Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

Cathy extracts a tile from her Raku kiln.

LOCAL CLAY ARTIST, Cathy Lawley has been busily working on a water feature in clay for the past few months, exclusively designed for a house that has been entirely built by women.

Instigated by Sam Sheppard, owner of The Buildmore Group, The Women Into Building Housing Showcase project aims to elevate awareness and acceptance of women who choose the building industry as a career of choice. It also draws attention to the importance of environmental design and building to sustainable guidelines.

The project involves a house being built by a predominantly female team on a 385sqm block of land in Investa’s Bellflower neighbourhood.

Cathy’s water feature will be mounted on the two besser block walls directly either side of the entrance to the home at Sippy Downs.

Cathy said she felt compelled to contribute to the project after hearing Sam Sheppard’s story of being a teenage runaway, and hearing of her down-toearth approach with the troubled youth she dedicates herself to.

“Together we came up with the idea of using the froggy tile as part of a water feature on two block walls outside the main entrance of the building,” Cathy said.

Cathy Lawley’s studio is tucked away on the Blackall Range, and it’s where she creates what she calls her “raw beginnings”.

Each of the 12, 5-10kg pottery plaques created by Cathy is different and unique, and she’s used the ancient raku method of firing the clay. She first rolls out large slabs of local raku clay, then selects rocks and pinecones to press into the slabs to give the effect of rock formation. They are then gently laid into a timber frame template, left to dry to leather hard, and then turned out.

Cathy uses white hand building clay to make the leaves, frogs, geckos, platypuses and fungus.

Cathy and Sam Sheppard work with clay in Cathy's North Maleny studio.

It is believed that Raku first originated in Japan more than 400 years ago.

The raku kiln is made of fibre wrapped around wire mesh and fitted with a fibre lid. This kiln is heated to 1000 degrees using a gas burner. As soon as the temperature is reached, the burner is turned to low and the pots have to be removed quickly (using tongs). They are then placed in bins of sawdust and straw and “smoked” or reduced for 10 minutes. Then, while the pots are still hot, they are removed once again with tongs and hosed off.

“As each piece is hosed they change colour revealing their own uniqueness, and that’s when the “life’ in a pot appears and when the unpredictable “magic’ of raku is experienced. Its hard work and I’m exhausted after a day of firing. My arms ache, smoke gets in my eyes and sometimes blisters form on my fingers, but with a glass of red in hand, the aches are soon forgotten as only the passion remains!” Cathy said.

Sam Sheppard is opening doors for all women looking for apprenticeships in the building industry. The all-women house will be show-cased for two years, and is set to be completed this month.

Cathy’s work can be viewed at the Women Into Building Showcase project at Investa’s Display Village Bellflower, Sippy Downs, from March. For more information go to www.womenintobuilding.com.au or visit Cathy’s site at www.friedmudd.com

Photos courtesy of Brian Rogers Photographics

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