About
Lucy Tolan (she/her) is a queer ceramics artist based in Naarm. Having completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2018, she utilises a combination of pinch and slab-building techniques to negotiate concerns of tension and harmony within her pieces.
Through bold juxtaposition of form, colour and texture, Tolan’s work catalyses the generative power of aesthetic contradiction. Her style draws from diverse sources of inspiration - including modernist architecture, textiles and the natural world – to produce romantic encounters between fragility and boldness within each creation.
Tolan’s work has been exhibited by galleries such as Craft Victoria and Modern Times. She has been featured in The Design Files, and was chosen as one of Craft Victoria’s 2020 Virtual Makers in Residence. In 2021, she was selected as a finalist for the ‘Handcrafted’ Prize in the Design Files + Laminex Awards.
Process
All of Lucy’s objects are hand built in Melbourne, materials are sourced from Walker Ceramics and everything is fired at The Kiln Room.
The processes Lucy uses take time, therefore each object is built over a number of days. Inclusive of building, firing and glazing the process takes 2-3 weeks.
A lot of consideration and care goes into each vessel. They are all one of a kind.
While the uttermost care is taken at all stages of the process, clay can be volatile and imperfections do occur (which is an exciting part of the process). If an object has faults such as small cracks, this will be flagged in the object's description.
The processes Lucy uses take time, therefore each object is built over a number of days. Inclusive of building, firing and glazing the process takes 2-3 weeks.
A lot of consideration and care goes into each vessel. They are all one of a kind.
While the uttermost care is taken at all stages of the process, clay can be volatile and imperfections do occur (which is an exciting part of the process). If an object has faults such as small cracks, this will be flagged in the object's description.
Acknowledgement of Country
Lucy would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the land on which she lives, and works on. Lucy pays her respects to Elders past and present. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.
Credits
Website by Both
Photography Shelley Horan
Photography Shelley Horan