Maree Buckley
My passion for nature and wildlife has been lifelong and continues to influence so many aspects of my life, including my creativity.
I love to create organic sculptural pieces and decorative garden features, as well as some functional tableware using food safe glazes. All pieces are influenced by the simplicity and elegance of nature, it’s seasonal colour palette, and organic weather worn shapes and movement. I continue to be inspired by the perfect imperfections of natural fauna and flora.
Clay and all its possibilities is my passion, and I use a variety of hand building techniques predominantly – pinching, slab and coil. Decorating techniques used include burnishing, terra sigillatta, sgraffito, slip designs, carving and texturing. Organic material can also be added to the clay prior to firing to create unique textures and surfaces.
Recently, I’ve been experimenting stoneware glaze layering techniques, as well as trying to master the ancient Japan clay art of Nerikomi. Predominantly, I use Stoneware and Wild local Clays, utilising stains and oxides for colour as well as mixing different naturally coloured and textured clays. Firing is to stoneware temperature in a gas kiln, at other times I do Lustre, Raku, and Pit firing.
As much as I love anything clay, in recent years have dabbled in mixed media combining driftwood, shells, stones, sea glass and other found elements, to cobble together a sculptural story.
My Story
I live in beautiful Woombah and create out of a river side studio beside the mighty Clarence River, surrounded by beautiful coastline beaches and Bundjalung National Park. I respect our First Nations Peoples and lands and seas that we live on.
Still Pottering Around Studio evolved slowly from a hobby to a passion over the last 20+ years, and getting dirty playing with “Mud” brings me serenity and is something I never tire of – hence its name.
Arts and crafts have always been part of my life since a very young age and I have played with a variety of mediums including drawing, water colour painting, mosaics, candle making, basket weaving, stained glass, knitting and crochet. But it is the joy of playing with clay that never leaves me.
I have been an avid collector since childhood, collecting interesting stones and pebbles from rivers banks, plant seeds and pods, discarded birds’ nests, feathers, seashells and sea glass, multicoloured clays and ochre.
I have just concluded a 43-year Nursing career as a Remote Areas Nurse that allowed me the opportunity and privilege to live and travel this vast beautiful country. I have lived in Remote Aboriginal communities in SA, WA and NT, Torres Strait Islander Communities near New Guinea, Flinders Island in the Bass Strait, as well as the remote Indian Ocean Island, Communities of Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands.
From the harsh beauty of our deserts, to the freezing windy roaring 40’s to various tropical paradise. Inspiration from nature is something I find in every unique environment, and I always collected along the way. The cultural sharing I was gifted in these diverse and unique Australian environments is present in every piece I create.
Having completed an Advanced Diploma of Ceramics through Lismore TAFE in 2016, I find joy in sharing my knowledge through teaching ceramics and sculpture and learning from my students.
Some of my work
Contact
email: mareeabuckley@gmail.com
mobile: 0437 871 870
Commissions, Classes and Studio visits by appointment only