Just the right amount of sunshine, the right amount of rain, and just enough wind to pollinate the crops provides a bountiful harvest. The Australian farmers' life can be unpredictable, they often have to contend with prolonged drought and hot dry winds followed by flooding rains that wash precious to top soil away.
A farmer's life can reap rewards, but can sometimes be a difficult one.
Anita Reay was born in England and emigrated to Australia as a child. During her childhood she travelled extensively throughout the Outback with her family, in an old Kombi Van, and experienced first-hand the continent's vastness, it infinite variety of colours and textures - and its diverse, if not sometimes 'quirky' wildlife.
Her travel adventures still inspire Anita's creativity as a ceramic artist, and her recollections are a recurrent theme of her work.
She has been creating unique sculptured pieces for over 10 years and has works in private collections all over the world having sold several thousand unique pieces of art.
Having no formal training, everything Anita has learned about clay has been through books, the Internet and plenty of trial and error. This has also allowed her to explore and discover techniques not taught and probably considered non-conforming that turn out to just "work".
ceramic porcelain, underglaze, coloured glaze, clear glaze
33 x 14 cm
Finalist
Judges of the 2015 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize: Dr Michael Brand (Director of the Art Gallery of NSW), Penelope Seidler AM (Arts Patron and Director of Harry Seidler & Associates) and Barbara Flynn (International Curatorial Advisor).