About
Susie Roberts is a ceramic artist based on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. She blends the beguiling transparency of porcelain with slip cast delicacy to create warmth and light.
Inspired by the Northern Beaches culture, her work lies at the intersection of art and science, sharing not only the beauty of the ocean and its curious creatures but shining a light on its critical role as the largest carbon sink on the planet. Roberts celebrates local marine biologists who protect endangered species such as Sydney’s White’s Seahorse and who regenerate vital coastal seaweeds. It is also her dear wish, through light and sculpture to foster peace in the Pacific realm and worldwide.
Roberts grew up barefoot in the bush around Mudgee, NSW, Australia. Her love of science, art and physical yakka led her to an early career in winemaking after a degree in Agricultural science with First Class Honours from Sydney University and a Bachelor of Oenology from Charles Sturt University. She made bold red wines for Huntington Estate whilst managing the Huntington Music Festival. This passion for music guided Roberts to The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs where she sang as a soprano in the Symphony Chorus.
Back to Earth, Susie is excited to find her hands in clay. She completed a Diploma of Ceramics at Northern Beaches Tafe in 2022 and was a finalist in the 2022 Crackpot Cup Competition. In 2023 she was invited to partake in the Golden Light group exhibition at Crackpot Gallery. Her 2024 group exhibition can be viewed at Barometer Gallery Nov 6th-17th.
Roberts is currently immersed in the Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts (Ceramics) where her fervour for the ocean and its protection is illuminated in lamps, sculpture and drinking vessels. Medusae glow, psychedelic jellyfish levitate, Periwinkle’s gather and each humble cup tells a sea story.
So…Swim into the vast blue ocean. Dive deep beneath the surface. See the enchanting world of luminous sea creatures. Float, drift and feel free. Walk beside the shore, fossick and gaze into a kaleidoscope of rockpools. Here, in and by the sea, we find solace, peace and rejuvenation.
Why clay?
I have chosen to work with clay as it is a return to nature, it is earthy and grounding. Having been a winemaker I’ve always had a strong connection to the earth through the vine. Surprisingly there are similarities between winemaking and ceramics.
Both are creations directly from nature and we are the conductors to transform the raw ingredients into some form of magic. Both involve physicality, getting messy and a level of industrial machinery. There’s a laboratory for wine chemistry and a lab for creating glazes.
In winemaking there is the joy of blending and crafting by taste and aroma. In ceramics, there is the joy of creating an object by feel and the marriage of art and form.
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land i live on and create from. I pay my respect to their culture and to elders past, present and emerging.