Posts from the ‘Australia’ Category

Jun 4

Tuominen Pottery, Adelaide

Tuominen Pottery, Adelaide Australia.

Lauri Tuominen (b1949 -) worked here in South Australia as a potter for about 20 years during the late 1970s into the 1990’s. I remember his gallery outlet as being very successful commercially and accessible to people who knew nothing about pottery…except for what they liked.

Lauri Tuominen Studio Pottery

Practically everyone I know locally has a piece of Tuominen pottery from this period. What wasn’t purchased personally was often given as a gift, wedding present or housewarming gift etc.

Occasionally I have see Tuominen pottery for sale now mistakenly attributed as “Arabia Finland” because of the Finnish designer at Arabia, Kati Tuominen.

Lauri was Finnish born and trained as, then worked as an art teacher here for 4 years before moving full time into being a full time potter. He did some further design study in Scandinavia in his early years as a potter. In his studio he employed 1 apprentice and 1 assistant.

His large variety of domestic stoneware pottery is characterised by dark subdued glazes in earthen colours, as is much of his one-off studio ware. There were other colours produced but these darker tones were the most popular and are the ones most often found these days at auctions, second hand stores, markets etc.

Lauri Tuominen Studio Pottery Large Teapot

Lauri Tuominen Studio Pottery Blossom Vase

Lauri Tuominen Studio Pottery – Small Jug

Feb 8

Derek Smith, Australia

Derek Smith was a already an accomplished ceramic designer and art teacher in the U.K. when he moved to Australia in 1956.

He set up a studio and kilns while he was teaching at Bowral High School in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, near Sturt Pottery where Smith developed working relationships with the potters there at the time.

Feb 5

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Ilja Chapoff, Australia

Ilja Chapoff, (1912-1989)

Georg Ilya Chapoff, A 20th Century Potter’s work who you will rarely come across, but which I find captivating. The image below is the only example of his work I have come across, and I haven’t been able to find any other examples online, in libraries or periodical magazines of the time.

Ilja Chapoff (b1912 Novorossijsk, Russia – d 1989 Australia). Was a talented craftsman who worked as a Potter, Painter and Carver/Sculptor (of both marble and wood). He worked in New South Wales and the A.C.T. (Canberra)…and taught classes in Sculpture in the Canberra region. I am guessing he immigrated to Australia around WW2.

I was able to find only 1 record of an exhibition he was involved in at the Society of Arts & Crafts of N.S.W in 1974 – but there were no images. His name is listed on the Australian Artists database, but that goes no further.

What an all round talent this man was. I love the style of the pattern on this stoneware piece pictured here – obviously a reference to Russian Easter Egg designs which Ilja would have known so well.

If any readers ever come across any information, or a piece by this Artist, please contact me, as I would love to see it and build up some sort of visual library of this work, before it slips from our history.