Little Tree Studio Ceramics Journal

Are you keeping your studio safe from Silica dust? Silica is a mineral found in many common products. Fine silica dust can penetrate deep into the lungs. Prolonged silica dust exposure can contribute to serious health complications, including COPD, emphysema, lung cancer and silicosis.

It's happening again on Saturday, 10 August 2024. After a flaming success in 2023, Canberra Potters is excited to host its annual winter pottery festival celebrating Canberra’s ceramics community.

In the heart of Belconnen, on the foreshore of just one of Canberra's beautiful lakes, The Belconnen Arts Gallery is a place to celebrate, undertake creative journeys, share stories, and make memories. The gallery has recently extended its visitor's shop, which proudly presents an eclectic range of handcrafted bespoke Australian artisan-made items, including work by Alexander Thatcher from Little Tree Studio. 

These imagined whimsical ZooGong living houses - Tealight Lamps - are each and every one completely original and carry a tealight candle, creating a warm glow of joy, creativity and wonder. Our EOFY 'Starving Artist Sale' is now on! Yep, for a limited time only you can save 15% OFF all Little Tree Studio items using the EOFY15%OFF code at checkout! Thanks for supporting us!

In walls of warmth, our hearts to rest.Where love and laughter are our guests.We work and play, our minds create.A sanctuary, a place that’s safe.Cherish its rooms, our home embraceOur souls to be, we find our place. ~ Alexander Thatcher, 2023 - 

I often refer to the handmade tableware I create as 'Ceramics for Life', and it is one of the reasons I like to photograph my work with food I create in our lovely kitchen in the heart of Canberra — a city I love dearly and call home.

When you are making pottery, there are often times when you need to attach one piece of clay to another. When joining two pieces of clay together, you definitely don’t want them to fall apart or develop cracks as they dry. One simple way to prevent these problems is to use Magic Water.

This plant is tough and thrives on neglect, making it perfect for the forgetful plant owner. This hardy plant is able to survive for months without water and will grow well in low light and hates the direct sun.

Easy to care for the Pickle Plant is a low growing trailing succulent. This Delosperma produces bright yellow flowers and green fleshy leaves covered in fine white hairs giving this plant its unique appearance. The Pickle Plant likes the outdoors in a bright sunny position with dry conditions.

Want to stop that lid sticking during your final glaze firing or your porcelain pots from sticking to the kiln shelves?

I love fermenting things which is why I make my own fermenting pots. Fermented foods are tasty and so good for you. If you're a mushroom fan, this adapted recipe I use from Milkwood in Australia is delicious. This simple recipe uses a ceramic fermenting pot - like the ones I make - and basic biological pickling method of lacto-fermentation, which relies on little more than salt, water and time. Easy and totally worth it!

It's been over 250 years since James Cook sailed into Botany Bay on the Endeavour, kicking off a series of events that resulted in the British arriving and staying uninvited first at Warrane (Sydney Cove) in 1788, and later at numerous locations across the continent.

Image: Legged Bowl by Alexander Thatcher. As artists, we always have our antennae up, ready to be inspired. When it comes to the work of other artists though, it can be a tricky tightrope to walk. It’s all too easy to love another artist’s work so much that it unwittingly or otherwise seeps into our own. Especially since, as artists, we’re curious and always want to be developing our skills and abilities. 

Canberra Potters is an inclusive community arts organisation that includes a shop, gallery and artist workshops. It's located at the Watson Arts Centre in Canberra.

Pottery is the perfect tactile pastime for now, say its fans, and a great antidote to the digital world. Dominic Lutyens from The BBC talks to enthusiasts and professionals about their love of clay – and the power of touch.

Making tableware is as much art as it is skill and know-how. Everyone who owns a beloved cup that has just the right handle, an agreeably "deep" cereal bowl, or a plate that fits perfectly in the dishwasher knows that once you've found these pieces, you wish you had more of them.

19 May – 2 July 2022. Ceramic artists have been invited from throughout Australia to investigate the beauty and sense of intimacy experienced when eating or drinking from an exquisitely crafted plate, or vessel.

New Cabin Incense Burners are now available at the Little Tree Studio Shop $50. Watch the smoke below from the chimney as these handmade Cabin Incense Burners fill your home with wonderful and exotic scents.