ABOVE: Mic in the Mallanganee ceramics studio with this daughter Elise and his wife Alison. Photo: Susanna Freymark
Littlecreek Studio at Mallanganee is a family based ceramic workshop with a strong emphasis on community interaction.
Mic Eales established the studio in 2013 with his wife Alison.
With the advent of covid, their daughter Elise moved home and joined them in the studio.
Teaching ceramics to the local community was a natural progression and today there are about 12 individuals who regularly attend classes over three days per fortnight.
Over the past few years students have endured drought, fires, floods, cancer and of course covid.
Throughout, the group has continued to use the workshop for their creative pursuits and for their own mental and emotional wellbeing.
The diversity of the group and their thirst for artistic expression is boundless.
Teaching days begin with coffee and a little something sweet, using that time to chat about what matters most in life.
Then it’s off to the studio to play with clay.
Over time the group has become incredibly supportive of each other and their enthusiasm for clay and creativity is utterly infectious.
This was plain to see for the more than 50 people who attended last weekend’s Australian Ceramics Open Studio, where work was on display.
The public were invited to explore the studio, try their hand at wheel throwing and experience the magic of a raku firing.
Raku is a process where pots are removed from a red hot kiln and put in a container filled with sawdust. The pieces, transformed by fire and smoke, are removed and dunked in water and cleaned – simply magic.
An exhibition of work produced at Littlecreek Studio is planned for March 2023 at the Roxy Gallery in Kyogle.
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