Each Week Arts Mid North Coast will present an Artist in a quick Q&A style profile.
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This weeks Artist is
Phil Greed
How long have you been creating? – I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Ceramic Design) from Caulfield Institute of Technology (Melbourne) in 1981. I moved to the Coffs Harbour area in 1983 and have been a maker and teacher of ceramics for over 30 years.
What characterizes your work? – My work is characterized by its fineness and attention to detail, initially in wheelthrown porcelain, but more recently handformed wall panels and vessel forms with textures and shapes inspired by the Pandanus Palm and the coastal fringe where I live.
Why do you do it? – As a student I was fortunate to have some wonderful teachers who inspired a love of clay to a complete novice. Clay is such a creative and tactile material to work with and kiln firing is so exciting and transforming. I am also lucky to work with other interesting and talented people in the Creative Industries.
Where does your inspiration come from? – Inspiration for my work comes from lots of places, lots of sources, past and present, informative and formative. The seeds were sown three decades ago and the threads, the links continue to this day.
I love the area in which we live, the coastal fringe and in particular the unique Pandanus palm. Often exposed to the elements, these palms end up with wild, crazy foliage and phallic like aerial roots that help it cling to rock faces and support its weight. The trunks with spiralling patterns evocative of life lines and of life’s journey with knobbly bits like scars, or moments as points of reference along the way. These things are in the making and firing of the work, through texture and the patterned, highlighted clay surface, creating movement and rhythm and subtle points of interest.
Phil is currently Head Teacher of Creative Industries, North Coast TAFE for the Coffs Harbour, CHEC and Macksville Campuses and leads a talented group of teachers/craftspeople, delivering a diverse range of arts courses, including Ceramics, Visual Arts, Digital Media, Furniture Design, Museum Practice, Arts Administration and TVET.
Phil moved to the Coffs Harbour area in 1983 and has been a maker and teacher of ceramics for over 30 years. He has established a number of studio workshops producing functional and decorative work, exhibiting regularly with selected galleries in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and on the North Coast.
He is a founding member of Coastal ClayMakers Inc. The group formed in 2004 and aims to promote and encourage the study of ceramics by means of lectures, discussions, excursions, projects and practical workshops to potters on the Mid North Coast of NSW.
