BARBARA CAMPBELL-ALLEN OAM
BARBARA CAMPBELL-ALLEN OAM
‘The River Runs Deep’! How does this relate to a contemporary ceramics practice? As it turns out – it has everything to do with both the individual works and their groupings, in this extremely engaging exhibition. For many years Barbara Campbell-Allen has responded to inspiring environmental experiences through making what are hand-built, woodfired ceramic works, with forms and surfaces brought together to reflect her observations and perceptions of travelling through a range of different landscapes. A well-acknowledged ceramic artist with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) and other awards, and a Masters Degree, she has taught, exhibited and curated exhibitions consistently throughout her career, and was president of The Australian Ceramics Association in 2005 and 2006.
Before she started working in ceramics in the late 1970s at East Sydney Technical College and later at the Gippsland Centre for Design and Art, she had studied geomorphology, a science that researches the origin and development of landforms (such as hills, valleys, sand dunes, caves and rocks), and how they combine to form landscapes. Inevitably, these directions came together in her work, through related materials, forms, surfaces and textures, and consideration of geological formation processes involving water, heat and erosion. Hand-forming with buff or white stoneware clay, and porcelain and earthenware slip surfaces, she has used wood-firing anagama kilns since first building one in 1988, usually firing in long four-day sessions, saying ‘My making and firing are a reflection of the processes of nature, sometimes life giving, sometimes destructive.’ Over time, some of the locations she has interpreted in this way have resulted in exhibitions including: The Vast Arc, Elemental Presence, Colours of Australia, Gondwana Horizon, Overland and Old Rivers.
Now, in her fourth solo exhibition at Rochfort Gallery, we can join her in a further experience: this time a nine-day rafting journey down the Franklin River in Southwest Tasmania, now a world heritage wilderness area of temperate rainforest. Along the way she was reminded of various histories of the Franklin River, including its geological history as a Gondwanaland split followed by ice ages with glaciers; its geomorphology with fluvial erosion sculpting the canyon as it transitions from quartzite to limestone; its Indigenous history over 25,000 years; colonial, convict and logger history from 1815; and environmental activism, including ‘the blockade’ experience in 1982/3 to stop the damming of the Franklin river, and the subsequent establishment of the World Heritage Wilderness Area.
Bearing those histories in mind, Campbell-Allen later recorded in these impressive works, the physical experience of her journey. The titles of the works reflect the nine-day excursion through four themes, inter-grouped in the exhibition to reflect the sequential changes and relationships along the river route. She describes them as:
The Canyon: Large rounded gently indented forms evoking the majesty of the Great Ravine and Walls of Jericho.
Pools: These appear as recitatives or pauses in the tumultuous river journey. Irenabyss, which means chasm of peace, is a name coined by Bob Brown (Green MP activist) on one of his first trips down the river.
Rocks: These range from huge boulders to small flattened shingles found around the pools, creating beaches. The small shingles, which I call River Pearls, hold the story of the geology and geomorphology in their make-up and form.
Vegetation: The forest contains many giants of Huon Pine, Mountain Ash and Myrtle, hundreds of years old. I have used simple forms as a canvas to highlight the variety and richness of colour and texture found in these old forests.
Each work demonstrates her impressive skills in both designing and making ceramic works and in expressing what she is aiming to interpret. In arranging the installation, she has grouped each work in sequences experienced across those days, reminding herself of such as the contrast of turbulence of rapids to the stillness of pools, of large boulders to shingly pebbles, and high canyons to river flats. She hopes that in working our way round the exhibition, we might also recognise the sequence of her journey which she describes as a ‘metaphor for the experience of life’, where the ‘Rhythms of the Franklin’ include:
‘… the physical progression of the river – pools separated by rapids, changing from calm silent places to the noise and turbulence of the rapids; the spatial rhythm of narrow canyon sections with water channelled into powerful drops compared to the tranquility of deep pools; the progression of the river from the energetic headwaters to the placid broad river of the lower reaches; the drama of the impressive Great Ravine to the gentler rapids of the Corascades to the lower sections where the forest is the dominant feature of the landscape; and the rhythm of the individual trees, the pines and eucalypts to the repetitious nature of experiencing the dense forest when floating down the river.’ (1)
Congratulations Barbara! In presenting these responses to your close personal experience of the Franklin River you have reminded me that I am still so glad I was arrested with many others in 1983 for trying to save it from being dammed. Through your very meaningful works, you have reminded me of that occasion and its positive outcomes, and I am sure that your offering of an imagined circling of your recent river journey in the exhibition, will also do this for others. The intertwining of past and present through your work is really significant and interesting.
(1) All quotes from correspondence with author, 2024
Grace Cochrane AM
THE RIVER RUNS DEEP
Barbara Campbell-Allen OAM
05 Mar - 12 Apr 2025
Ground Floor, 317 Pacific Hwy, North Sydney NSW 2060
VIP PREVIEW
05 - 07 Mar 2025
10 am - 6 pm
OPENING & MEET THE ARTIST
Saturday 08 Mar 2025
1 - 3 pm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Myrtle I (2024)
Buff stoneware, flashing slip,
fired in firebox
38 x 29 x 24 cm
$9,000
fired in firebox
38 x 29 x 24 cm
$9,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Myrtle II (2024)
Buff stoneware, porcelain slip fired at edge of firebox
40 x 31 x 16.5 cmPOA
40 x 31 x 16.5 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Skimmer (2024)
Buff stoneware, porcelain slip
33 x 33 x 17 cm
$7,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Mountain Ash I (2024)
Buff stoneware
37 x 30 x 18.5 cm
$7,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Blackwood I (2024)
Buff stoneware with fireclay slip
48 x 38 x 22 cm
$6,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Blackwood II (2024)
Buff stoneware with fireclay slip
39.5 x 34 x 17 cm$5,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Mountain Ash II (2024)
Stoneware with porcelain slip fired at the edge of the firebox53 x 48 x 21 cm$13,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Great Ravine (2023)
Stoneware with fireclay slip
68 x 67 x 30 cm
$11,500
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Irenabyss (2023)
Stoneware with porcelain slip
81 x 59 x 35 cm
$11,500
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Rapids I (2024)
Stoneware with flashing slip
35 x 35 x 17 cm$3,500
35 x 35 x 17 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Rapids II (2024)
Stoneware with flashing slip
32 x 28 x 16.5 cm
$3,200
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Shadowed Canyon I (2023)
Iron stoneware with fireclay slip
46 x 24 x 47 cm$6,800
46 x 24 x 47 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Shadowed Canyon II (2023)
Iron stoneware with slip and iron wash
51.5 x 25 x 50 cm$5,500
51.5 x 25 x 50 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Walls of Jericho I (2023)
Stoneware with fireclay slip
62.5 x 25 x 61 cm
$9,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Walls of Jericho II (2023)
Stoneware with fireclay slip
59 x 25 x 53 cm
$8,500
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Walls of Jericho III (2023)
Stoneware with fireclay slip
49 x 24 x 57 cm
$6,800
49 x 24 x 57 cm
$6,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Walls of Jericho IV (2023)
Stoneware with fireclay slip
34 x 24 x 43 cm
$5,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Coruscades I (2024)
Buff stoneware with brushed porcelain slip
31 x 36.5 x 18 cm$3,200
31 x 36.5 x 18 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Coruscades II (2024)
Buff stoneware with brushed porcelain slip
38 x 28 x 22 cm
$2,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Coruscades III (2024)
Buff stoneware with brushed porcelain slip
34 x 20 x 25 cm
$2,500
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Coruscades IV (2024)
Buff stoneware with brushed porcelain slip
18.5 x 28 x 20 cm
$1,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Coruscades V (2024)
Buff stoneware with brushed porcelain slip
20 x 18 x 19 cm$1,300
20 x 18 x 19 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Coruscades VI (2024)
Buff stoneware with brushed porcelain slip
14.5 x 19 x 20 cm
$1,100
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Stopper (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
34 x 25 x 27 cm$4,000
34 x 25 x 27 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Standing Wave (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
31 x 25 x 24 cm
$3,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Whirlpool I (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
31 x 23 x 22 cm
$3,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Torrent (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
26 x 24 x 23 cm
$2,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Meander (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
26 x 19 x 24 cm$2,000
26 x 19 x 24 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Ripple (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
23 x 23 x 22 cm
$1,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Cauldron (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
28.5 x 26 x 27 cm
$3,000
28.5 x 26 x 27 cm
$3,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Cascade I (polar white) (2024)
Iron stoneware with earthenware slip
33 x 23 x 24 cm
$3,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Cascade II (polar white) (2024)
Iron stoneware with earthenware slip
32 x 23 x 24 cm
$3,000
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Confluence (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
27x33x28 cm
$3,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Eddy I (firebox) (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip fired in firebox
13 x 20.5 x 20 cm$1,800
13 x 20.5 x 20 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
Eddy II (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
12.5 x 19 x 20 cm
$1,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
River Shingle I (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
14 x 18 x 19 cm
$1,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
River Shingle II (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
12 x 17 x 17.5 cm
$1,600
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
River Shingle III (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
13.5 x 20 x 19 cm
$1,800
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
River Shingle IV (2024)
Buff stoneware with porcelain slip
14 x 19 x 18.5 cm
$1,600
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
River Pearl I (2024)
Iron stoneware with porcelain slip
12.5 x 11 x 11 cm
$700
12.5 x 11 x 11 cm
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
River Pearl II (2024)
Iron brushwork with porcelain slip
13.5 x 11 x 11 cm
$700
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
River Pearl III (2024)
Iron stoneware with porcelain slip
12 x 10.5 x 10 cm
$650
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
River Pearl IV (2024)
Iron stoneware with porcelain slip
13 x 11 x 11 cm
$650
Barbara Campell-Allen OAM
River Pearl V (2024)
Iron stoneware with porcelain slip
13 x 11 x 10 cm
$650
Photography Credits: Greg Piper
Appearing In This Exhibition
Barbara Campbell-Allen OAM
Barbara Campbell-Allen is esteemed as one of the most original and important ceramicists of her generation. She was awarded an Order of Australia for her services to the creative arts as a potter and ceramicist. Trained at the National Art School (Sydney) and the Gippsland Centre for Design and Art, she has innovated wood-fired kiln techniques, producing works that are elemental, painterly, and intensely sculptural.
Her works often draw inspiration from expeditions into the Australian landscape, where she researches and sometimes sources specific materials. Engaging with her aesthetic reveals that geology has a soul, the earth has a memory, and natural materials possess both tactile and sensory power. Her work is profoundly linear and visceral. Scars, remnants, and the raked lines of the artist’s hand harness a rough-hewn beauty in her stoneware, evoking the raw power of silent ancient places.
Barbara’s sculptures have been acquired by the Manly Regional Gallery and Newcastle Regional Gallery for two consecutive years. The Powerhouse Museum featured three of her larger works in the Clay Dynasty exhibition from 2021 to 2023. Her work is collected locally and internationally.
