In a career stretching 30 years, Nicky Coady has travelled a journey of inspiration and transformation, a personal and professional exploration that has stamped its footprint across a lifetime of work.
A well established professional now, Nicky Coady can still recall vividly her first encounters with clay in the early l970's while raising her two children. Away from the confines of an office, she took the opportunity to explore her creativity and artistic interests and by chance, the medium was clay. With memories of her own childhood spent by the hillsides and deepwater natural harbour of Dartmouth, Devon and the remarkable landscape of Zambia, it is hardly surprising that her passion for texture and the organic form was to emerge in early work and to recur throughout her career.
Nicky's decision to pursue ceramics professionally was cemented when she was awarded the Ceramic Prize in the l976 Lane Cove Art Show by LLoyd Rees. "I had been working on large hand built multi spouted forms and having such a well respected Artist award me the prize and describe my work as "innovative" provided the impetus to launch my professional career".
During the 1980's Coady immersed herself in developing her sense of concept and expression, attending many workshops. The most influential was prominent New Zealand potter, Len Castle, who shared her affinity for texture. Working with some of Castle's concepts, she consolidated her technical skills and found a sensibility to organic structures. This touched a nerve and sparked her interest in manipulating clay by stretching, beating and flapping, giving her an appreciation for creating freedom within desired forms.
Emerging from this process are Nicky's ritual vessels - large, earthy, handcoiled forms that are deeply textured on the exterior, reminiscent of weathered sandstone. In recent years, Coady has added depth to these forms with the application crystallline glazes on the interior creating a striking result, much like a rock pool one might stumble on deep in a rainforest. Textured bottles are another form that Nicky has continued to develop throughout her career. Tall and slender, the bottles were initially textured heavily, reflecting shedding tree bark but recent forms have taken on softer characteristics, with a greater emphasis on texture through glazing and stamping.
Taking on more formal studies at Brookvale TAFE in the 1980's, Nicky pursued her interest in the asymmetrical beauty of nature and created forms that merged handbuilt and thrown elements. "Erosion" is a piece that explored the relationship between internal and external space. "I found that this could best be expressed through joining two thrown forms and adding coils, which gave me greater control over the interaction of light and space" she said.
"Metamorphosis" is a highly burnished handbuilt piece, awarded the 1999 Hunter's Hill Art Exhibition Ceramic Prize.
In the 1990's, having firmly established herself as a professional Ceramic Artist, Nicky extended to new ideas and concepts and produced her "Ned Kelly" teasets, replicating the tactile metallic attributes of corrugated iron through use of surface textural treatment and a black pewter glaze she developed.
In 2002, she began producing "Jugs with Attitude", as a series of jugs with various textures and glazes, each jug taking on its own personality and attitude. In this latest series, she is emerging from the work which is playful and fun, increasingly relaxed and self assured.
On graduating from TAFE in l986, Nicky was invited to teach at Ku ring gai Community Arts Centre, Roseville which she continued to do for 27 years. She felt strongly that this was part of her contribution to the ceramic world, to not only express herself through her own work but to share her talent and enthusiasm with many students, building their confidence and enjoyment with clay.
Nicky has been generous with her time in other ways too, contributing to exhibitions for WIRES fundraising events, as a committee member for the North Shore Craft Group and Vice President of the Potter’s Society in 1999 - 2001. President of the Ceramic Study Group 2010 – 2014, currently Vice President. In 2015 Nicky was asked by the A.M.A. to contribute a' Ned Kelly' Teapot to go to auction at an event held at the NSW Parliament to raise funds for the Rose Battie Foundation. Currently Nicky is President (2017) of the Ferry Artists Gallery down at Wisemans Ferry on the Hawkesbury River, NSW.
"Even after working with clay for over thirty years, my passion for it intensifies daily. The creative process grows slowly, each time my hands touch clay and I unload a kiln, I can see the next step. Step by step, the constant challenge of working with so many elements gradually unfolds" says Nicky. Much like the ripples from a stone cast into a pond, her work has gained momentum from a small beginning much has developed, separate but inextricably linked by the regeneration of a theme energised by passion.
Nicky’s work has been exhibited throughout Australia – including Freemantle Arts Centre, Cowra Regional Art Galley, The Gallery on Lurline, Katoomba, Gannon House and Gleneaon Craft Expos, Sydney, Lovedale Limited Edition Expos, Deloraine Craft Fair, Tasmania , Warrandyte Pottery Expo, Victoria and currently at Ferry Artists' Gallery, Wiseman's Ferry and the Ogishi Craft Centre, Hunter Valley.
Her professional retrospective, "The Ripples of Time celebrating 20 years" was held at Bancroft Gallery, Recreation Ave, Roseville, 2007 which was opened by John Doyle. 2015 Nicky won the "300 grams." Competition/Exhibition judged by Dr. Christopher Allen at the Mansfield Gallery, Darlinghurst, won a section of the Sydney Teapot Show and the end of year "Bowl" competition by the Ceramic Study Group judged by Steve Harrison and Len Smith.
2016 saw Nicky celebrating "30 Years on - Celebration" Exhibition with graduates from Brookvale TAFE in 1986. In March 2016 - Nicky exhibited at the Artists Studios Co-operative in North Gosford with Textile Artist Alan Tremain entitled "Reflections of Japan" with her latest creations influenced by the 'Boro" aesthetic.
Profile written by Linda Schofield.
A well established professional now, Nicky Coady can still recall vividly her first encounters with clay in the early l970's while raising her two children. Away from the confines of an office, she took the opportunity to explore her creativity and artistic interests and by chance, the medium was clay. With memories of her own childhood spent by the hillsides and deepwater natural harbour of Dartmouth, Devon and the remarkable landscape of Zambia, it is hardly surprising that her passion for texture and the organic form was to emerge in early work and to recur throughout her career.
Nicky's decision to pursue ceramics professionally was cemented when she was awarded the Ceramic Prize in the l976 Lane Cove Art Show by LLoyd Rees. "I had been working on large hand built multi spouted forms and having such a well respected Artist award me the prize and describe my work as "innovative" provided the impetus to launch my professional career".
During the 1980's Coady immersed herself in developing her sense of concept and expression, attending many workshops. The most influential was prominent New Zealand potter, Len Castle, who shared her affinity for texture. Working with some of Castle's concepts, she consolidated her technical skills and found a sensibility to organic structures. This touched a nerve and sparked her interest in manipulating clay by stretching, beating and flapping, giving her an appreciation for creating freedom within desired forms.
Emerging from this process are Nicky's ritual vessels - large, earthy, handcoiled forms that are deeply textured on the exterior, reminiscent of weathered sandstone. In recent years, Coady has added depth to these forms with the application crystallline glazes on the interior creating a striking result, much like a rock pool one might stumble on deep in a rainforest. Textured bottles are another form that Nicky has continued to develop throughout her career. Tall and slender, the bottles were initially textured heavily, reflecting shedding tree bark but recent forms have taken on softer characteristics, with a greater emphasis on texture through glazing and stamping.
Taking on more formal studies at Brookvale TAFE in the 1980's, Nicky pursued her interest in the asymmetrical beauty of nature and created forms that merged handbuilt and thrown elements. "Erosion" is a piece that explored the relationship between internal and external space. "I found that this could best be expressed through joining two thrown forms and adding coils, which gave me greater control over the interaction of light and space" she said.
"Metamorphosis" is a highly burnished handbuilt piece, awarded the 1999 Hunter's Hill Art Exhibition Ceramic Prize.
In the 1990's, having firmly established herself as a professional Ceramic Artist, Nicky extended to new ideas and concepts and produced her "Ned Kelly" teasets, replicating the tactile metallic attributes of corrugated iron through use of surface textural treatment and a black pewter glaze she developed.
In 2002, she began producing "Jugs with Attitude", as a series of jugs with various textures and glazes, each jug taking on its own personality and attitude. In this latest series, she is emerging from the work which is playful and fun, increasingly relaxed and self assured.
On graduating from TAFE in l986, Nicky was invited to teach at Ku ring gai Community Arts Centre, Roseville which she continued to do for 27 years. She felt strongly that this was part of her contribution to the ceramic world, to not only express herself through her own work but to share her talent and enthusiasm with many students, building their confidence and enjoyment with clay.
Nicky has been generous with her time in other ways too, contributing to exhibitions for WIRES fundraising events, as a committee member for the North Shore Craft Group and Vice President of the Potter’s Society in 1999 - 2001. President of the Ceramic Study Group 2010 – 2014, currently Vice President. In 2015 Nicky was asked by the A.M.A. to contribute a' Ned Kelly' Teapot to go to auction at an event held at the NSW Parliament to raise funds for the Rose Battie Foundation. Currently Nicky is President (2017) of the Ferry Artists Gallery down at Wisemans Ferry on the Hawkesbury River, NSW.
"Even after working with clay for over thirty years, my passion for it intensifies daily. The creative process grows slowly, each time my hands touch clay and I unload a kiln, I can see the next step. Step by step, the constant challenge of working with so many elements gradually unfolds" says Nicky. Much like the ripples from a stone cast into a pond, her work has gained momentum from a small beginning much has developed, separate but inextricably linked by the regeneration of a theme energised by passion.
Nicky’s work has been exhibited throughout Australia – including Freemantle Arts Centre, Cowra Regional Art Galley, The Gallery on Lurline, Katoomba, Gannon House and Gleneaon Craft Expos, Sydney, Lovedale Limited Edition Expos, Deloraine Craft Fair, Tasmania , Warrandyte Pottery Expo, Victoria and currently at Ferry Artists' Gallery, Wiseman's Ferry and the Ogishi Craft Centre, Hunter Valley.
Her professional retrospective, "The Ripples of Time celebrating 20 years" was held at Bancroft Gallery, Recreation Ave, Roseville, 2007 which was opened by John Doyle. 2015 Nicky won the "300 grams." Competition/Exhibition judged by Dr. Christopher Allen at the Mansfield Gallery, Darlinghurst, won a section of the Sydney Teapot Show and the end of year "Bowl" competition by the Ceramic Study Group judged by Steve Harrison and Len Smith.
2016 saw Nicky celebrating "30 Years on - Celebration" Exhibition with graduates from Brookvale TAFE in 1986. In March 2016 - Nicky exhibited at the Artists Studios Co-operative in North Gosford with Textile Artist Alan Tremain entitled "Reflections of Japan" with her latest creations influenced by the 'Boro" aesthetic.
Profile written by Linda Schofield.