Introducing Bryney and Annie from Hardened Earth Ceramics. Where every item is handmade!! From their home in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Bryney and Annie create their stunning pieces by hand.
Find out why Bryney and Annie started creating and why they are so passionate about the value of handmade.
Tell us about your creations and your handmade process.
From our small studio space on the Sunshine Coast (Qld), we very proudly hand-build functional homewares from clay. We produce hand formed treasures using pinch or slab techniques for our earthy, coastal, timeless yet elegant forms.
Our mantra is to "HERO THE CLAY" for its unique textural qualities and natural earthy tones, therefore our glazing is mostly minimal, highlighting the natural beauty of the clay which is hidden under a glazed surface.
Tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a handmade artist.
We met a few years ago at a small ceramics studio on the Sunshine Coast, where we developed a deep love of clay and all it has to offer ... We soon discovered our ideas and ceramic pieces had a similar 'thread', to the point where fellow ceramicists often could not tell our work apart!
From there we hatched an idea; joining forces, sharing ideas and equipment: 'hardened earth ceramics' was born. With our love of 'the arts', and a longing to be 'artists', we realised our dreams had become a reality! Our humbling journey had begun ...
What is your inspiration or where do you find inspiration?
"EVERYTHING + EVERYWHERE". Being fortunate enough to live on the Sunshine Coast we have embraced our surroundings deriving inspiration from so many places: the beach, the bush, the mountains; all within a short walk or bike ride from our studio.
Our work reflects our beautiful environment and our deep desire to preserve what's left - textures, shapes, tones - in a manner that is harmonious with everyday living.
Where did you learn your craft?
We are both creatives at heart, having dabbled in other mediums. A natural progression lead us to explore the medium of clay, having joined a local community ceramics studio. We were quickly drawn to each other's style and ethos, learning from the wealth of knowledge provided by seasoned potters and workshops.
Clay is a teacher, predominantly all about trial and error, taking you on its own journey of discovery.
We continue to learn and never cease to be amazed by what clay is capable of and what it has to offer ...
Why is handmade artistry so important to you?
We have a love of 'handmade' and 'community'; whether it is crafted, cooked, grown or baked. The handmade community is enormous, embracing and forever encouraging, for which we are eternally grateful. Hand building our beautiful pieces from clay gives us a sense of antiquity, taking us back in time to when our creative and artistic forebares fashioned homewares for everyday use from foraged clay. In the scheme of things, little has changed since then, modernised yes, but hand building, no!
Our next endeavour in continuing our journey into the very ancient world of hand building with clay, is foraging for our own, locally sourced clay, learning its nuances, further stepping back into the ancient 'art form' that is "hand building with clay" ...
Bryney and Annie are much loved members of the Madeit Collective, posting regularly in our Facebook Group ~ The Handmade Marketplace of Australia ~ and sharing their new creations as they are released. If you haven't connected with Hardened Earth Ceramics, make sure you join our FB Group and say hi !
