...98, 99, 100, coming ready or not.

I believe I am experiencing blogxiety.

This is my 100th post so I feel it needs to be some kind of spectacular. Or I could just ignore this self constructed milestone and continue on my merry blogging way. Yep, I'll go with that.

At the weekend I visited Arts Project Australia to see By Hand "a showcase of fresh and unique ceramics that point to the powerful artistic identity of the maker."

Dorothy Berry Not titled (spider) 2008

The media release for the exhibition states "One of the by-products of the ceramic firing process is an awareness of the temporal nature of humanity. Once fired, the mark of the author’s hand in the clay is literally immortalised, rendering it forever present in the reading of the work."

Terry Williams Not titled (green skyscrapers) 2009

"In a post-industrial age, much has been made of the significance of the handmade to contemporary art practice and culture. The resurgence of hand making indicates a reaction against the non human uniformity of mass production. After all, "The physical body is the primary means with which to experience the world and the most obvious tool for the production of creative work.” (By Hand: the use of craft in contemporary art, Joseph Magliaro and Shu Hung, 2006) The works in By Hand showcase the broad range of concepts expressed by Arts Project Australia artists through their fresh and unique use of the ceramic medium."

Tim Noble Not titled (black football jumper) 2009

I really enjoyed this show. It made me smile because you certainly could feel the presence of the maker within each piece. I was quite envious of the looseness and honesty of the works. In learning and developing my craft the emphasis has been on striving for perfection but at the same time leaving fingermarks and glaze dribbles on a piece is something to which I aspire. It takes confidence to accept the marks we naturally make and not fix and fiddle and refine. A confidence I am yet to acquire but am working towards.

By Hand
22 October to 28 November 2009
Arts Project Australia
24 High Street Northcote VIC 3070