Emma Jimson
Location
Taungurung/Macedon Ranges, VIC
About
Based on her family's farm in the Macedon Ranges of Central Victoria Emma creates
elegantly refined forms which delicately dance the seductive line between form and
function. Her works firmly echo the power and beauty of the surrounding granite hills of
the Taungurung peoples as she leans on the strength of porcelain and precision of her
mould making.
An inherent interest in understanding the nuanced chemistry of her ceramic materials, a
designer maker approach and notions of form and function drive her ceramic practice as
she crafts unique, limited edition objects for the home, to hold and be held.
She regularly holds workshops to share her skills and knowledge in the design, creation
and use of pottery plaster moulds with porcelain casting slip at "Pom-me-granite Studios"
which she runs with her partner Jim, a bespoke carpenter.
We acknowledge the Taungurung people as the traditional owners and custodians of the
lands on which we are privileged to live, learn and create, and we pay our sincere respect
to elders past and present and extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples today.
Artist Statement
Demonstration
I'm a ceramicist based in regional Victoria and I absolutely adore mould making. I create
sculptural, functional objects which rely on mould making processes to precisely reproduce
designs with my studio made porcelain slip.
A successful mould is, I believe, a thing of great beauty. From the thrill of the first cast to
the subsequent repetition of an object, the process never ceases to amaze me. It can be
the most uplifting of experiences but it can also be fraught with disappointments. I hope to
help you negate some of these pitfalls by sharing and discussing the discoveries I've made
over the past 20 years of my mould making journey.
We'll delve into the materials used to make models and moulds, discuss model and mould
design and explore the virtues of paper plaster.
I’ll demonstrate mould making for models with irregular rims, making multi-piece moulds of
irregular forms and will share my slip casting process.
Although the moulds I make are primarily used for slip casting, these skills and processes
are transferable across a wide range of art practices.
Practice Led Paper
If you are willing to sit awkwardly with the uncomfortable, being curious, vulnerable and
courageous, collaborations are a bullet train ticket to understand who you are, what you
stand for, and why you do what you do. It offers growth both personally and
professionally but it can come at a cost which can hurt!
I was privileged to join ceramicist Vanessa Lucas and chef Annie Smithers in submitting a
proposal for ‘Tabled’ and we delighted in our selection. Over 18 months, the collaboration
connected us, supported us, and divided us.
We connected over food, clay, and story, joining our ‘bone’ theme together across
objects, design, menu and materials.
We learned to support one another's skills, ambitions and vulnerabilities while developing
and creating the tableware for Annie’s restaurant, relishing the fact we weren’t alone.
We divided roles and workload, striving to hold together our separate ways of being,
thinking and creating, most often with success but sometimes painfully falling short.
It takes practice and perseverance using the wedge on either side, to bring together
differing concepts, thoughts and ideas rather than wedging to divide. We did not always
succeed but I believe we are collaboratively changed for the better.