by passionate individuals eager to share the stories behind their creations.

Find out more info here

The following Sunday will be the re-opening of the PJ Pottery Gallery. The gallery has had a HUGE make-over and we are celebrating with a re-opening party 3pm SUNDAY 18th JUNE . There will be local specials, new stock, new teapots, a bit of bubbly and nibbles and a fair bit of talking about clay. If you would like to attend, please RSVP below

PJ Pottery gallery reopens
RSVP here
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May pottery news

The recent TMAC Open Studios in May 2023 was a great success and a wonderful chance to talk to artists and buy local handmade art. PJ Pottery had a display at a group exhibition at The Art Post Gallery

Part of the display at the Art Post Gallery during the TMAC Open Studio event

I am stoked that several of my unique Steampunk teapot creations have went to new homes over the weekend. There are now some fresh new one-of-a-kind teapots available in my SHOP like these two beauties, Bertrand and Lucille.

steampunk teapot with cog handle and tap lid
Lucille
steampunk teapot with cog lid
Bertrand

The PJ Pottery home gallery has had a HUGE make-over and we will be hosting a re-opening party to celebrate at 3pm SUNDAY 18th JUNE . There will be local specials, a bit of bubbly and nibbles and a fair bit of talking about clay. If you would like to attend, please RSVP below:

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Thank you for your response. ✨

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PJ Pottery gallery reopening soon
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Hand building pottery workshop

Here’s a chance to create your very own ceramic pieces at the PJ Pottery studio on Tamborine Mountain.

In this fun one day workshop with experienced potter and teacher, Nicci Parry Jones, you will make an assortment of hand built ceramics and learn different techniques of making with clay.

You will create pinch pots, a slab platter and a coil planter plus a few extra pieces if time permits. Your pieces will be glazed and fired for you and you can collect in 4-5 weeks or you can arrange postage. All inclusive fee of $165 (tuition, clay, equipment, glaze and firing)

Suitable for beginners, maximum of 6 participants

Hand building workshop – the basics

Check out other PJ Pottery workshops and classes here

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Tamborine Mountain Open Studios + Exhibition

tmac open studios poster

I am excited to announce I will be participating in a group exhibition at The Art Post, Main Street Tamborine Mountain with other local artists: Cassi Ashton Thomas, Lilly Piri, Susan Lhamo, Kate French-McLean and Emma Dusting.

My display will be my signature Steampunk style teapots with some sweet surprises that I’ve been working on recently. This exhibition of paintings, mixed media and ceramics will be rich with colour, forms and textures in a delightful new art space in the heart of town.

This is part of the Tamborine Mountain Arts Collective (TMAC) OPEN STUDIOS event. There is a wonderful line up of artists opening their studios so it’s well worth a visit to Tamborine Mountain on the Mothers’ Day weekend 13 and 14 May. Find out more information on the TMAC website and on the Art Post website

nicci parry-jones in studio image by claire elise photography
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Glazing amazing

glaze test tiles
glaze test tiles
students making a glaze
students making a glaze
student glazing a plate
student glazing a plate
glazing workshop group
glazing workshop group

Glazing workshop

At my recent glazing workshop at the PJ Pottery Studio, we had a heady day of learning. Talking about glaze ingredients and what purpose they have in a glaze. The attendees then went through the process of making a glaze and adding colourants in increments to create a line blend. Their pieces and the glaze tests will be fired and examined, we can’t wait to see the results. Oh, and there was homemade rhubarb tarts.

Glazing is a huge topic in pottery, there are literally infinite variations to experiment with. Changing the percentage of one ingredient can alter the look and feel. You can turn a matt into a glossy glaze; you can alter the opacity or colour. Many old school potters, (like me) make their own glazes from scratch so we can make adjustments to find that elusive perfect glaze.

There is now a large selection of ready-made glazes and easy brush-on glazes. These are handy because many of those new to pottery may have not had the opportunity of learning how to make their own glazes through the TAFE system or through higher learning. I was pleased to offer this glazing workshop to enable emerging potters to develop this important skill.

Check out this super website with loads of glaze recipes glazy.org

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Pottery Road Open Studio Trail

group of 5 potters
open studio trail map

Who doesn’t love a road trip?

Particularly one where you can take a look into an artists’ working studio. Under the brand-new banner Pottery Road, five local Tamborine Mountain and valley potters are joining forces to launch an open studio trail to coincide with the Australian Ceramics Open Studio event on Saturday & Sunday 12th & 13th of November 10am-4pm daily.

Nicci Parry-Jones PJ Pottery; Larissa Warren Ratbag Studios: Julia Bramich Julia Bramich Ceramics; Jo Mackenzie Jo Mackenzie Ceramics and Claudia De Salvo Claudia De Salvo Makes will be selling their ceramics and some will offer workshops from their studios over the weekend. Larissa, Jo and Nicci will be in Tamborine Mountain studios, Claudia in Guanaba and Julia in Wonglepong. You can also catch an amazing exhibition of new works by Julie Shepherd at Under The Greenwood Tree on the same weekend

These potters are passionate about their craft and would love to share some insights into how they create. Each has a unique style, utilising different techniques to produce their ceramics from delicate jewellery, one-of-a-kind porcelain pieces, quirky teapots and functional dinnerware and homeware.

Follow the Pottery Road Facebook page to find more, details of studio specials and demonstrations and workshops on offer. PJ Pottery will be offering a fun 1 hour workshop – Make Your Own Platter Set

Book workshop here

Visitors to the studios will see where the magic happens! This is the perfect time to stock up on gorgeous handmade Christmas presents. And as a special incentive, those who call into the studios over the weekend can go into the draw for beautiful ceramic package give-away from each of the studios. If you visit all five potters, you have five chances of winning!

Book in that road trip with your pottery-loving mates now!

flyer image photo by Sabine Bannard

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Winning! Sydney Teapot Show

Jabberwocky teapot
Jabberwocky Teapot by PJ Pottery

So……I am absolutely thrilled to say that my entry into the 2022 Sydney Teapot Show won its category! A big thank you to Kerrie Lowe Gallery for putting on this wonderful exhibition and Gleebooks for sponsoring the Nonsense Poems Award this year. My entry was a tea-drinking Jabberwocky titled, “…as in uffish thought he stood…” inspired by the Lewis Carroll poem, Jabberwocky.

This ceramic-specific event, devoted to Australian ceramics and in particular Australian made teapots, provides a wonderful opportunity for potters like me. As a professional potter whose focus is on creating unique handmade teapots, winning the Sydney Teapot Show has been on my bucket list for many years and I am honoured to have won and have my work displayed alongside the teapots of other potters whose work I greatly admire.

As an added bonus, this teapot was sold during the exhibition. Woohoo!

If you are interested in knowing more about my background or purchasing my work:

Learn more about PJ Pottery teapots
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2 Day Teapot Making Demo

Wide Bay Burnett Potters Convention poster

Teapot Making Demo with PJ Pottery

I am honoured to have been invited to the annual Potters’ Convention with Wide Bay Burnett Potters Association later this month. If you are up that way and want to watch me demonstrate how to throw and construct teapots, you can book HERE

It is a 2 day conference with other tutors demonstrating; Gai and Cam McDonald and Lyndell Peterson, at the Maryborough Showground.