▶ PRESS: TODD FULLER IN JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS

'Love, Loss, Masculinity and the Absurdity of the Human Condition',
Megan Fizell, Journal of Australian Ceramics, 50/3, p.48

▶ JEWELLER SPOTLIGHT: DEBRA TAYLOR

Some things are better left unsaid, and this is where Debra Taylor’s porcelain pendants are perfect to tell it like it is without a word spoken. Often receiving a bit of a giggle, Taylor’s pendants feature captions that range from sentimental and endearing to witty and cheeky, all offering a way to express one’s self or the opinion of another. Taylor is usually seen wearing one of her quirky pendants and remarks “Passers-by will strain to read what you have to say before you disappear into the crowd. I've often wanted to say 'Go on, ask me!'…” The black and white pendants are completed with industrial-looking stainless steel cords.

Accompanying the pendants at the Gallery are Taylor’s porcelain bangles that have a smooth matt finish, contrasted with coloured high-lustre dots. These concave dots flicker across the bangles, giving these chunky pieces personality and texture. 

Taylor has been working as a ceramicist for eighteen years and her jewellery range is only one section of her ceramic repertoire.  At the Gallery we stock her dimpled jugs and cups that also feature her sweet and tongue-in-cheek commentary. The glossy inside can be either coloured or plain, as with the text. The dimple-like grooves mean the pieces nestle comfortably between the thumb and the palm of one’s hand.  The cups, jugs and the pendants can be customised to display personalised text, making them ideal for gifts or marking a special occasion.

▶ PRESS: CAROL MURPHY IN ART MARKET REPORT

▶ SAM ROBINSON: DECAL PORCELAIN BOWLS, CUPS + ILLUMINATORS

Sam Robinson, 'Pretty Decal Cups' 2011, porcelain - hand applied decal, 7 x 8.5 x 7.5cm

Brenda May Gallery is pleased to welcome a new series of handmade porcelain bowls, cups & illuminators by Sam Robinson to the stockroom. The new works feature hand applied decals ranging from flowers to fish and butterflies. Also available are her popular watermelon bowls, cast from watermelons and bitter melons (pictured below). Please direct any queries regarding pricing or availability to the Gallery.

Sam Robinson, 'Large + Small Watermelon Bowl' 2011, porcelain - hand applied decal, 6.5 x 16.5 x 17.5cm + 6 x 11 x 11cm

▶ A SELECTION OF WORK FROM ART + HUMOUR ME - CLOSING SATURDAY MAY 7

As noted in Spectrum in The Sydney Morning Herald last weekend by Louise Schwartzkoff, "Some of it is whimsical, some clever and some crude. All of it is designed to provoke a chuckle." From the balancing dogs in shopping carts by Joanna Braithwaite (courtesy of Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney) to Mylyn Nguyen's hot sculpted glass monsters, the works not only share the lighter side of the arts but also include autobiographical elements. The walls have been echoing with giggles and a few visitors were spotted dancing along to the DVD 'Dancing in my kitchen on my 29th birthday' by Julia Burns.

Art + Humour Me continues until Saturday 7 May 2011 and will be the last chance to see this collection of work. The next exhibitions by Melinda Le Guay and Al Munro follow, starting on Tuesday 10 May.

▶ NEW IN THE STOCKROOM: CAROL MURPHY 'THE WATER CATCHER'

Carol Murphy, 'The Water Catcher' 2010, high fired earthware, 21.5 x 31 x 14cm

Carol Murphy's ceramic sculpture 'The Water Catcher' is made with high fired earthware and is intended to be installed outside. The work features a deep bowl-like indentation in the stomach of the figure which was created to collect rainwater. According to Murphy, 'melted iron spots and impurities make the speckled surface' with the work sanded smooth but left unglazed. The stylised, sculpted figure exploring positive and negative space was last used by Murphy in her 2008 exhibition, 'Sculptural Forms III.'

▶ PRESS: CAROL MURPHY IN SPECTRUM

▶ CAROL MURPHY + JOEL BLISS, CLOSING 9 APRIL

A reminder to visit the shows by Carol Murphy and Joel Bliss before they close on Saturday 9 April.

Carol Murphy's exhibition of small figurative ceramic sculptures demonstrate her playful nature. The works range from 'I Got Hungry', referencing the Folies Bergère star Josephine Baker and her infamous banana skirt dance to 'Enid (is equipped for all situations)' the heroine of the Ghost World comics complete with wooden club and laser gun.

'Return of The Bigots' by Joel Bliss features just six sculptures. The largest work is comprised of seven individual pieces made from steel, dipped in zinc and painted black. The five smaller works are also painted steel but incorporate a range of accents including timber, grip tape and rivets. The sharp angles of the works complimented the raw music performed by 'The Bigots' on the night of the opening.

▶ PRESS: CAROL MURPHY IN THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

▶ CAROL MURPHY, 'I GOT HUNGRY'

Left: Carol Murphy, 'I Got Hungry' 2011, ceramic on timber base, 38 x 12 x 10cm
Centre: Josephine Baker in Banana Skirt from the Folies Bergère production "Un Vent de Folie", 1927
Right: illustration by Paul Colin France, 'Josephine Baker' 1927, from Le Tumulte noir (The black craze) portfolio

In her ceramic sculpture 'I Got Hungry', Carol Murphy references the Folies Bergère star Josephine Baker and her infamous banana skirt. In 1926, Baker caused a sensation in Paris with her sexually suggestive 'banana dance', performed wearing little besides the phallic shaped, artificial bananas around her waist. This remarkable woman, who worked as a Nazi spy during the war and an active participant of the American Civil Rights Movement, became a muse for a number of artists and writers.  Murphy's version, showing the figure snacking on her costume, is an ironic twist on the typically sexualised representation of Baker.