Shannon Garson began her career as a painter in 1985, completing a Bachelor of Visual Art from Queensland University of Technology in 1993. After graduating Shannon began decorating for innovative Brisbane Gallery Amfora. From this her interest extended to throwing and decorating her own vessels, incorporating her skills as a visual aritist into the work. She makes a range of studio porcelain decorated with designs ranging from paddocks and dragonflies through to birdnests and rainforest flora.
Shannon’s exhibition work articulates landscape using domestic pots as vessels for drawings about the strange beauty and wonder to be found in the marginalized eco-systems of the littoral zone. Details of shorelines, rock pools and coastal wallum scrub are revealed in the sgraffito and oxide drawings that crawl over the surface of these delicately thrown porcelain vessels. The act of beach-combing, gleaning and collecting is analogous to the process used in making these works. Images, bird-footprints, tiny flowers completely covered in white hairs, the myriad detail of the landscape has been collected into marks. A visual language mapping the experience of being in the landscape, creating a dialogue between domestic life and nature.
In addition to her porcelain design Shannon regularly contributes articles to journals and magazines including Journal of Australian Ceramics, Ceramics Art and Perception and Craft Arts International. Her work has been profiled in lifestyle magazines Country Style and Inside Out. Shannon runs innovative workshops incorporating nature in porcelain and surface design for schools and small groups.
Shannon has been exhibiting since 1990 and now exhibits her porcelain throughout Australia and internationally. Her work is regularly picked up by new galleries, for a list of stockists please go to the Links Page.
Shannon Garson Resume
E D U C A T I O N A L H I S T O R Y
1990 – 93 Bachelor of Visual Arts, Queensland University of Technology
Major: Painting
Second major: Literature
S E L E C T E D E X H I B I T I O N S
2000 – Porcelain Tattoo Queensland Craft Council Brunswick St, Brisbane
2001 – Cheer Queensland Craft Council Brunswick St, Brisbane
2002 – The Paddock Craft Queensland Brunswick St, Brisbane
2003 – Gold Coast International Ceramic Award. Gold Coast City Gallery, Surfers Paradise
2004 – Still-Life in Porcelain Salmon Galleries, McMahon’s Point, Sydney
The Bowl’d and the Beautiful Ceramic Art Gallery, Paddington, Sydney
2004 – Beaver Galleries Christmas Show, Beaver Galleries, Canberra
2005 – Surrounds Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland, Brisbane
2006 – Botanica, Craft Queensland, Brisbane
Delightful Things – Umbrella Collective inaugral event, Brisbane
2008 – The Magnolia Project- Salmon Galleries, Mc Mahons Point, Sydney
The 8th international Mino Ceramics Award- Mino, Japan
2009 – Ceramic Journeys- Group exhibition , Fusions, Brisbane
Pourers – Group exhibition, Object Sydney
2010 – “Teawares” Group exhibition, Jamfactory Adelaide
Gold Coast International Ceramic Award- (shortlisted) Gold Coast Art Gallery, Gold Coast
2011- “Swamp Cartography”, collaborative exhibition with jeweller Rebecca Ward, Gympie Regional Gallery,
“Delicate Touch IV” Narek Gallery Tanja NSW
2012 – “Swamp Cartography”, lead exhibition for Treeline eco art event Noosa Regional Gallery, Noosa
“Gleanings” Solo exhibition Narek Gallery, Tanja NSW
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2003
RADF Grant
Received to travel to the national ceramics conference in Bendigo and present a paper,
Josephine Ulrick Award for Excellence in Ceramics
Received at the Gold Coast International Ceramic Awards. Winning pieces from this award are now in the Gold Coast City Art Gallery collection.
2004
Stanthorpe Arts Festival Acquisitional Prize
“Fennel Bowl” is part of the Stanthorpe Regional Gallery permanent collection.
Red Cross Ceramic Prize
2nd Prize in annual Red Cross Ceramic Prize
2005
Churchill Fellowship-
Received $20 000 to travel to France and Italy and study the great ceramic collections of these countries and undertake a 4 week residency at Dartington Pottery in Devon, UK.
2006
Established Artist New Work Grant
$20 00 from NAVA (National Association of Visual Arts) to create a new body of thrown porcelain- The Magnolia Project.
2007- Queensland New Design, Space Furniture Award Craft Queensland, Brisbane
2008
ANU (Australian National University) Award
Ignition Ceramic Prize
Home Beautiful Product of the Year Award- For the “Magnolia Project”
2009
Arts Queensland
$40000 for a collaboration with jeweller Rebecca Ward to create a body of work for a national touring exhibition inspired by the flora of the wallum (coastal wetlands)
2010
Gold Coast International Ceramic Award- (shortlisted) Gold Coast Art Gallery, Gold Coast
2011
Noosa Travelling Scholarship “Highly Commended”
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Pottery in Australia, vol 39 ,2000
Country Style, Feb- March 2002
Inside Out, Feb 2003
Ceramics Art and Perception, Vol 54, 2003/4
Craft Arts International, March 2004
Australian Journal of Ceramics, March 2005
Queensland Homes Winter 2007
Salt Magazine, Autumn 2010
Australian Journal of Ceramics, March 2009 (article on web based social media for artists)