Artist of the Month: Graeme Bannerman

In addition to being a secondary visual arts teacher at Waverley College in Sydney's Eastern suburbs, Graeme Bannerman is a multi-talented artist, who works in a variety of mediums. He has dabbled with 'old school' cut & paste, installation, sculpture and paint. But his true penchant is ceramics. During his ceramic studies at Sydney College of the Arts, Bannerman made a series of miniature sculptures and figurines. He laughs as he tells me Mitsuo Shoji used to joke that Graeme was lazy and should make his pieces larger!

G Bannerman Bowie would know what to call them...  earthenware, glaze, thread.

G Bannerman Untitled  porcelain, thread

 G Bannerman In & Out and Degustation earthenware, glaze, found object

G Bannerman Moonrock earthenware, thread

For White Heat Bannerman was invited to create a collection of ceramic jewellery that could be handled and explored by gallery visitors. His 'Touch Table' is an exploration of earthenware and porcelain jewellery, including large-scale, sculptural beads. For the first-time 'jeweller' the process was fun but also challenging.

He wanted to celebrate the diversity of clay working techniques: from hand-slapped porcelain beads to painstakingly hollowed earthenware beads to high gloss, giant, green beads. The individual pieces look as unique as they feel.  During the White Heat exhibition opening at Gaffa Gallery in August 2013 the feedback from gallery visitors about the temperature and sound of his pieces moving when handled was a delightful surprise.

 White Heat installation shot, Touch Table

 G Bannerman Touch Table

   G Bannerman Touch Table