AMY KENNEDY

AMY KENNEDY

artist

Lower Plenty, VIC, Australia

A car full of gear, Wendell, my husband, drove me through the windy leafy road to Amy Kennedy’s home and studio in Lower Plenty, 30 minute east of Melbourne’s CBD. Wendell had a local mountain biking track on his bucket list and I was excited to discover and document Amy’s intricate process. To put it simply, Amy stacks paper thin ceramic pieces together to create very organic shapes reminiscent of coral formations, or textures close to the black fungus I use in Fuschia Dunlop’s Chinese recipes. Read More

Photos I took that day…

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Amy’s frank smile and kind manners seduced me immediately. It’s the remnent of an ancient shyness that she has turned into a gentle confidence. She made me feel at ease in her studio, adjacent to her garage. A room bathed with light and filled with treasures. On the right, features an inspiration wall with magazine cuts, drawings, and nature finds. At the back, a shelf is laden with what I first thought were sculptures. Amy explained that they are the moulds in which she places and squeezes together an insane number of paper thin ceramic sheets. She has experimented for years to find the right components in her clay to achieve a certain level of fusion that solidly shapes each sculpture in the kiln.

I ended up taking hundreds of photos in a few hours and later spent days in my studio, experimenting with all sorts of edits: black & white, soft pastels, or even harsh contrast looks. You’ll see some of that work above and in the full gallery.
Amy’s brief was to photograph studio wide frames but also at macro, ultra-close-up level. It was like discovering a new planet with extravagant textures and formations. I had never seen such a technique in ceramic work. I couldn’t stop inspecting each detail and documenting it. My dream would be to come back and film everything. Maybe next year!

Before leaving to go to Colorado see her sister, Amy kindly answered the questions in my interview below. It was a joy to get to know her better, discover her favourite artists, musician, and the steps of her career. I loved it! I hope you do to.

Connect with Amy

@amykennedyceramicartist | amykennedyceramics.com

INTERVIEW

I make ceramic sculptures, using fine sheets of clay-glaze materials. With my work I am striving to capture sensations of energy and motion and want to harness the capabilities of ceramic materials and their potential for transformation. I think with everything I make I want it to appear as if it is simultaneously made and found. I want it to bring forth a sense of wonder, mostly for myself and for those that experience it.
I would say the work of Jun Kaneko, a Japanese-American artist. For a Uni assignment in 2004 I chose a work of his to riff off, a large platter with dark dots that bled at the edges. In a roundabout way it led me to the work I create today.
I didn't even know that ceramics was a thing until after high school. After I graduated Year 12 I started at University but it wasn't for me. I dropped out and was not doing much really. My parents were a little worried. A few years passed doing some odd jobs and having fleeting interests in things, but nothing held my attention for long. I can't remember why, but I registered for a wheel throwing course at my local community centre and was initiated into the world of clay. It was definitely not love at first sight or touch. It was darn hard and frustrating. Luckily I had some fortitude to stick with it, or maybe I wanted to get my money's worth. After a few lessons things started to slowly click and my understanding grew. It was a revelation to discover this world as a young adult and at each step I wanted to know more and then more.
Go for walks in the bush with my close friends. No computer, no phone. Hours and hours can pass strolling along, talking about life, the trees, the rocks, the birds, or not talking at all. It's a pretty wonderful thing to do.
I think there are a few and they all involve people.
One was my very first teacher, Helen Sparrow, recommending that I go to TAFE to undertake formal studies in ceramics. Game changer.
Another was meeting Prue Venables at RMIT University open day and having a conversation on the steps outside the studios there, that made me want to go there.
Another was meeting Anna Maas, Director of Skepsi Gallery and being welcomed into her world.
And another, my last one, was my sister Rachael suggesting I use my skills and experiences to put together a course to help artists. This got me into artist mentoring, which has transformed my life.
I would say it was my shyness and social anxiety for most of my life. I think it is mostly overcome. Of course, it can always come up, but at least I have a little more wisdom now to see it for what it is and do the things I want to do anyway.
Kindness
Integrity
Humour
Too much ceramics! For me, it's pots not sculptures that I like to live with. Having worked in a gallery specialising in ceramics for the past 16 years I have been exposed to a lot of work and makers and have good appreciation. I must confess, becoming fond of the maker makes the decision to purchase a little easier. But I need to stop. 2024 is the year of not purchasing ceramics. I will see how I go.
Non-physical possession would be my health.
Physical possession would be my Mum's engagement ring.
I love Indian food. Samosa, raita, malai kofta, coconut rice, garlic naan, gulab jamun. That's more than one dish!
My sister, Rachael Jayne Groover, just wrote her latest book. I was lucky enough to be a beta reader. It's called Unshakeable Inner Peace.
This is hard. I fall asleep in most movies. It's no reflection on the movie. The last movie I watched that kept me awake was Tetris. As a kid that grew up trying to pinch her brother's gameboy to play Tetris it was very cool to watch how it all began.
I was recently introduced to the music of Claude Debussy. It is beautiful stuff. So peaceful and relaxing.
Ruth Duckworth
The Sapphire Coast of NSW
I am going to Colorado for hopefully a white Christmas to visit my sister and over the new year will be undertaking a writing retreat for 4 whole glorious days.