Neville French, Clouds 5, 2023, and Clouds 6, 2023, image by Ian Hill
Neville French, Clouds 5, 2023, image by Ian Hill
Neville French, Clouds 5, 2023
Neville French, Clouds 5, 2023, image by Ian Hill
Neville French, Clouds 2
Neville French, Clouds 2, image by Ian Hill
Neville French, Clouds 3
Neville French, Clouds 3, image by Ian Hill
Neville French, Clouds 5, 2023, and Clouds 6, 2023
Neville French, Clouds 5, 2023, and Clouds 6, 2023, image by Ian Hill

From the Crest | New Ceramic Vessels by Neville French Past Event

Presented by Gallerysmith

Dates

Thu 23 May 11:00am - 5:00pm
Fri 24 May 11:00am - 5:00pm
Sat 25 May 11:00am - 5:00pm
Tue 28 May 11:00am - 5:00pm
Wed 29 May 11:00am - 5:00pm
Thu 30 May 11:00am - 5:00pm
Fri 31 May 11:00am - 5:00pm
Sat 01 Jun 11:00am - 5:00pm

Tickets

Free, No Booking Required

Venue

Gallerysmith
170-174 Abbotsford St, North Melbourne VIC 3051, Australia

Access

All gender bathroom, Assistance animals welcome, Low sensory / relaxed, Seating available, Wheelchair accessible

From the Crest is an exhibition of ceramic vessels by Neville French presented in Gallerysmith’s Annexe Gallery. French’s large-scale hand-thrown ceramic pots are a continuation of his Cloudlight series, which are inspired by the mystery and beauty of the skies.

Made from porcelain clay and hand-mined glazes, French’s ceramic forms emulate the soft glow of clouds and fog illuminated by sunshine. The ever-changing nature of light is captured and diffused across the fine contours and silky surfaces of his pots. Subtle shifts in colour and contrast caused by weather, season, and time are harnessed by his vessels. The translucency of the porcelain allows the subtlety of the glazes to sing. The milky, pastel colours and limited palette pay homage to the frescoes of Italian renaissance painter Piero della Francesca, whose work in the Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo Italy was transformative for French.

“From the crest behind my home in Buninyong, Victoria, the road sweeps down and away to the east, past a small farm on the fringe of town and straight into the bush. I like to walk in the early morning as the sun begins to rise and take time to observe the shifting skies and atmosphere from this particular location each day.” – Neville French, 2024

Participants

Neville French

Neville French is one of Australia’s most revered classical ceramicists. French’s vessels are held in regional, state and national collecting institutions including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria. His works have been exhibited in major exhibitions here and abroad including at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the prestigious Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) expositions in Chicago and New York, and Galerie Rosenauer in Germany. French’s mud-brick studio complete with gas and wood-fired kilns, in located in Buninyong, Victoria.