Phil Root

Country: UK
Website: philrootstudio.com
Instagram: @philroot
Artist Discipline: Pottery/Ceramics

Phil Root is a ceramic artist from the UK, currently in residence at Driving Creek. Working primarily with stoneware, his practice revolves around making functional ceramics like mugs, jugs, and bowls, as well as conceptual sculptural forms. He was drawn to Driving Creek due to its unique integration of art and nature and aims to create new work inspired by the environment and community during his four-week stay.

Courtney Rodgers

Country: New Zealand
Instagram: @sorryforbeingflaky
Artist Discipline: Photography/Film

Courtney Rodgers is a photographer from the Kāpiti Coast with a deep interest in analogue techniques and the interplay between architecture and nature. Her creative practice spans jewellery, screen-printing, and ceramics, disciplines that reflect her passion for materiality. A recent residency in Bizen City, Japan, where she worked alongside a master ceramicist in a traditional wood-firing, deepened her connection to clay. At Driving Creek, she aims to explore the relationship between photography and ceramics by documenting the full process of creating a body of work using wild clay and glazes, merging visual narrative with tactile form.

Jordie MacDonald

Country: New Zealand
Website: www.jordiemacdonald.com
Instagram: @jordie_macdonald
Artist Discipline: Pottery/Ceramics

Jordie MacDonald is a ceramic artist from Waiharakeke (Blenheim), known for her dedication to working with locally sourced, wild-foraged clays and rocks. Her practice focuses on creating functional tableware that celebrates the raw character of her materials and the transformation they undergo during the firing process. Jordie is an ‘obsessive maker’ who creates cohesive collections—‘families’ of work—that capture specific moments in time. A former Driving Creek Pottery staff member, she is thrilled to return and deepen her connection to the site and its legacy.

During her residency, Jordie will explore the clays and mineral resources of the Coromandel Peninsula to produce a sculptural body of work. Inspired by Barry Brickell’s philosophies, she aims to challenge her ceramic techniques, expand the scale of her practice, and experiment with new firing processes. She also looks forward to reconnecting with past colleagues, collaborating with fellow artists, and immersing herself in a creative community.

Hannah Paradis

Country: Germany
Artist Discipline: Pottery/Ceramics
Instagram: @Sunlight_onmy_belly

Hannah Paradis is a multidisciplinary Métis artist whose work fuses contemporary design with traditional Indigenous craft. With a formal fine arts education and over four years of professional studio experience across Canada, Germany, and now Auckland, Hannah uses ceramics to explore the intersections of identity, sensuality, and decolonization. Her practice draws inspiration from both the human form and the rugged natural landscapes of her Canadian upbringing.

During her residency at Driving Creek, Hannah is creating a meditative installation that reimagines an inclusive, decolonized living room, part IKEA showroom, part Japanese tea ceremony. Featuring hand-thrown ceramics, weaving, carving, and beadwork, the space invites viewers to connect with both object and story. Her goal is to create meaningful, culturally grounded work while engaging with the artistic community and the rich natural environment that surrounds Driving Creek.

Hayley Arjona & Lincoln Frok

Country: Australia
Artist Discipline: Pottery/Ceramics, Sculpture/Carving, Painting, Drawing/Illustration
Hayley Instagram: @hayleyarjona
Lincoln Instagram: @linkonthetools

Hayley Arjona and Lincoln Frok are long-time creative collaborators whose partnership spans over two decades across art, design, and sustainability. Their past projects range from festival production and film set design to free-range farming. Recently, their shared creative energy has found a new focus in ceramics, where they explore the tactile and transformative nature of clay.

Hayley brings a background in contemporary art and art therapy, while Link contributes expertise in construction, carpentry, metalwork, and design. Together, they approach their ceramic practice without hierarchy, embracing experimentation, spontaneity, and a willingness to let the process lead. Their collaborative work is rooted in curiosity, mutual respect, and a deep commitment to shared making, unconstrained by fixed outcomes.

Elise Gellweiler

Country: Australia
Artist Discipline: Pottery/Ceramics
Hayley Instagram: @___bisqit

Elise Gellweiler is a Sydney-based potter whose work spans functional wheel-thrown vessels to ornamental hand-built sculptures and trinkets. Working primarily with stoneware, her aesthetic blends Japanese influences, evident in her quiet forms, moon jars, and use of shino, ash glazes, and iron oxides, with traditional Western pottery shapes such as jugs and narrow-necked vases.

During her residency at Driving Creek, Elise aims to create a series of works to be fired in the brick kiln, immersing herself fully in the ceramic process from clay to final fire. She intends to focus on faceting, paddling, and developing intricate surface designs that enhance glaze interaction and visual depth. Inspired by Driving Creek’s legacy, studio environment, and natural surroundings, she looks forward to connecting with fellow potters and exploring new creative directions in her practice.

Jasmine Clark

Country: New Zealand
Artist Discipline: Pottery/Ceramics
Hayley Instagram: @jasmineclarkartist

Jasmine Clark is a sculptor and contemporary basket maker based in Arrowtown. Her handwoven works, crafted from natural and foraged materials, explore the interplay of form, texture, and shadow. With a Bachelor of Design from Unitec, Jasmine has completed public commissions for The Hills Clubhouse and Lodge, Southern Cross Hospital, and Sudima Hotel. Her pieces can be viewed at her home gallery in Arrowtown, at The Poi Room.

During her residency at Driving Creek, Jasmine plans to expand her recent explorations in ceramics by hand-building clay forms that integrate directly with her woven work. Inspired by her early experiences studying under Duncan Shearer, she seeks the time and creative space to develop a new body of work that unites ceramics and fibre in fresh, meaningful ways.