TEA CUPS, TEA POTS & MORE
WITH THE DELIGHTFUL SAM KEANE
“Coffee?” she asks. We are in Sam Keane’s cosy kitchen, sitting down to freshly brewed coffee served in her handmade cups – each with handles on both sides. “For balance” she says. We both know the design is as much about aesthetics as practicality. The cups are lovely to drink out of, carefully designed, beautifully crafted, tactile, reflecting the skill an artist who has spent more than fifty years mastering her craft.
Over her career, Sam has earned Masters degrees in Fine Arts and Visual Arts from Monash University and studied under legendary Australian potter Owen Rye, acclaimed maker, educator and lifelong champion of Australian ceramics. Her works have been displayed in countless exhibitions and galleries. And her many years of teaching – that’s a whole new chapter!
Her influences: the craftsmanship and tradition of the Arts and Craft movement; the style Art Deco; the disciplined simplicity of Minimalism and Abstraction; the Australian architectural style of Glenn Murchett, often referred to as Australia’s most internationally renowned architect.
Sam started working with clay in the 1960’s. Since then, she has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows, won multiple major awards, and seen her work collected both across Australia and internationally – from Berlin to New York and Los Angeles. Her pieces are held by collectors as varied as Eric Knowles, famed expert from Antiques Roadshow, and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
“Colour has always been my character and my strength,” she says. “Form being my joy.”
Her style – potently quirky, abundantly colourful, hard-edge punch mixed with a sense of cheekiness and fun.
That joy is unmistakable in her work: boldly quirky, brilliantly colourful, hard-edge punch mixed with a sense of cheekiness and fun.