Art served up on a plate

TAKE home your own piece of Mary Quant-inspired artwork at Bendigo Pottery.

As part of the Mary Quant: Fashion Revolutionary exhibition, Australia’s oldest working pottery is giving people the chance to try their hand at painting portraits on plates.

Decorator, artist and potter Sarahjane Clarke said the classes are all about personal expression.

“The class is a basic class, it’s basic technique enabling people to express,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be literal; portraiture can be anything to the emotion.

“It doesn’t have to be the entirety of a face; it can be the whisper of a smile or the wink of an eye.

“It’s not a photograph, it’s painting and expression.”

With the ceramic plates produced on site, Bendigo Pottery co-owner Sally Thomson said the decorating class will add to the experience of people who have visited the Mary Quant exhibition.

“We just thought we would offer something for people who, if they’re coming to the Mary Quant exhibition, might be able to have a go to express your response to that by painting a plate and a bowl as well,” she said.

“I think that’s why everyone loves the experience, whether it’s going to a cooking class, painting something or a wine tasting.

“That participation takes your experience to another level other than just observing.”

Ms Clarke said the exhibition will provide plenty of inspiration for people to do their own artwork.

“Once you’ve walked around the exhibition and seen how that’s been translated, it’s interpreting that yourself,” she said.

“There might be particular colours or movement that you find exciting, and you want to reproduce that on your plate.

“It’s taking inspiration from what’s around you and making that your own.”

For Portrait on a Plate bookings, visit Bendigo Pottery’s Facebook page.