Introducing Kerryn Levy

We’re delighted to welcome South Australian ceramic artist Kerryn Levy to Pieces of Eight Gallery. Working on Peramangk Country in Strathalbyn, Kerryn creates sculptural vessels using a range of hand-building techniques that honour the connection between body, landscape, and material. Her forms are evocative of human, botanical, and animal bodies — objects that nestle, lean, and dance with one another, their surfaces echoing the textures and tones of the Australian environment. Each piece is a quiet celebration of touch and presence, bearing the impressions of the artist’s hands and the earth they’ve shaped. 

We hope you enjoy Part 1 of our interview with Kerryn.

PO8: Can you tell us a little about your journey into ceramics? What first drew you to clay?

KL: Like many I had some childhood experiences of clay in school and using air dry clay for art projects at home, but I was never particularly attracted to clay as a medium until I went to Uni where I studied a Bachelor of Visual Art and was introduced to wheel throwing. The tactile nature and the immersive challenge that ceramics presents drew me in and I quickly fell in love! I specialised in ceramics and worked with both hand-building and wheel-thrown forms. Later, as an associate, I shared a studio with my now good friend Connie Augoustinos, who inspired me to lean further into hand-building and from there I developed a strong visual aesthetic and hand-building techniques that inform the vases, sculptures and objects that I make today.

PO8: What does a typical day in your studio look like?

KL: Every day is so different! Some days might see me working quietly on production ware like vases and candle holders and I'll listen to podcasts and not move too far from my table all day! Other days will be a mixture of glazing, cleaning, packing or unpacking kilns. I dedicate some 'clean' days to photographing, packing and shipping work, and admin. So every day is different depending on the task at hand. At the moment my studio is full to the brim with different half-finished projects in various stages of production, I'm working on some thrown table-ware, some large-scale furniture and glazing and finishing work for exhibitions.

PO8: Tell us about your process — from concept to kiln?

KL: My process for new designs usually begins with exploring forms, interesting lines and silhouettes from photos of people, trees, birds, rock formations etc, then sketching or tracing possible shapes for a new piece. If I'm working on an Asymmetry Vessel Pair or grouping I will build the first piece based on a combination of sketches and intuition, and then use that to guide the shape of the second piece and third and so on, ensuring the pair or group offer an interesting dialogue and create a sense of movement and fluidity with one another. The clay I use is informed by what glaze or surface treatment I want to finish with. I mix almost all my glazes in the studio and dip, pour or spray them on each piece. Each piece is fired at least twice, with some fired multiple times to achieve the right finish. 

Stay tuned for part two of our interview with Kerryn Levy, where we delve deeper into her creative process. In the meantime, you can explore her work online or visit us in-store at Pieces of Eight Gallery.