Andrea Gaskin

Country: New Zealand
Field of Art: Ceramist/Art Educator
Website: www.connectthedots.org.nz

Introduction:
Andrea Gaskin is an artist and arts educator committed to removing barriers to arts participation and celebrating diverse visual languages. She has focused her practice on arts education, particularly in the areas of brain injury and dementia, and now aims to expand her own artistic journey. A passionate hand builder, Andrea has years of experience in both practicing and teaching handbuilding techniques, valuing the individual expression that each maker brings to the craft. She has held a residency at Studio One Ponsonby in Auckland and integrates her pottery skills into her charity, Connect the Dots. Andrea is soon visiting India to explore combining pottery with textiles, particularly through block printing. Her goals include dedicating uninterrupted time to her pottery practice and connecting with like-minded artists.

Sam Dickenson

Country: New Zealand
Field of Art: Ceramist
Instagram: @samdmakes

Introduction:
Sam Dickenson is a passionate ceramic artist who discovered his love for pottery as a teenager. She went on to study ceramic design at Central St Martins and spent five years designing and creating pottery in London before relocating to Auckland in 2007. After a break from her practice due to family commitments, Sam has returned to ceramics with the support of the Auckland Studio Potters. She now explores handbuilding, working with slabs, plaster, and ceramic molds made from found and self-created forms. Sam enjoys creating functional pieces like mugs and platters, valuing the experience of using and enjoying his work. She aims to loosen up creatively, connect with the community, and embrace a fun, open-minded approach to his craft.

Georgia Hodierne

Country: United Kingdom
Field of Art: Sculptor
Instagram: @georgiahodierne

Introduction:
Georgia Hodierne is an emerging sculptor whose work challenges societal norms through vibrant, satirical sculptures. Her practice explores the transformative power of play, reconnecting adults with their innate curiosity amidst a fast-paced world. By questioning culturally established narratives and offering playful, absurd scenarios, Georgia invites alternative perspectives and fosters conversation. She combines her background in digital drawing and collage with material choices like paper pulp, clay, and paper mache, which she uses to create pieces that subvert traditional art forms. Drawing inspiration from ancient civilizations and the role of ceramics in storytelling, her work conveys humor and challenges norms. Passionate about collaboration, she is eager to contribute to communities like Driving Creek, where creative exchange thrives. Currently, she is exploring the artistry of ancient Greek erotic ceramics, aiming to contextualize these historical creations in a contemporary setting. Raised in England and born in Wellington, New Zealand, Georgia has completed her BA Hons in Fine Art Sculpture and is actively pursuing creating artworks while curating shows and engaging in freelance projects.

Sasha Polonko

Country: United States
Field of Art: Ceramist
Website: www.girlpots.com
Instagram: @girlpots

Introduction:
Sasha Polonko, founder of Girl Pots, is a Costa Rican-American ceramicist based on Whidbey Island. Her work is deeply rooted in sustainability and her connection to nature, reflecting her Costa Rican heritage. Sasha creates her own glazes and clays from raw materials she forages locally and globally, with a focus on durability, comfort, and beauty. Influenced by pre-Columbian ceramics, particularly from Costa Rica, Sasha blends contemporary pottery with ancient aesthetics. She experiments with found clays and natural glazes, sometimes combining them with commercial products. Her process involves gathering materials, developing clay bodies and glazes, and choosing firing methods that best honor the materials. Sasha is eager to explore pre-Columbian pottery techniques further, aiming to create a collection using locally sourced materials and traditional firing methods.

Cindy Huang

Country: New Zealand
Field of Art: Multi-disciplinary Artist
Instagram: @cindyhuang.studio

Introduction:
Cindy Huang is an interdisciplinary artist whose work spans installation, painting, performance, and social sculpture, exploring themes of exchange, generosity, and adjacency. Her research delves into the histories of Chinese migrant communities in Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly the relationships between Māori and Chinese communities. Huang's practice includes large-scale installations that blend ceramic sculptural objects with social engagement and community building. She draws from historical accounts of Chinese life in Aotearoa and the concept of being tangata tiriti. Currently, Cindy is focused on expanding her studio practice, particularly in clay, and is developing a new body of work exploring migrant relationships with the landscape, blending regional New Zealand painting with Shan Shui (Chinese Mountain Water) aesthetics and personal identity.

Yvonne Matstoms

Country: Sweden
Field of Art: Ceramist
Website: clayspacestockholm.com
Instagram: @clayspace.stockholm

Introduction:
Yvonne Matstoms is a Swedish ceramic artist whose creative journey began after the loss of her spouse, finding solace and purpose in clay. She feels strongly that art and to creativity is a true connection with the mystery and the greater in life.With a background in art history and a deep aesthetic appreciation, she realised her own artistic potential later in life. Yvonne draws inspiration for her work from organic forms, the Arts and Crafts movement, archaeological findings, and Japanese everyday ceramics. Yvonne primarily creates functional, beautiful items like bowls and vases, blending several techniques such as throwing, coiling, and slab-building in her work. Her goal is for her work to be cherished and displayed, even when not in use. Currently, she’s exploring sculpture, particularly a series inspired by the need for protection in today’s turbulent world, including sculptures of angels and swans symbolizing strength and blessings.

Sara Buchner

Country: Australia
Field of Art: Ceramist
Website: silvesterart.com
Instagram: @silvesterart

Introduction:
Sara Buchner (SilvesterArt) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is inspired by dreams, creating small, heartfelt illustrations and prints. Drawing from the Wiener Werkstätte and the publication Ver Sacrum, her pieces blend clean lines with narrative, resulting in expressive and animated works. Sara incorporates discarded materials, like scrap wallpaper and linoleum offcuts, into her watercolors and linocuts, adding a surreal, everyday quality to her art. Her printmaking utilizes non-toxic ink on small-scale lino and plywood blocks, while her ceramics feature slab-built, architecturally inspired sculptures, vases, and planters. Sara is currently focusing on incorporating native plant motifs and landscape-inspired sculptures into her ceramic work and was looking to explore new mediums and techniques during her residency at Driving Creek.