2020 biennial North
Queensland
Ceramic Awards

Sandra Black:

Hi, my name is Sandra Black and I'm a ceramic artist from Fremantle in Western Australia. My practice has been underway for over 45 years, and I specialise in working mainly in fine porcelain both thrown and cast decorative and functional.

I was honoured to be asked to judge the Awards this year and was looking forward to being there at the opening and meeting my fellow ceramic artists. I've been fortunate over the years to be a recipient of many of these awards myself and know how validating this can be for both emerging and establishing artists. These awards are a great way of bringing ceramic works from all parts of Australia and internationally into one venue for the people of Townsville to enjoy.

Having previously visited Townsville, I was hoping to enjoy some Queensland hospitality but sadly this was not to be the case due to the onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent shutting down of all our state borders.

The selection of the awards was difficult, as there were so many fine pieces represented in this year's collection by artists some of whom I know personally and others who are new to me, so I've spent considerable hours and days considering each and every work.

There was also difficulty inherent in judging the work online, as there are a number of pieces where the photography hadn't done justice to the artists' works. Obviously, this hadn't been anticipated due to the sudden changes in our circumstances and border closures. It was frustrating to myself not to be able to be physically present with the works and assess their various qualities close up.

As a judge, there were certain aspects I was focusing on. The first was the craftsmanship to demonstrate an understanding of form in both vessels and sculptural works, technical excellence in finish surfaces, a stretching and unusual exploration of the medium, and a strong concept behind each work.

I also wanted the pieces to challenge me and make me ask why certain works evoke strong feelings, drew down memories and kept haunting me and drawing me back to them.

So, to the awards, starting with the smaller but no less important ones. The first award, the Rainford Family Acquisitive Award was given to Cecily Willis from the North Territory for her work Striped Pyjamas. Cecily's work was a delightful pair of companionable vessels that snuggled up beautifully together in warm companionship. Referencing the body in her works, she showed a sensitive application of complementary, copper-based glazes against the warmth of her beautiful terracotta clay surfaces. These were in horizontal and vertical stripes, hence the humorous reference to striped pyjamas.

The second award was the EMU Sports Acquisitive Award and this I awarded to Warren Ogden for his piece Monolith. This was a quietly powerful and well-resolved form sensitively made and evocative of our coastal landscapes with granitic outcrops of rock. It was appropriately glazed with a glaze that created a sun warm surface slightly pitted, evoking beautifully the tactile qualities of the rock.

The third award was the Loloma Jewellers Acquisitive Award, and I awarded this to Annette Bukovinsky for a piece called Fall and its work can initially seduce us with her clever application of delicate leaves over the forms she makes. It could seduce us into thinking of the axe as the supplier of timber to make our home and furniture, to cut firewood and cook our food, and warm our living spaces. Her work however has a more subtle yet powerful message and speaks more of the ways we have thoughtlessly used these tools, leading to serious environmental damage and global warming. This ultimately leading to what we experienced this last summer, with the most devastating bushfires in our history. And its work, like so many of her contemporaries, speaks powerfully of this environmental concern. She showed also great technical skill in her handling of an often and contrary material in porcelain. She also showed her use of non-traditional materials in the colouration of the forms, evoking the darkness and devastation of the damage left behind by the fires.

The fourth award was the Pack & Send Acquisitive Award, which I awarded to Molly Bosworth for her piece called It's Not Dark Yet. Molly's work speaks deeply from her sense of place in the Far North Queensland rainforest. Many years ago, I was fortunate to spend time in a residency in Port Douglas and travel into that Daintree Rainforest. I found her works suggested strongly memories of the rainforest at that twilight hour, with the shimmering of moonlight on the surface of leaves and the hovering moths. Molly's work evoked strong images of her place for me but more importantly, her work has constantly spoken of the fragility of that special environment. She has a beautiful mastery of form and clever application of decorative elements which speak the quiet of her surrounds. She is constantly experimenting and pushing into new innovative techniques to embellish her surfaces.

Finally, the most important award, which was the City of Townsville Arts Collection Award. This I gave to the artist Mahala Hill. Her work, called Armoured Mist Frog, speaks of the loss of the small animals. I have awarded this major prize to Mahala Hill for her work as I found it an extraordinarily compelling work with post-apocalyptic overtones. It's a savage and haunting work made with exquisite skill and a powerful message. The juxtaposition of the delicate modelling of the skeletal frog remains in fine porcelain against the boiled dark blue crater glaze was stunning. It is a compelling reminder of the environmental loss of the smaller but infinitely valuable species of arthropods and amphibians. It was a work that resonated powerfully for me and serves as timely warning for our beautiful and fragile and often unseen, underappreciated small lifeforms that inhabit our land.

This was not an easy task to select these awards from so many beautiful, challenging and inspiring entries. I wish to congratulate all the artists who took the time and energy to contribute to a beautiful display of works that will inspire and delight the people and artists of Townsville. I hope many of these works will find new homes there in Queensland to bring joy and delight to their new owners.

In conclusion, I wish to thank the staff of the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery for their hard work in documenting all these works to enable me to judge. A special thank you to Lucy Belle Tesoriero who helped guide me through this somewhat journey of online judging and answering the many queries I had. To the people of Townsville and surrounds, enjoy this wonderful Regional Gallery as it celebrates in these trying times wonderful artists of our country. Thank you.