Germaine
Martin Baxter
Germaine (detail) 2026
Stoneware
Wood-fired, salt glaze, various slips and glazes, natural wood ash
13.5 x 22 x 10 cm
About the Artwork
Germaine was born from the concept of play— something that has become increasingly absent from our daily lives. Often displaced by competing demands and economic pressures, play is nevertheless a powerful tool for nervous system regulation. It nurtures creativity, connection, curiosity, and growth.
Through the process of playing with form, I turned a bowl on its head, added and rearranged elements, and allowed a new entity to emerge. Germaine developed its own personality and charm. Its form embodies the cognitive benefits of play within the creative process, the social connection fostered through the wood-fire process, and the emotional release experienced throughout the making.
Germaine is a reminder that play is not frivolous—it is a vital part of how we think, connect, create, and grow.
Let’s continue to play.
About the Artist
Martin Baxter is a ceramic artist based in Naarm/Melbourne, who spent five years in Western Australia before relocating to Victoria in 2025. During his time in the west, Martin focused on learning form, the ways of wood firing, wood ash glazes, and salt glazing.
Since moving to Melbourne, Martin has assisted in community kiln-building projects, as well as built his own Soda Kiln. Martin won the 2025 Functional Korowa Ceramic Art Prize and has exhibited in various states of Australia. Martin’s current practice seeks to explore the balance between form and colour within a vapour glaze environment.