SUSIE MCMEEKIN, Australia




Chun Bowl

                                        

Born in 1954, the daughter of Ivan McMeekin, one of Australia's pottery pioneers, Susie McMeekin started potting in 1978 with her father at his Woronora workshop. There she was trained to fire with wood, as well as in clay and glaze preparation. She was successful in  obtaining two Australia Council apprentice-ship grants in 1980 and 1981. In1984 she and her husband Don moved to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, NSW, and built a house and a small workshop. There are has worked until now with a small gas kiln.

In 1990 Susie began assisting Chester Nealie with his firings in Gulgong and has since gone on to assist Janet Mansfield, Owen Rye and Bill Samuels with firings. This has allowed her to rekindle her knowledge and fascination with the woodfire process. Rather than being infatuated with the raw clay finish. Her passion lies with the effects of the ash and flame trails on the flazed surface. she continues to be influenced by the great pots of the Song dynasty introduced to her by her father.

Susie McMeekin is represented in FuLe Ceramic Art Museum, Fuping, China; Bendigo Regional Art Gallery, Victoria; Shepparton Regional Art Gallery, Victoria; and Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales and Singapore.

This is the second exhibition of Susie's at East & West Art, Melbourne, which incorporate what she has felt and learnt at Fuping, China. An experiment organized  for Australian and New Zealand potter making with Chinese clay, glaze and equipment together with the Chinese potters for 4 weeks terminating in an exhibition of the works which toured China.

Susie is still potting her beautifully quiet pieces based on Chinese Song dynasty (960-1280) of tea dist, celadon Chun and qingbai, but has now used more wood firing than gas kilns whenever possible.

Private collection includes the Duke of Edinburgh.


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Featured Exhibitions

2012    Christmas Show
2011    After Fuping
2004    ARTSingapore
2003    Solo Exhibition