a glaze with colour

FEELING CRAFTY? PREPARE TO BE INSPIRED BY SELF-TAUGHT CERAMICIST RHIANNON GILL, WHO IS MAKING BIG WAVES WITH HER SMALL RUNS OF HANDMADE, FUNCTIONAL WARES

Words Jo Failes

A lover of nature and inspired by colour, Rhiannon moved to the Illawarra from Queensland as a teenager, growing up in Shellharbour, and now calls Corrimal home. She discovered the world of pottery after taking a local class and has built up her business to the stage where she can work full-time on her ethical pieces.

“I went to a little community class years ago a few times, fell in love with it and just chipped away for quite a while before wanting to do it more consistently. It's amazing that I can actually make a living from this. It's insane and it hasn't lost its shine. I mean, you do have your days and it's such a messy medium.You’ve got to be fine with being dirty; you're not going to have nice nails!” says Rhiannon.

Rhiannon recently moved her creative space from a studio at home to a larger industrial space. “The last year was quite a big year, so at the end of it, I was just working in chaos. Somehow I got lucky enough that I could move to a bigger space. There's less room to trip over yourself because I'm really klutzy!” Rhiannon laughs.“I never knew how much of a process it would be to move a business, I'm just very naive, I think, but it's almost there, which is really exciting.”

Refreshingly honest, Rhiannon remembers her first clay creation.“I kept my first vase that I ever made and it's hideous!” she recalls.

When she's not crafting on the wheel or handmoulding her creations, Rhiannon spends her time with nature, via gardening and bushwalking – and colour is her main inspiration.

“My shapes are quite classic and simple. So it's less about the object and more about the colour. I'm quite obsessed with colour. It's awesome. My brain just moves on really quickly and I'm always trying to find the next colour pattern. For everything you see on Instagram and social media, there's like five million test things that I've done," says Rhiannon. Rhiannon turns to her Instagram followers for help with names – with 'Seafoam', 'Marshmallow' and 'Shoreline' a few examples that perfectly sum up her divine glaze colours.“I tend to put it out to the people now because my brain's just like another thing you've got to think of. Instagram is one of those things where you both love it and hate it. I think it's an important tool, but it's so important not to get bogged down in it as well.” Rhiannon says.

Over the last year, with Covid having a huge and often negative effect on small businesses, Rhiannon has seen her ceramics business thrive – and largely thanks to Instagram.

“With Covid, I think I was one of the lucky ones, as I'm quite an introverted person, so it didn't affect me too much personally. I felt okay, as all of a sudden those social pressures were not there anymore. And you had time to really work out what was important,” she recalls.“Business-wise, all of a sudden, I was visible on Instagram. It was actually a really good year for me. I think people like Instagram because they can engage with you and feel a part of the process, which is lovely and everyone's kind. It's enabled me to move to this next stage in my career and I'm just hoping that momentum, where people still love homemade, continues to grow.”

“I produce something that hopefully will be loved and used for years, as opposed to something that is mass produced”

The talented ceramicist follows an ethical approach to her craft, preferring to make small runs of her works. She also sells seconds and donates to other artists.

“I produce something that hopefully will be loved and used for years, as opposed to something that is mass produced and probably not paying people decent wages,” Rhiannon explains.“I also sell items at a reduced price because not everyone can afford the standard. And for anything that is not functional, I donate to artists who can smash it up and use it in mosaics, for example.”

One of Rhiannon's current goals is focused on achieving the trickier colours.“In ceramics, it's hard to make purple and yellow. The unattainable colours, so I've got to get there!”

As people turn more and more to arts and crafts for mindfulness or mental health reasons, Rhiannon sums up how you can get into a meditative state during the creative process. “I'm definitely a thinker. I do listen to music and podcasts at the same time, but there are times when you are in with your thoughts, you're almost meditating. I'm not a super slow person overall and I get sidetracked easily. So, it's nice to find that with clay where you just get into the moment and your thoughts.” ¡

Check out Rhiannon's beautiful handmade wares via her Instagram page @rhiannongillceramics or website at www.rhiannongillceramics.com