Ross Creek Gallery

Ross Creek Gallery Gallery located in the bush showcasing pottery and new exhibitions each month.

Ballarat Potters 2026 features 15 potters. The second potter is Koji Hoashi.Koji Hoashi:Artist statement:These vessels a...
07/09/2026

Ballarat Potters 2026 features 15 potters. The second potter is Koji Hoashi.

Koji Hoashi:

Artist statement:
These vessels are examples of a body of ceramic work Koji has recently been developing through research and investigation into form, the effective use of glazes, and the relationship between form and glaze. Each vessel is thrown on the wheel and fired to stoneware temperature (Approx. 1300℃) in reduction.

Glossy copper and iron-based glazes are used to reflect and respond to the quality of light in the space where each vessel is displayed. The patterns create a sense of rhythm, movement, flow, and landscape across the surfaces.

Koji invites viewers to experience the vessels from different angles, observing how the colours and patterns change with light and perspective, and to discover the distinctive character revealed from each viewpoint.

Ballarat Potters 2026 is on until the 27th September, open every weekend 11-4 or by appointment. Email for an appointment.

07/09/2026

More pics from the opening yesterday! What a great day . Thanks James Pasakos for the photos

Ballarat Potters 2026 features 15 potters. The first one is Claire Blake. Artist biography:My ceramic practice explores ...
07/09/2026

Ballarat Potters 2026 features 15 potters. The first one is Claire Blake.

Artist biography:
My ceramic practice explores the relationship between form, surface and transformation, moving between sculptural objects and functional vessels. I am interested in the way clay can be manipulated by hand to create forms that sit somewhere between the recognisable and the imagined.

The sculptural works are hand-built and fired in earthenware using a dry glaze. Their exaggerated, organic forms develop through building, joining, cutting and reshaping the clay, allowing the physical process of making to remain evident in the finished objects. Deep blue and turquoise surfaces create a sense of depth and movement across the irregular forms, while their silhouettes suggest ambiguous, almost otherworldly structures or creatures. I enjoy the point where an object begins to suggest something familiar without becoming completely identifiable.

Alongside these sculptures, my functional vases explore a more restrained relationship between form and process. Thrown on the wheel using scrappy recycled clay gathered over many years, they are reduction fired using a carbon trap Shino glaze. The movement of carbon through the glaze produces variations in colour, texture and surface, making the firing process an integral part of the work.

Across both bodies of work, I embrace the balance between control and chance. I can control the construction of a form, the choice of clay and the application of glaze, but firing introduces variables that cannot be completely predicted. This combination of intention, experimentation and unpredictability is what keeps me interested in working with clay. There is always an element of problem-solving, discovery and surprise in the process. I am particularly drawn to the technical and unpredictable nature of glaze.

Ballarat Potters 2026 is on until the 27th September, open every weekend 11-4 or by appointment. Email for an appointment.

Ballarat Potters 2026 features 15 potters. The first one is Claire Blake. Artist statement:I am a Ballarat-based artist ...
07/09/2026

Ballarat Potters 2026 features 15 potters. The first one is Claire Blake.

Artist statement:

I am a Ballarat-based artist who has been working with clay for more than 25 years. I studied Visual Arts and Ceramics at Federation University (formerly the University of Ballarat), completing a Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours in 2002.

My work moves between functional pottery and sculptural ceramics. I’m interested in the physical process of working with clay and the balance between making things that are useful and making things simply because I find them interesting. I’m drawn to form, surface, colour and the unpredictable results that can come from different materials and firing processes. I particularly enjoy the science and problem-solving involved in glaze development, working out why something has happened and
figuring out how to make it happen again, or sometimes deciding that the unexpected result is better.

I am probably best described as an occasional artist. My own making tends to happen around the rest of life, so I don’t always have a studio full of work or a new body of work on the go. I keep coming back to clay because I genuinely enjoy making things and the process of working with the material.

I’m also a collector of art, ceramics and vintage kitsch from the 1960s and 70s. I enjoy visiting exhibitions, finding interesting objects and generally being around creative people and things. Art has been a constant part of my life, both professionally and personally, and I’m happy for making to remain something I do because I want to, rather than something I always have to do.

I have exhibited in Ballarat, Melbourne and regional galleries, and my work is held in public and private collections in Australia and overseas. I’ve also been involved in arts organisations, exhibitions and community arts projects in Ballarat over many years.

Ballarat Potters 2026 is on until the 27th September, open every weekend 11-4 or by appointment. Email for an appointment.

Thank you so much to everyone who came to the Ballarat Potters 2026 exhibition ! What a great exhibition! What a great s...
06/09/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who came to the Ballarat Potters 2026 exhibition ! What a great exhibition! What a great selection of potters! Thank you everyone xx

Ballarat Potters 2026 has its official opening TODAY, Sunday 6th September at 2pm - 4pm. See you this afternoon 🥂 Photo:...
06/09/2026

Ballarat Potters 2026 has its official opening TODAY, Sunday 6th September at 2pm - 4pm. See you this afternoon 🥂

Photo: Sarah Canham

Ballarat Potters 2026 has the official opening TODAY at 2pm. This artwork is by Jan Alexander. ‘In Her Own Right’ speaks...
05/09/2026

Ballarat Potters 2026 has the official opening TODAY at 2pm.

This artwork is by Jan Alexander. ‘In Her Own Right’ speaks to inherent value, agency and strength.

In Her Own Right
2026
Hand sculpted, multi-fired stoneware vessel, cobalt and black glazes, gold lustre
43 x 13 x 10 cm

Ballarat Potters 2026
5-27 September
Ross Creek Gallery, Smythes Creek

Exquisite and I must say incredibly affordable 👀 pots in our current exhibition; Ballarat Potters 2026! As a pottery ner...
04/09/2026

Exquisite and I must say incredibly affordable 👀 pots in our current exhibition; Ballarat Potters 2026! As a pottery nerd addict, I’ve got my eyes on a few so you best get in before I put red dots on them! We are open tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday 11-4. The official opening is THIS Sunday 6th September so we don’t clash with other openings which are on Saturday. See you this weekend!

Thank you Evie Lamb for the great write up in this weeks Ballarat Times ! Read the article below: 👇 Works by 15 of the r...
03/09/2026

Thank you Evie Lamb for the great write up in this weeks Ballarat Times ! Read the article below: 👇

Works by 15 of the region’s ceramicists will be on show this month as Ross Creek Gallery presents Ballarat Potters 2026.
“This exhibition is part of the new annual series celebrating the depth of creative practice within our local community,” the venue’s Ruby Pilven said.
Represented artists are
Claire Blake, Koji Hoashi, Barry Wemyss, Steve Drew, Debbie Hill, Jan Alexander, Marian Fox, Kelly Grundy, Tameka Hague, Sarah Canham, Steve Lees, Martin Baxter, John Eagle, Michael Creaney and John O’ Loughlin.
“I’m most looking forward to bringing together such a diverse group of Ballarat potters in the one exhibition,” Pilven said.
“Ceramics has such a strong history in this region, and there is an incredible depth of knowledge, skill and experimentation within our local community.
“The 15 artists represent a wonderful mix of emerging and established makers, each with their own approach to clay.
“What excites me is seeing those different practices sitting alongside one another and giving audiences an opportunity to appreciate just how broad contemporary ceramics can be.
“Visitors can expect to see functional pottery alongside decorative vessels and sculptural ceramic works.
“There will be different approaches to form, surface, firing and decoration, so eventhough every artist shares clay as their primary material, the outcomes are incredibly varied.
“For people interested in ceramics, it will be a great opportunity to see accomplished examples of different approaches to the material.
“For those less familiar with pottery, I hope the exhibition demonstrates that ceramics can be functional, sculptural, decorative, conceptual and experimental, often all at once.”
The latest showcase in the gallery’s Ballarat series will run from 5-27 September with a public opening event this Sunday 6 September from 2pm
to 4pm.
The artist-owned-and-run attraction at Post Office Road, Smythes Creek is open weekends and by appointment.

Check out these stunning new pots by Barry Wemyss ! Aren’t they just gorgeous! Part of the Ballarat Potters 2026 exhibit...
03/09/2026

Check out these stunning new pots by Barry Wemyss ! Aren’t they just gorgeous! Part of the Ballarat Potters 2026 exhibition opening this weekend. Official celebratory event is Sunday 6th September at 2-4pm.

Address

183 Post Office Road
Smythes Creek, VIC
3351

Opening Hours

Saturday 11am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

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