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Mel's Story |
Truth be told, it took me about forty years to finally find 'my thing'…clay!…blessed grace! I was interested in ceramics initially, studied three-dimensional studies and wheelwork at TAFE, exhibiting my work in 1995 and 1996 in the Moores Building, Fremantle. I then expanded into polymer clay and precious metal clay and jewellery making became my main focus. Creative Beading and Australian Beading have featured several of my tutorials and pictures of my work has been published in Shirley Rufener's book Polymer Clay Mixed Media Jewelry. I am a senior instructor for the Contemporary Clay Instructors Program, offering certificated courses, have taught at TAFE colleges in WA, the Fremantle Arts Centre and Grafton Artfest and travel extensively throughout Australia holding workshops as well as running clay retreats in my home studio in Mullumbimby NSW. I have made commissioned pieces for people all over Australia and America and currently exhibit my work at the Bead Shop in Byron Bay (A&I Park) and Hammer and Hand, a jewellery collective on the Artist Trail in the Byron Arts and Industries Park where I also man the bench every Tuesday. I am an avid fan of online forums as a mean of learning and networking and so I happily took over management of the online forum Aussiepolyclayers from Heather Richmond who started it in the early '90s. Unless I am traveling, I spend part of every day connecting with the group, answering questions people have and generally making sure everyone feels welcome and inspired. The bigger picture: I say I am an artist and a teacher and yet…I also know full well that art and teaching comes through me. I keep the channels clear through chi kung and tapping into my body awareness which somehow keeps me grounded and less in my head about stuff. This is where all good art happens. Claying to me is a wonderful way to hit the zone…an alert state of awareness…where nothing is going on but the feel of the clay, the stroke of the brush, the blend of colour, the adding of texture, the play of design… If I'm about anything at all these days it's presence. It's being present to what is in this moment. To be there fully, alert, drinking it all in, aware of the breath, an object, the body, the feel, the taste, the thought, the colour, texture, light, ahhh, another breath. And as luck would have it, it's just a natural inclination for me to be very focused and present to the moment when I have clay in my hands. This is my work and my meditation both. And like when you're in love, you can't help but be loving, to give and share love because you are overflowing with it…so it is with sharing my work and my love of these contemporary clays…I teach and share and create because I am overflowing. In fact, it may very well be that there isn't even a 'me doing it'… To quote a great sage Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj "…to say 'I do' is altogether false, because there is nobody who does; all happens by itself, including the idea of being a doer." |