Ruby Pilven / artist intro #2

the second artist intro is the lovely, Ruby Pilven… 
emerging ceramic-artist, country girl, gypsy
& maker of the gold-kissed porcelain 'bling rings' now in-store

Ruby's work caught my eye a couple of months back 
& I was instantly drawn to her aptly-named 'bling rings'. 

individually sculpted, stained & painted by hand so no two are alike . . .
each ring is given a generous splash of gold lustre in various patterns.

eucalyptus gum leaves

Ruby grew up in Ballarat with a backyard of 10 acres & her parents' ceramic studio as her playroom. After a childhood spent watching her parents, Janine & Peter Pilven, create their wheel-thrown art at their home-studio, it's no surprise that Ruby would eventually have her own range of beautiful ceramic works. Since she learnt her craft from both parents, who are (still) practising ceramic-artists, they've become Ruby's mentors & teachers. 

Ruby now creates her own work in the same studio that she played in as a kid !

porcelain bling rings in various shapes & sizes - $35 each 

Ruby on her practice...

' The studio is very natural & comfortable for me… it can release my creative ideas with ease. And since there has been years of my parents making in the studio, it embodies a kind of sacred space for creation. 
I love exploring the concept of the unknown. My rings were a playful accident which turned into a very popular & addictive creation. I enjoy the process of making & the unknown consequences of using different methods. Sometimes the most interesting works are spontaneous & unmeditated. I guess that's why all my rings are unique… they each have a different personality & character about them.  
When I'm not in my studio, I use my temporary one… a box, my clay & tools so I can make jewellery whenever I feel the urge… kind of like a gypsy! ' 

What Ruby likes most about Australia...

' I love the colour of the earth, the smell of the trees, the beaches & the sounds of magpies in the morning . . . it is so quiet & open. ' 

There's only a few left in-store, so get them while they're hot !

x x

Lene Kuhl Jakobsen ceramics now online

Lene is a Danish-born artist now living in a leafy-green suburb in Melbourne's north-east. Her Scandinavian aesthetic can still be seen throughout her work, even though she has called Melbourne home for nearly three decades. 

Lene studied ceramics for four years at Denmark's Kolding School of Arts & Crafts in the mid 70s. She worked in production-pottery in Copenhagen for several years, while exhibiting and selling her own work, and co-created a giant ceramic mural in Norway before before moving to Australia. 

She worked with other Melbourne ceramists in the 80s and taught pottery classes before opening her Heidelberg home-studio in '92. 

All of Lene's work is hand-thrown and she prefers to sketch designs with the clay when it's on the wheel, rather then drawing ideas on paper. The beautiful one-of-a-kind vases above, immediately caught my eye when I visited her studio. The surface is hand-carved using a small looped tool (& a steady hand) while the clay is in the 'leather-hard' stage of drying. The black version has an extra glaze and is slightly larger than its white sibling.

I asked Lene what inspires her and what she loves most about Australia... 

I have been inspired by Australian nature and its environment like the beach, it's colours and shapes. I like the sense of vastness and the different environments in Australia... also the energy found in the big cities and finding that not everything is too 'polished'. I think there is a lot to treasure and to look after for the future... in regard to the environment and how it's used and exploited and how we want to live in this fragile place. 

Lene's ceramics have been exhibited nationally & internationally 
and she's had many solo shows all over the country.

find these five beautiful works have just been added to the store!
it's a joy to welcome Lene & to have her handmade-goodness on the shelves

x

Lene Kuhl ceramics available soon !

just a little teaser of some beautiful textures 

from Melbourne artist, Lene Kuhl Jakobsen. . . 

lene kuhl jakobsen handmade ceramics melbourne

textural speckles & scratches - bowl (top left) & three vases

a hand-picked selection of Lene's work will be in the online store by the weekend 
& i can't wait to share them with you!

this will be followed by a swoony post about Lene and her work . . .

. . . hand-thrown goodness by a Danish soul with a Melbourne heart

x