Melissa Kelly - Melissa Kelly Ceramics
Melissa Kelly Ceramics
In 2011 I had a successful show at the Gilgandra Art Gallery of illustrative drawings connected to growing up in a rural landscape. The show was a visual representation of memories growing up on a farm: feeding poddy lambs, riding horses, picking wild mushrooms, the freedom of an expanse of country and nature as my playground. Since 2015 I took up ceramics and have worked on my techniques both in making the form and finishing with painting and glazing. I have my own studio space in my home with a wheel, slab-roller, and kiln. Artists who I draw inspiration from include ceramists Gerry Wedd, Sharon Griffin, and visual artists Jenny Watson and Shaun Tan. I try to create in the space of magic realism bringing the focus between what is real and imagined. I explore feminist themes, the role of women in society and the structures in place that define our worth. I am currently exploring some different mediums of painting and printing to add depth to the spaces in which I exhibit. I create from personal experiences, emotions, and responses to nature and beauty. I explore the feminine and what it means to be a woman – throughout a lifetime, from childhood, through to adolescence, motherhood, and middle age. I am interested in how women navigate their lives to please, cajole, reconcile, as peacemakers, carers, and empathetic vessels for others. I am working on pieces to define my own identity, to uncover my core, and breathe life into stone.
Phone (043) 139-6542
email: melissakellyau@gmail.com
