Clay Gulgong

I recently attended Clay Gulgong, a ceramics festival held in the historic town of Gulgong, NSW. It brings together potters and ceramic artists for demonstrations, exhibitions and the famous Pottery Throwdown from the UK.

The town itself was a delight and full of lovely people. Gulgong has a strong sense of history and character, and the Pioneer Museum was easily my favourite part of the trip.

It was really nice to get away and spend time with other “clay crazies.”

The market section was great. So much diversity in skill and design. It’s always inspiring to see what other people are doing with clay. Its diversity never ceases to amaze me.

Watching the master potters was great for picking up tips and tricks. But honestly, I found it really hard to just stand there and watch. The desire to get in and start creating was addict level! We actually ended up leaving early because of that — we just couldn’t stand around any longer when we could be at home playing with clay.

I also came away feeling like parts of the “art world” just aren’t for me. The fake fuss over fame and the bitchy critiques when they’re not within earshot is just not who I aspire to be, I left the competitive world when I left corporate work, I don’t want to go back.

Perhaps it’s something that I can do in the future: open a small studio gallery — something that supports and promotes individual artwork without all the snobbery.