Vanessa Lucas — 'Daphne, Hera and Liriope Vase', 2024

Vanessa Lucas is a ceramic artist working in Macedon/Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country. Beginning on the potters wheel her vessels are then reformed, recombined and moulded to become objects of considered usefulness. Anthropomorphic contemplation coupled with her admiration for natural forms give rise to shapes and surfaces that mysteriously suggest more than the pots themselves. Lucas’ resulting vessels are a distillation of influences that are transmuted through a long process of musing, deliberation and engagement with ceramic materials. Lucas was commissioned to create a product range for the National Gallery of Victoria’s 150th Anniversary, 2011 as well as being awarded for her ceramics in Japan, Sydney and Victoria. Lucas holds qualifications in education and clothing manufacture, and has also studied ceramic mould-making.