Brett Smout

Sunshine - porcelain vase

When we weren’t allowed to leave Sydney in 2021 we stayed at an Airbnb in Cronulla for a couple of days. The sun shone. This large mid-range porcelain vase is fired to 1210 degrees centigrade, is glazed inside and is watertight for floral displays. The sun shines happily on one side.

Size: 35cm x 35cm Weight: 14kg

Waves - porcelain sculpture 

Three lines of waves curl around a larger wave – or is it a fin? Slip-cast porcelain - from a mould made around a model designed in 3D software and printed in ABS. The smooth fluid translucent green glaze, with microscopic bubbles under the surface, pools in the curling waves.

Size:13 x 7cm Weight: 900g

About Brett

 I make ceramics in a range of different ways – slip-cast, wheel-thrown and hand-built, fired at different temperatures in both oxidizing and reducing atmospheres.

After completing my PhD in Ceramics from Sydney University, one recent direction has been to spend much more time on design and decoration, and to see how a single form can be transformed by different decorating choices. In artistic terms this is possibly best described as an interest in formalism. There is pattern and symbol rather than narrative, with the pieces having geometrically defined curves, and layered surface effects that benefit from controlled preparation combined with the gifts of the fire.

 The pieces are designed to be used – for displaying flowers, for serving food, and for decorating space.