sarah jane therese
About
About me
I am a visual artist living on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, celebrating the beauty of nature, especially flowers, in my ceramics, paintings and drawings.
Most days, you will find me in the pottery studio, throwing on the wheel, usually with porcelain clay, then decorating my pots with underglazes and slips, using a multitude of paint brushes and engraving tools. I enjoy the many processes involved, from creating the pots, imagining the designs, and then applying them, slowly and carefully, to my pots. My work is distinctive for its intricate details and strong use of colour.
My designs are often inspired by plant life, with flowers, leaves and wild grasses featuring strongly as well as the small birds and insects that live amongst them.
Concurrent with my ceramic work, I draw and paint with ink, watercolour and acrylic paints. Occasionally I add some texture with yarn and fabric, no doubt influenced by my former career in the fashion industry.
In 2012, following the death of my dearly loved younger sister, Martha, and the closure of my fashion boutiques, I enrolled in a colour & design course. The moment my brush dipped in paint, I was enthralled and my long dormant love for painting ignited. I’ve not stopped painting, drawing and making since.
After years of practice, I feel I have found my artistic groove. I was delighted to become a finalist in Siliceous Ceramics Awards in 2021 and the North Qld Ceramics Award in 2022. I look forward to being in the studio each day, and further refining my craft.
Thank you for taking an interest in my work.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Quixotica Art Space Cooroy, Sunshine Coast 2019/20/21/22/23
North Qld Ceramics Award - Finalist Townsville 2022
Siliceous – Ceramics Arts Qld - Finalist Cooroy, Sunshine Coast 2021
Martin Hansen Memorial Art Awards Gladstone, Qld 2019/20/21
Pop Up Art Exhibition Cooroy,Sunshine Coast 2020
Lindfield Art Show Sydney 2015
Kings School Art Show Sydney 2014
Kings School Art Show Sydney 2013
Art for the Heart Melbourne 2013
EDUCATION
TAFE, East Coast Qld, Nambour, Qld Certificate III – Visual Arts 2016
International School of Colour & Design, Sydney Diploma – Surface Design 2014
International School of Colour & Design, Sydney Diploma – Graphic Design (part) 2013
International School of Colour & Design, Sydney Certificate IV - Colour & Design 2012
University of Melbourne Bachelor of Arts 1978
COMMUNITY ART ROLES
Australian Wood Firers United Vice President 2019 – current
Noosa Open Studios President 2018
Noosa Arts & Crafts Association Vice President 2017
Noosa Open Studios Marketing Manager 2017
PREVIOUS CAREER HISTORY
I held CEO and marketing positions in large companies across Australia & New Zealand, including Sheridan, Holeproof, Esprit, OPSM and Mambo. From 2005 to 2012, I founded and ran my own fashion retail business, pink zebra, with 5 boutiques in Melbourne & Sydney, then owned my own online business, YUM Cashmere, until 2016.