Edge 1 - Enduring rhythms of nature's waterways
Therese McMahon
Stoneware clay
20cm high x 19cm wide
$715
Edge 1, 2 and 3 are works that resonate quietly. They suggest something familiar connecting human experience with the enduring rhythms of nature.
Expressing the undulating rock formations in rainforest creeks and water holes. Inspiration came to me walking in the Blue Mountains NP from Echo Point to Leura Cascades in Jan 2025.
I use stoneware clays that are recycled and mixed together to create unique unglazed textured surfaces. Hand built and intuitively shaped using slabs of clay; these works reflect the interplay between structure and spontaneity, form and space.
The surface of the clay can at times retain the tactile traces of processes such as pinching, folding and pressing, inviting viewers to engage both visually and physically. Clays responsiveness allows me to capture moments of movement as though the piece emerged from the earth.
Inspired by the works of Henry Moore, I am drawn to the tension between interior and exterior spaces and how a form can feel both grounded and fluid.
These works are fired to Stoneware temperature and are sealed with Liquid Silica making them waterproof.
Sizes do vary slightly and are approximately 25cm high x 18cm wide.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Inspired by the shifting textures of the sea and the intricate forms of the Australian landscape, for many years Therese created ceramic works that merge technical precision with an organic, tactile beauty. Mainly using the wheel she has made her forms using Stoneware clay due to its durability when fired. Therese often draws and carves into the surface before layering glazes, oxides and coloured slips in translucent veils, allowing colour and texture to create unique visual surfaces on the finished work.
During 2025 Therese’s work has taken a new direction primarily exploring forms that express her journey and passion as a clay artist. Primarily designing and making forms by hand building, she is enjoying this technique because it slows down the creative process of building form.
She is exhibiting at Gallery NWC in Katoomba during October 2025. ‘Clay-My Personal Dialogue’ will showcase exciting new works and will be the official launch of the next stage in Therese’s ongoing practice of over 40 years. These works explore the interplay between structure and spontaneity, form and space. A personal expression of the enduring rhythms of nature found where the ocean meets the shoreline.
Therese’s ceramic journey began with a Fine Arts degree, majoring in Ceramics, at Wagga Wagga CAE in 1981. The following year, she honed her throwing skills at Bronwyn Clarke’s Studio in Terrey Hills, Sydney. Over the last 30 years, she has established studios in Dee Why, Tuggerawong, Newcastle, and Sanctuary Point, steadily refining her practice. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she expanded her knowledge through workshops and lectures with leading ceramic artists including Greg Daly, Jeff Mincham, Mitsu Shoji, Ivan Englund, Peter Lane, and more recently, Juz Kitson.
A dedicated teacher and mentor, Therese has run workshops and taught at various Potters’ Societies on the East Coast, as well as in high school and from her own studio. She has been a member of The Australian Ceramics Association for over 20 years.
Her work has been exhibited in numerous group shows and is held in collections both nationally and internationally — including in New Zealand, the Daikin Head Office in Osaka, and private collections in Texas and Canada. Notable achievements include being selected as a finalist in the Siliceous Award for Ceramic Excellence (2021), the Urunga Small Sculpture Prize (2021), and participation in the Sydney Ceramics Market in 2023 and 2024.
Therese is a regional Ceramic artist from Wollongong, NSW. Rooted in an intimate connection to place, Therese’s ceramics invite close attention — revealing layers of texture, colour, and memory, and offering the viewer a quiet space in which to linger.
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