ABOUT ME
In 1969 I received an Art award from the renowned Australian artist Lloyd Rees, and in 1973 graduated from East Sydney Art School with a Diploma in Art Education. It wasn’t until 1995, after raising three children that I studied ceramics and started to exhibit in local galleries on the northern beaches of Sydney.
In the earlier years of my career, I majored in two dimensional art techniques, but since completing a Teachers Certificate in Ceramics in 1990, I now work on clay as my drawing and painting surface.
I held my first major ceramics exhibition, in Paddington in 1994.
With the support of my husband John, I completed my first ‘Craftsperson in Residence’ at Yulara [Uluru, Ayers Rock] in central Australia in 2006. I became ‘Artist in Residence’ at Yulara in 2008/9, while also doing a Craft residency each year.
As my reputation for ceramic design has grown, I now design exclusively for a number of premier destinations in Australia:
Mulgara Gallery, Sails in the Desert Hotel at Ayers Rock.
Wintjiri Arts and Museum at Ayers Rock.
Oz Designs, Ayers Rock.
El Questro Wilderness Park, Kununurra, Western Australia.
Lizard Island Resort, on the Great Barrier Reef, Northern Queensland.
Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, Northern Queensland.
An ‘Authenticity Certificate’ is provided for each ceramic piece I create. These can be personalised with Company Logos if required.
The ceramic forms I create, although sometimes hand-painted, are primarily carved designs executed with a fine Scrafitto tool. A apply under-glazes onto raw, white clay, and after covering the surface with up to five or six colours, carve my designs back into the clay. This low-relief technique allows me to create dynamic compositions with a tactile surface.
My clay and glazes are Australian made, and both glazes and under-glazes are food-safe.
Each clay form is an original, from a functional object to a stacked sculpture of several pieces.
Bird forms have also become a favorite of mine, and are a new feature in my collection.
Method: My clay shapes are formed by pouring liquid clay into a plaster mould, and when sufficient water from the clay has been absorbed by the mold, the clay form is then released from the mould and left to dry thoroughly. I then clean the form and prepare the surface for painting. Under-glazes are applied to the surface of the form, and my design created. It is then bisque fired, allowed to cool, glazed and
re-fired at 1,100 degrees centigrade.
Various forms are available, from small plates and bowls to large platters, vases, bowls and sculptured shapes.
Shipping of each item can be arranged, and is subject to weight, size and destination.
CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO ON A WORK BEING DEVELOPED
CLICK HERE FOR A THUMBNAIL OF EXAMPLES OF CERAMIC PIECES.
When I combine under-glazes and the Scrafitto technique I have developed, the surface of the clay comes to life. Spider like lines connect patterns that represent the Spinifex grass [a grass native to Central Australia] as it grows in concentric circles.
Seed pods, grass, leaves and other flora found in the desert at Uluru [Ayers Rock] are also found in my designs.
Each design is an original. Colours can be requested, but artistic expression is purely my domain.
CERAMICS
Uluru and Kata Tjuta
Uluru and Kata Tjuta are the inspiration for my desert designs, as they are the heart of creation stories told by the Anangu people of this area. Both these formations change at sunrise and sunset, or as the day and sky respond to natures elements. Their beauty and this landscape has transformed a part of me, profoundly impacting on the art I create on clay, paper and canvas.
In the middle of the desert on one of the flattest, driest and least populated continents on earth – second only to Antarctica on all three counts, lies Ayers Rock Resort.
Nestled in the desert like a giant mythical snake and hidden below the level of the highest sand dune, everything about the Resort reflects sensitivity to the environment and respect for the area’s traditional owners.
While visiting Yulara take time to look at my work in Mulgara Gallery, in the foyer of Sails in the Desert Hotel, in town centre at Oz Designs, and at Wintjiri Arts and Museum near Desert Gardens Hotel and Emu Walk Apartments.
The paintings I have completed while in residency at the resort, can be purchased in Mulgara Gallery and Oz Designs, as prints on travertine tiles.
El Questro Wilderness Park
El Questro Wilderness Park is a spectacular gem, where nature thrives in all its diversity in this ancient land. As water in the wet season floods the Kimberleys carving out the land, I carve into clay.
The clay I work on is from Western Australia, and i overlay under glazes to create dynamic designs. I apply black to achieve contrast. Black can also represent ash after fires that often cross the land, burning back old growth allowing new life to grow.
Each piece of ceramics is unique. A souvenir to take with you, as a memento of this timeless land, and the amazing El Questro Homestead.
Lizard Island
The inspiration for my designs comes from the Great Barrier Reef, where Lizard Island sits as a jewel on the ocean that contains this amazing underwater jungle. The coral framework is constantly growing and changing. It provides shelter for an extraordinary diversity of marine life.
Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park
The ceramic forms I create, although sometime hand painted, are primarily carved designs executed with a fine Scrafitto tool. I apply under-glaze onto raw, white clay, and after covering the surface with up to five or six colours, carve designs back into the clay. This low-relief technique allows me to create dynamic compositions with a tactile surface.
CORPORATE COMMISSIONS
DELAWARE NORTH
In 2015 I completed a large corporate commission for fifty ceramic pieces for Delaware North in the USA. Each piece was an original design on both sides, and reflected the land and seascape of Australia.
Nature is composed of forms that I readily transcribe into linear patterns. Radiating circles can be Spinifex grass, water pools, wind that blows across sand dunes, or stars at night. Plants, vines and tree forms cover my clay in spider-like patterns.
One comment sent to me of an example of appreciation was from BlackRock Inc [the worlds largest asset managers]. It said: ‘Quite possibly the most beautiful, unique and thoughtful gift we have ever received. From the gorgeous vase, to the artist’s story and your personal note – it is not only a spectacular gift, but an experience. We will treasure the vase and think of you every time we look at it. Thank you for sharing something so special with us’.
WALT DISNEY
In 2016 I was contacted by Catherine Powell, CEO of Walt Disney Australia to create bespoke ceramic pieces to give as gifts, before she left Australia to take up a position as CEO of Disney in Europe. The ceramic gifts ‘went down a storm’ said Catherine.
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Lesley Chaston Artist © copyright 2016 | All Rights Reserved.
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