Amanda Bromfield
Location
Northern Rivers, NSW
About
Amanda Bromfield is an Australian ceramicist based on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Known for her interdisciplinary art practice, she combines ceramics, performance, and video to raise awareness of critical
environmental and societal issues. Bromfield’s work frequently addresses themes such as deforestation and biodiversity loss, with a particular focus on Australia’s endangered koalas. Using clay as her primary medium, she narrates poignant stories of
environmental destruction, often employing irony and satire in her installations.
Bromfield’s art also delves into women’s experiences and representation in society. Her solo exhibitions, including The Women of Hill End, The Nun in the Nightgown, and Hey,
Listen Up, shed light on untold women’s stories through ceramic sculptures and mixed-media installations. She often incorporates found or recycled materials into herlarge-scale works, which have been exhibited in numerous regional galleries across Australia.
Bromfield is also an activist. Her public protests - often involving dressing as a koala - highlight climate change and conservation issues. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the National Art School in Sydney.
Bromfield teaches ceramics from her studio in Lennox Head and has previously taught at TAFE in Murwillumbah. She is a former board member of The Australian Ceramics Association (TACA) and a member of Clay Matters.
Artist Statement
Azulejos Tiles: A Journey Through History, Geography, and Innovation
This presentation traces the migration and enduring popularity of Azulejos tiles, from their Moorish roots in North Africa to their flourishing presence in southern Europe.
Exploring the tradition and innovation of Azulejos, the presentation highlights how this fashionable art form became a cultural and artistic zeitgeist shaped by the religious,
socioeconomic, and geopolitical dynamics of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Contemporary works by Portuguese tile artists Joana Vasconcelos (b. 1971), Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846–1905), Querubim Lapa (1925–2016), and Australian artist Jane du Rand will also be featured, illustrating both the tradition and the ongoing relevance and evolution of the medium.
This presentation draws on my travels in Portugal, Spain, and Morocco, as well as my residency at Aviário Studio in Portugal, where I researched historical Azulejos installations, experimented with tile production techniques, and incorporated these
findings into my own ceramic practice.
Azulejos Tile Making - A Step By Step Guide
This half day tile making demonstration consists of two sections.
The first section - Tile Types and Majolica Glaze outlines the advantages of both the commercially glazed tile and the artist's own hand made tile and glaze.
The second section focuses on the Design and Decoration of the tile. There are seven steps required to produce a decorated azulejos tile. The steps presented in this demonstration are those that I use in my practice and these steps are based on the instruction I received while on residency in Portugal in 2024.
I will explain and demonstrate each of the steps from set up to firing.