The Magic of Recycling Clay ❤️

Taking care of the earth, from which our clay comes, is deeply important to us. This is reflected through our entire operation at Bisque Studios as the sustainability of our pottery practice is top priority. Recycling clay is a huge part of this and (we think) a really interesting process!

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Three Day Clay, A ceramic affair

Three Day Clay is back for its fifth annual Mother’s Day weekend event. A curated pop-up shop held across three days, this year at a new north-side location.

Photograph of works by At The Table, Leah Jackson & studio owner Asobimasu Clay. Photographed by Ben Glezer.

Hosted by the newly established Pauli Concept Space on Sydney road, Three Day Clay brings a curated collection of ceramic favourites to the heart of Brunswick.

Wander down past Wide Open Road cafe and join the fair, coffee in hand. Sharing vibrant ceramic works by the likes of Asobimasu Clay, At The Table, Benna co, Ghost Wares, Kate Bowman Ceramics, Kristen Olds, Leah Jackson, and Peta Armstrong.

Inspired by art in all its forms, Three Day Clay draws the connection between clay and painterly expressions this year, as they invite Kayleigh Hayden & Clare Dubina to adorn their walls and frame the weekend's showcase.

All works will be available for purchase; ceramic tableware, sculpture & artworks. A curated shopping weekend for the most tasteful of art collectors and fervent ceramic followers. In store, you’ll have the opportunity to peruse wares & chat directly with the makers themselves as the resident artists take shifts to host the floor.

Join the fan fair on Friday, Saturday & Sunday 12-14th May at 55 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.

Open Hours
Friday: 11am-7pm
Saturday: 10am-4pm
Sunday: 10am-4pm

Image of works by Kristin Olds, Peta Marie, At The Table & Studio owner, Asobimasu Clay. Photographed by Ben Glezer.

The Many Layers of Robyn Daly

“I think ritual and functionality are intertwined. They can be subtle or deliberate but they’re in every part of our lives.”

Robyn Daly is a ceramic artist living and working in Melbourne. Coming from a photography background, they are now more drawn to the physical expression that the practice of ceramics allows. 

A hand builder that is inspired by ancient architecture and natural phenomena Studio Ennui, Daly’s practice is hand-made, one of a kind, sculptural and functional pieces.

Digital Collage by Lucinda Florence

LF: Hi Robyn, could you start by telling us how you came to be a ceramicist?

RD: My dear friend Kathryn introduced me to clay a few years ago. It was just for fun, making little pinch pots while drinking wine and catching up. I got kinda obsessed with it when I saw the possibilities and started making things at home at the kitchen table. I learned from each thing I made by trial and error - which is the slowest way to learn - but I was in no rush. At the start everything I made was tiny. I couldn’t make anything functional or human sized it seemed, but I enjoyed the process of using my hands as tools. I was very curious about this new material. The more I played the more ideas I had to make, so I just kept going. To this day I can’t really make the same thing twice, but I’m getting better at translating my ideas into forms.


LF: What does Ennui mean? Does it have any special meaning apart from your studio practice?

RD: Ennui was just a word I stumbled across accidentally. I liked the way it looked and sounded, and it stuck in my head for days. I looked up what it meant and it was fitting to what I was experiencing at the time, a kind of emptiness and melancholy for lack of a creative outlet. It was during covid times where I think lots of people were feeling similarly. Playing with clay and making forms from my mind bought me out of that state and kinda opened a new world for me. Ennui is a nice paradox. 

LF: You speak about Studio Ennui being created to ‘bridge a gap’. What gaps are you trying to connect?

RD: I’m mostly speaking to the gap between imagination, intellect, desire and its physical manifestation through form. For example I’ve collected so many images over the years through photography; landscapes, architecture, colours, textures etc. and it’s like a way to translate all this collaged imagery into something new, tangible, and 3D.

LF: Do you still connect with photography? Or is ceramics a shift to ‘offline tactility’ that you mention?

RD: If you asked me a year ago I would have had a different answer. But right now, I’m writing this on a road trip through Crete with a camera at my ribs and loving it. Photography will always be a part of me and my experience in the world, as corny as that sounds. These days it only really comes to the surface when I’m travelling and seeing new landscapes and light. I feel wired and super present when taking pics. It’s the same feeling I get from being in the zone in the studio making something intuitive out of clay. It’s kind of a letting go and allowing the moment to unfold in front of you, too random and spontaneous to plan. Both of these practices are innately offline, yet super online if you want them to be… the eternal conflict.

LF: You speak of your pieces being utilitarian or serving ritual. What role does ritual and functionality play in your life

RD: I think ritual and functionality are intertwined. They can be subtle or deliberate but they’re in every part of our lives. Lighting candles for instance is an ancient ritual with purpose. Same goes for drinking coffee, gathering to eat, storing medicines and precious jewels, arranging florals etc. Ceramic objects are ancient in themselves, and their functionality in our lives hasn’t changed much in centuries if you think about it. People need objects, and objects should be beautiful!

LF: Why Nerikomi? Why Hand-building? What draws you to these techniques?

RD: Hand building is so accessible. It has next to no restrictions - you need the most basic instruments and elements to make it happen and have fun. It’s a bit like 35mm photography in that way. I was attracted to mixing and marbling clays early on, it was all experiments and being excited about different colour combos. I eventually discovered the art of Nerikomi and it’s history and I was so blown away by the possibilities. I love that the visual effect is built into the structure - it’s entirely made up of what you see, not just a pretty surface layer added at the end. It’s architectural and decorative at the same time. 

Robyn Daly in the Bisque Studios

LF: What do you do if you have a creative block?

RD: I just wait it out. Learnt not to fight the natural rhythm of input vs output. I do other things completely seperate to ceramics to give my imagination time to unwind and ripen. I kinda trust that my conscience is always absorbing bits of inspiration, and the creative drive comes back eventually. 
 

LF: What are some of your favourite ancient architecture or natural phenomena?

RD: Crop circles, inca markings in Peru, moray patterns, wood grain, marble, fossils, caves, early dome houses in the Middle East and northern Africa, churches, chapels.. I find religious structures to be so beautiful. The simplest designs made with integrity always impress me. 
 

LF: I love that you mention intuitive design. How does that influence your process? Do you still sketch ideas or do you let the making direct you?

RD: I do both, depending on my mood and what I want to achieve. Often ideas come to me when I’m out walking or sitting in traffic so I just draw in my notes app and write descriptions. Then of course lots of shapes happen by accident! I just follow where it takes me and develop a piece that feels right. Sometimes hours will go by and I’ve just emptied my mind into something. It’s a pretty fun and meditative process.


Daly runs specialised workshops in the traditional Japanese art form of Nerikomi and marbling techniques. The next workshop is:

Nerikomi, Tumbler & Toast plate Workshop with Robyn Daly
Date: Friday 4th November
Time: 6pm-8.30pm
$125/head 

You can find their work at @studio.ennui and at studio-ennui.com


Interview and Digital Collage by Lucinda Florence - Teacher & Content Creator at Bisque Studios.

Flower Care with Lucinda Florence

Hello, Howdy, how are you?

I am Lucinda Florence a ceramicist and florist living and working in Melbourne. My practice explores textured surfaces and vessel structures that aid floral design. My practice is deeply influenced by the history of vessels throughout different time periods and design movements.

When I'm not in the Bisque studio teaching the 6-week term in Handbuilding, Throw and Form, and specialised workshop Flora and Form, I am spreading floral dreams, making bouquets, and flowering weddings with my floristry business Florence Jean.

Let me share a few tips of the trade that I learned over the years working with flowers, extending their lives so you can enjoy them for longer.

Fresh Cut on an angle

Once you have purchased your flowers from the local florist, get them home quickly. Flowers should be placed back in water within half an hour, if this is not possible ask for your flowers to be wet wrapped for transport. When home un-wrap your flowers and cut the stems at an angle and remove any leaves that will sit under the waterline. Cutting on the angle allows for a greater surface area for your stem to absorb water. Every time you change the water of your vase, give your flowers another fresh cut. Think of the stems like a paper straw, the longer the end sits in water they get mushy and hard to drink from.

Collage by Lucinda Florence

Keep flowers away from the fruit bowl

Ethylene is a gas fruits produce that tells them to ripen. The unfortunate thing is that Ethylene also tells flowers to ripen, meaning they will die quicker. So keep your fruit bowl away from your flowers.  I usually put my fruit bowl in a cupboard or in another room away from my flowers. 

Choose your vase wisely

Choose a vase that suits your flowers. If you have a few stems, bud vessels, recycled jars, and cans are great options. For a bunch or two flowers, a vase with a tapered opening allow bunches of flowers to be supported at the junction point. A mixed bunch that you arranged or had gifted to you should be tied off and therefore a vase with a wider opening will suffice as the junction point has already been created and will hold.  Also be careful to put flowers that have heavy heads in vases that are heavy, they can counterweight that weight and keep your vase from falling over. 

Want to learn more? Join me in the classroom to create your own set of unique vessels to use for flower arranging at home.  After your vessels are completed in the studio, you will return to the studio for a lesson in flower arranging. This two-part workshop includes your completed vessels, clipper & Kenzan set. 

Whether you’re creating with clay for the first time, or you have a love for floristry, this class is for you. Open to all skill levels, you will create pinched and slab-built forms that creatively and thoughtfully interact with flowers.


Workshop dates 
Day 1: Sunday 28th August, 10.00am-1.30pm 
Day 2: Sunday 25th September, 10.00am-12.00pm 
$210/head 
Bookings Essential 

You can view my work at lucindaflorence.com or Instagram: @lucindaflorence

August Workshop at Bisque Studios

There is plenty happening at Bisque Studios this August, grab a friend and grab a seat at one of our workshops 

Flora & Form with Lucinda Florence

Create your own unique vessel in this two-part series. Along with your clay exploration, you'll be invited back for a floristry session on Japanese Ikebana and contemporary floristry methods. With a take-home floristry kit that includes your completed vessels, clipper & Kenzan set. 


Workshop dates 
Day 1: Sunday 28th August
Time: 10.00am-1.30pm 
Day 2: Sunday 25th September
Time: 10.00am-12.00pm 
$210/head 

BOOK NOW

Nerikomi, tumble & Toast Plate Workshop with Robyn Daly 


Nerikomi is a contemporary Japanese term that refers to ancient clay marbling techniques, where clay is layered and manipulated to form beautiful and decorative patterns. A practice that can be traced back throughout many continents in history.

Date: Friday 2nd September
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm
$125/head

BOOK NOW

Fathers Clay 

Treat Your Dad This Father's Day!

Join us for a very unique Father’s Day experience. An afternoon of beers & bar snacks, alongside some wheel throwing, clay sculpting & great tunes.

Guided by our talented teachers, you will dive deep into the world of creating with clay, trying your hand at both hand-building and wheel throwing. Suitable for ages 14 and above

Date: Sunday 4th Sept
Time: 1pm - 4pm
$120/head

BOOK NOW

Kids Clay Workshop


Fill your school holidays with an activity that both you and your little ones will enjoy. Hosted by our friendly studio teacher & mother of two Adele Macer, we invite you & your youngest family members to take part in the pottery fun.

Two sessions are available:
Date: Tuesday 20th September
Time: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
or
Date: Tuesday 27th September
Time: 1:30pm - 3:30pm

Duration: 2hrs
$125 = 1 child + 1 Parent
$155 = 2 x child + 1 Parent

BOOK NOW

A Slice of Asobimasu

On entering the Asobimasu studio you cannot help but be captivated by the warmth and spiritedness of this handmade ceramics brand. Asobimasu is simply the accumulation of years of pottery practice and the ingenious imagination of Kate Brouwer, Bisque Studios owner & full-time potter at Asobimasu.

Utilizing locally sourced Stoneware clay bodies, Kate creates timeless pieces, crafted with a desire to be functional as well as beautiful. Collections of tableware and vessels are formed in her Reservoir based studio. Inspired by Kate’s proclivity for flora and natural materials, the Asobimasu showroom is filled with an array of ceramic vases, large and small.

Kate’s passion for mastering the challenges of large forms and production throwing practices make up her latest workshop hosted at Bisque over an intensive weekend in August.

Collage by Lucinda Florence featuring photographs by Rebecca Crawford and Elise Scott

Delve into the construction of taller cylinders, belly forms, and complicated vessel structures. This workshop is a masterclass for those wishing to expand their knowledge and, delve into a deeper understanding of working with larger portions of clay. 

Pottery is an everyday practice for Kate, who juggles the demands of her own business, the co-running of multiple ceramics projects like Three Day Clay and Bisque Studios, as well as raising a young toddler. Come with questions & bring a can-do attitude for a weekend of challenging forms, growth & new respect for your practice. 


Join Kate Brouwer in the Bisque Studios Classroom for this Advanced Workshop Throwing Large Vessels & Components.

Bookings are open & will sell out fast. Don't miss out on this specialty class. 
 

Day 1: Saturday 21st August, 12pm -3:00pm 

Day 2: Sunday 22nd August, 10:30am - 1:30pm 

$290/head

Bookings Essential 


If you wish to visit Kate Brouwer Asobimasu's studio you can find it at 22a Plateau Rd, Reservoir, which is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9 am-4 pm 
 

Story by: Lucinda Florence

Interview with Studio Member Ruby Carr

Ruby Carr of Rhubarb Ceramics, Digital Collage by Lucinda Florence

"I think more than anything I love the amazing community at Bisque Studios. It is so lovely to have a space where I can come play with clay and chat with friends. " 

"my main inspiration to create is because I don’t feel like myself when I’m not making something."

Meet Ruby Carr, who has been throwing at Bisque Studios since February 2022.

Hi, Ruby tell us how you came to pottery?    

I first started pottery classes in 2018 at Box Hill Community Arts Centre. I  did about a year of beginner wheel throwing classes and completely fell in love. After a covid-enforced hiatus, I returned to pottery at Bisque Studios this February and now spend as much time as possible making things in the studio.  
What do you like about Bisque Studios?  

I think more than anything I love the amazing community at Bisque Studios. It is so lovely to have a space where I can come play with clay and chat with friends. In the Studio Access Program everyone is so helpful. Whether it be sharing tips and tricks or supporting each other on the days where the clay just won’t centre, it is nice to be surrounded by people who get it. 

What inspires you to create?  

There is not one thing in particular that inspires me. My mum is a wonderfully creative person so growing up I was always drawing, painting, felting, sewing, etc. Because of this, my main inspiration to create is because I don’t feel like myself when I’m not making something. 

What would you like to do with your skills?  

In the future, I would love to start a small business selling some of the things that I make. For now, I would like to keep practicing and improving the quality of my pots and focus on developing my unique style a bit more. 

Who is another artist that you admire? Why?  

I really admire Mad Character Ceramics. I am in awe of her glazes and the way she incorporates sculpture into functional pieces. 

How would you describe your ceramics?    

My work is mostly classic functional pieces with an emphasis on quality and colourful glazes. Recently I’ve been exploring vessels, in particular how handles can change the character of a form. 

Where can we see your work?  

I post an assortment of pottery pictures on my rhubarbceramics Instagram. 

Interviewed by Lucinda Florence - Teacher & Content Creator at Bisque Studios. 

If you’ve been seeking access to equipment to develop your growth in Ceramics, we’d like to hear from you, we’re now taking applications. Find out more here. 

Bisque Studios Collection Hours

Please read the following information before coming to collect your purchases, term work or workshop creations. The studio is always closed on public holidays.

Term class work

At the end of term we host a collection evening, where you can come and collect your pieces from the term and pay your firing fees. You’ll receive an email when all of your work is ready to collect. Firing fees are $11/kilo and we do take cards.

Our next collection times for term class work are:
Saturday 27th April - 9am - 2pm

If you’re unable to attend the above time and date, you’re welcome to come during our regular pick up hours, but we can’t guarantee that all of your work will be ready if you come before the collection evening. The current pick up hours are:

Mondays 9am - 9pm
Wednesdays 4pm - 9pm
Thursdays 9am - 9pm
Fridays 9am - 4pm
Saturdays 9am - 3pm
Sunday 2pm - 5pm

Hand-build at home kits

If you’ve purchased a hand-build at home kit from us and selected the pick up option, we kindly ask that you wait until you’ve received an email confirming that your order has been fulfilled before coming to the studio to collect. Please note that we’re not open every day and our collection hours are:

Mondays 9am - 9pm
Wednesdays 6pm - 9pm
Thursdays 9am - 9pm
Fridays 9am - 4pm
Saturdays 9am - 3pm

Workshop pieces

Workshop pieces (from our Intro workshops, guest artist hand-building workshops or private bookings) are usually ready 3 weeks after your workshop. You’ll receive an email letting you know when all your work has been fired and is ready to collect. The collection hours for workshop pieces are:

Mondays 9am - 9pm
Wednesdays 6pm - 9pm
Thursdays 9am - 9pm
Fridays 9am - 4pm
Saturdays 9am - 3pm

Bisque Studios Easter Opening Hours

We hope you have a relaxing and fun filled Easter break.
Our studio will be closed from Friday 15th April until Monday 18th April.

If you have something to collect, we’ll be open:

Thursday 14th April, 7pm - 9pm
Tuesday 19th April 10am - 8pm

Our general collection hours will resume from Tuesday 19th April. Further collection info can always be found here.

Wheel throwing or hand building?

If you’re hoping to secure a seat in one of our 6-week pottery classes and it's your first time joining us, we do recommend signing up to our mailing list, having a look at our class times in advance and being ready to book at 10am when Term 3 is released. If signed up to our mailing list, you’ll receive a password to access bookings at this time. Please note that our evening classes especially sell out very very quickly!

We offer 6-week courses in either hand-building or 'throwing' pottery on the wheel. 
So, which one is for you?

As a beginner, in both types of class, you'll start with the basics and build up to more advanced skills. We wouldn’t like to say that one skill is is ‘easier’ than the other, but the atmosphere, pace of the classroom and outcomes of the class might be quite different.

In a wheel throwing class, you'll first learn how to prepare and centre clay and practise forming cylinders and other functional forms. In further weeks you'll learn how to 'trim' or 'turn' your work and your final week will be spent glazing your creations.

Learning to throw on the wheel is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. Our students describe it as relaxing and meditative but equally, sometimes frustrating and harder than it looks! Just like learning to play an instrument or a new sport, you’re utilising your body and co-ordination in a new way, mistakes are bound to happen and that’s part of the learning process. Prepare to get in the zone, embrace a new learning journey and get messy.

 

The benefit of hand-building is definitely having more control over what you can make from the get-go. If you're looking to create larger pieces or creative and experimental pieces that aren't always circular, hand-building is for you.

Some hand-builders will enjoy carefully planning and designing their piece in advance before making it come alive. Some will simply play and test things out as they go, responding to the clay as they work with it. In our hand-building classes you’d also have plenty of time to explore surface decoration and to add texture to your work.

We offer two hand-building classes a week; one on a Tuesday night, focusing just on hand-building, and the other on Wednesday night, which combines both wheel and hand-building practices.

Intermediate or advanced level students are also welcome in both types of class and are always welcome to skip any basic information and get started working independently. Our teachers love to get to know you and help you to reach your goals.

In your final week of term you'll glaze your work which will be left with us to be fired. You'll receive an email notifying you of the collection date for that term (usually 1-2 weeks later) which you'll need to attend to come and pay your firing fees ($9/kilo) and take all your wonderful creations home.


We hope to see you there!
Team Bisque

New hand-building workshop: Nerikomi with Robyn Daly

Introducing Robyn Daly of Studio Eunni to the Bisque Guest Artist roster!

Robyn will be hosting a Nerikomi workshop with us on Friday 1st April, 6pm - 8:30pm.

In our Guest artist workshops we invite a local ceramic artist to join us in the studio to share their expertise and passion in a specific area of ceramics. Robyn will be guiding guests to hand-build forms for your morning rituals using the Japanese Nerikomi method. You’ll learning how to utilise two differently toned & textured clays together to create completely unique patterns on the surface of your vessels.

Wine and nibbles are provided too!

Bisque Studios Ceramics Seconds Sale

Come along to our huge ceramics seconds sale where some of Melbourne’s best loved potters will be clearing their shelves and selling their NQR samples and seconds at hugely discounted prices!

On Sunday 3rd April our Northcote pottery studio will play host to over 20 local ceramics makers and potters who will be selling their handmade creations at hugely discounted rates. There are some serious bargains to be had, so make sure you come down to:

Bisque Studios
2A/Beavers Road
Northcote

Sunday 3rd April
10am - 3pm or SOLD OUT

CASH FREE EVENT - Card payments only. Arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Featured brands and artists include…

Christmas Break

We’ll be taking a much deserved rest over the festive period, to prepare our studio and our team for more exciting clay adventures in 2022!


The last day for pick ups will be:
Thursday 23rd December, 6:30pm

The studio will be closed from:
Friday 24th December - Wednesday 5th January

We wish you a wonderful festive period and we’ll see you in the New Year!

Team Bisque

Need a gift idea?

If you know someone who’s keen to get their hands muddy, why not purchase a gift card for pottery classes from us?

Make it special - we can always provide a physical gift card for you to pick up from our Northcote studio.

Our gift cards come in a range of prices and can be used towards any of our classes or workshops. Our most popular options are:

$430 gift card - suitable for our 6-week classes

$99 gift card - suitable for our Intro classes

 

Join us in the new year!

If you’re looking to start pottery classes in Melbourne, we’ll soon be releasing seats for our next term, starting in January 2022.

Seats for all our classes usually sell out very quickly, so you need to get in quick! The best way to hear about classes first is to sign up to our mailing list. We’ll also be able to notify you if spaces come available earlier, in our current term which resumes in November.