My journey with clay began almost 30 yrs ago as a 16 year old, I stumbled upon a local ceramic production studio on the mid north coast of NSW, shortly after the passing of my mother. There I fell in love with the entire process of creating handmade functional tableware for retail outlets in Australia and aboard. The discovery of clay came at a most difficult time in my life and to this day I feel the experience of creating with my hands and the meditative nature of working with ceramics, was healing to me and helped get me through those days.

I was very fortunate to have worked for 3 years under the guidance of Ceramic Artist Kathy Brauer (Now owner/interior designer of Bisque Traders in Byron Bay), completing an apprenticeship in small business manufacturing. The studio was very busy and we specialised in earthenware slip-casting from small milk jugs and coffee cups to large urns and tiled wrought iron tables. During this time I trained to hand-paint a large variety of brightly coloured ware according to Kathy’s ceramic designs. She was a huge inspiration to me and I was very lucky to have had this experience at such a young age.

Back then we didn't have the internet to sell, therefore it was a lot of trade shows, party plan and markets. I recall days upon days of hand-painting, glazing, packing kilns and I really loved this dedicated, purposeful and creative process of seeing clay transform into a beautiful functional vessel for people to enjoy. 

As life's commitments changed, I moved to the Northern Beaches of Sydney and went on to work for the next 15 years in corporate administration and marketing support roles, however my heart always longed for clay and the dream of creating my own ceramic studio one day.

It wasn't until an auto-immune disease and unfortunate cancer diagnosis not long after the birth of my first daughter and just before my 30th birthday, that I decided to drastically shift my view of what true health meant to me and embrace a slower more enriched holistic lifestyle. This sparked a deeper love and appreciation again for ceramics, hence another big life moment where clay became a healing aid to me.

Today I call The Gap Brisbane my home, where I live with my husband, 2 daughters and our Sheltie. I am healthier than I've ever been before, and I am passionate about proven functional health options and the freedom to choose our own path to wellness by having access to affordable complementary healthcare when needed. Seeing for myself and from others that it can truly support, prevent and alleviate much of our chronic illness in our apparent “healthcare” system. 

My personal experience with health and healing has helped me to develop a deeper appreciation for a slower paced and simplified lifestyle which is the real inspiration behind my work. These days I am still incorporating hand-painted designs into my work, using a more softer colour palette on a variety of clay bodies that provide texture and reflect our easy-going lifestyle here in Australia.

I truly believe there are times when you find clay but then there are times where it finds you.

X Melanie

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