Regular trips to my local markets have been one of the things I’ve missed the most during the pandemic. Thankfully, the famous Finders Keepers Markets are offering the opportunity to experience everything we love about markets from the comfort and safety of our own homes. The online event starts today (4 March) and continues until Sunday.
Elph Ceramics homewares
Unable to hold the markets in person throughout 2020, the Finders Keepers have drawn in tens of thousands of shoppers through their online marketplace. They have now added this dedicated market weekend to their calendar.
Breezy Bird Studio artwork
The Finders Keepers have filled their virtual aisles with your favourite brands, labels and businesses for you to peruse. Take advantage of the exclusive artist discounts and offers over the next four days.
More Than Ever textiles
After the unprecedented difficulty of last year, events like this are vital to not only get Australia’s vibrant create community back on their feet, but to allow them to thrive.
Turner + Turner timber homewares
If you’re aching to give your homewares a much needed refresh, The Finders Keepers will certainly have pieces to catch your eye. Visit the online marketplace from today until Sunday and take advantage of their event exclusive offers. Of course, you’ll also find fashion, accessories, gifts and more too!
Ceramics Australia: Our favourite new handmade brands
From the singular vision of Carla Dinnage to Kaz Morton‘s gorgeous pieces and our long-time favourite Jones & Co, loyal readers will know that we’re a bit ceramics obsessed around…
The bohemian, handmade treasures of Sage and Clare
When we first talked to Phoebe Bell of Sage and Clare her business was just one week old! Solely online and offering a collection of homewares she both designed and sourced…
From the singular vision of Carla Dinnage to Kaz Morton‘s gorgeous pieces and our long-time favourite Jones & Co, loyal readers will know that we’re a bit ceramics obsessed around here – it’s hard to resist the allure of the handmade, no? And in great news, the Aussie ceramics scene continues to thrive with many new players in the market. Here’s our pick of the bunch.
Milk Workshop: Handmade in small batches in Melbourne by ceramicist Cate Brown, the Milk Workshop range is both beautiful and functional. With a background in fashion and graphic design, Cate incorporates minimalist clean lines and organic textures into her work. Subtle details, illustrations and glaze finishes prove less really can be more.
Benna Co: Inspired by the colours and textures of the Australian landscape, artist Kelly Murphy creates beautiful yet functional ceramic pieces including platters, planters, vases and wall hangings. We’re particularly taken with her plates and platters which are uniquely glazed to appear as abstract landscape paintings and aerial Aussie views.
Made by Bowie: Created by potter Kate Bowman on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, the Made by Bowie collection has a nostalgic 70’s feel and includes everything from planters to vases, plates, mugs and even the fabulous ‘Luna lamp’ which is crafted from a single block of clay.
The Luna lamp
Paxxy & Flora: Paxxy & Flora is a Brisbane-based ceramics brand built from a love of pink, flowers and a desire to bring beauty and joy to the everyday. Every item is designed, hand moulded and glazed by the brand’s owner Cas Thompson who moonlights as a florist too. Her custom rainbow plates have a bit of a cult following.
Winterwares: Handmade in Western Australia’s port city of Fremantle, the beautiful Winterwares range is the creation of former graphic designer Simone Nabholz. The largely monochrome collection includes rustic plates, bowls, mugs and vases and draws on the Japanese tradition of wabi-sabi and the Danish custom of hygge.
Bei Creative: Small batch, fun and functional, the Bei Creative range is handmade by Belinda Hartwich in her home studio in Victoria’s Warrnambool. We love her use of colour across the range that features everything from wall crosses to vases, bowls, mugs, planters and spoons.
Hot find: Colourful, functional one-of-a-kind Aussie ceramics
“The word ‘chimerical’ means unchecked imagination and that’s the feeling we want to bring to our work. We would describe our work as eclectic, colourful and abstract!” says Charissa Schlink, one half…
The “Here Comes The Sun” collection is inspired by a lifelong love of colours and design that evokes fun. The new range is loaded with colours and imagery inspired by the Aussie summer, including hand painted swimmers on pots and vases in vibrant hues.
Image: Jones & Co
We love the luxe garden pots that are wheel thrown and bursting with colour and hand painted designs, or the range brand’s bestselling range of vases and vessels with loveable and quirky designs.
Images: Jones & Co
Born originally as “Have you met Miss Jones” in 2006, owner Jennifer Jones works with passion to create distinctive styles for the home and to bring joy to people’s living spaces. The collections are the perfect gift to make that someone special giggle and smile. The entire range is designed in Bondi Beach and then crafted by specialized artisans in SE Asia.
With a 40-year career as an artist and art teacher, Queensland’s Venus Ganis always made sure to provide a creative environment for her six children when they were growing up – an upbringing that paved the way for the family’s latest venture. After tinkering with ceramics with her two daughters, Ria and Cleo, the design trio decided to make a legitimate business out of their gorgeous wares called Leaf & Co.
Tidal series
“We were initially making ceramic Christmas gifts to give to friends and family, and the feedback was overwhelming, everyone loved how unique our pieces were. We realised that our passion for ceramics could be transformed from a hobby to a business that we love,” says Cleo, who is a qualified interior designer. The third member of the team is Cleo’s sister Ria who initially worked in fashion but is now a photographer.
Sketch series
With a strong connection to nature, the family are based out of Mt Glorious, an hour outside of Brisbane. “Growing up at Mt Glorious we’ve always been inspired by nature at its best and I believe our core inspiration comes from the connection we have to our environment. All our ceramics are based on the natural environment, like the curves of a wave and the lines of a landscape. Nature is our main and only inspiration,” says Cleo.
Pure series
The family work out of the brand’s Mt Glorious studio which looks onto a series of overlapping mountains. “Our working environment is important to us as it continually inspires and keeps us in touch with who we are. It’s such a lovely feeling being immersed in an environment that we can use as a reference for our creations,” says Cleo.
Nest series
Working primarily with ceramics, the Leaf & Co pieces are handmade using Australian sourced clay, natural minerals and oxides. “Each piece is handmade through every step of the creation process. We roll the clay and imprint the pattern by hand which is then moulded and dried before the pieces are fired. Depending on the series, we would underglaze with colour and also add a final top glaze making the pieces food-safe and resistant to staining,” says Cleo.
Venus, Ria and Cleo Ganis
The Pebble series is the latest addition to the range. “We experimented with mixing up black stained clay and pressing it with white clay. This series is quite a surprise as you don’t know what the pattern or mix of black and white will be until you press the merged clays. This has been a very exciting process because each piece is quite different in pattern, colouration and shape,” says Cleo of the pieces that are available in three different sizes and can be displayed stacked or separately.
Pebble series
The ceramics certainly have a modern Australian feel with their earthy textures and inspiration, “I believe Australians tend to approach design a little differently than the rest of the world, because of our geographical location, climate and our multicultural mix. I think our design style across many creative outlets, whether it be fashion, design or even architecture is quiet laid back and relaxed, as it encompasses the outdoors and surrounding landscapes.”
