Alexandra Copeland
—
Alexandra Copeland is based in Melbourne. “I have always drawn and painted. People with their human foibles make good subject matter. Flowers, insects, birds and marine life move me to record their strange shapes and unlikely colour combinations. Occasionally there is a sublime moment when the hand seems to obey the eye observing the object. That moment is what spurs me on.
A show of Picasso's pots which came to Melbourne when I was a child opened my eyes to glaze decoration. Spontaneous brushwork- descriptive, humorous, whimsical, poetic, satirical - could be fixed forever in glowing colours. I didn't realise then how difficult painting with glazes could be.
I grew up in a community of artists and potters, and their bookshelves introduced me to Eastern and Islamic art. I've picked up shards of pottery from the dust of ancient cities in Central Asia, Anatolia, Greece, Italy and China. Years of travel have enabled me to see major museums and collections. The stroke of an artist's brush on a 700 year old shard is as fresh as the moment it was painted. Manganese and other metallic oxides can be melted into colours which will never change.
To achieve a satisfactory balance of surface and colour in ceramics one must work on the borders of technology and art. With enormous help from Leigh Copeland I have spent years experimenting - always with a mental picture of the hoped-for result.
All my work is functional. My subject matter is personal - things close at hand - a sort of diary. I am not interested in following fashion - after all, these pots, or their shards, will last for thousands of years. I am touched by the work of potters throughout history and it is the same indefinable quality that I aim for in my work. For me, art is still about quality and aesthetics.
(From catalogue for the Colin and Cecily Rigg Award, National Gallery of Victoria)
From 1989 Alexandra had eight exhibitions of ceramics and paintings in Japan. In 1992 she was awarded an Australia Council grant to work in ceramics studios in Italy and Turkey. Since then she has had eight residencies at Dartington Pottery in England and twelve in Jingdezhen in China.
In 2003 Alexandra was invited to design carpets to be woven by refugee Afghan women weavers in Pakistan. The carpets are now hand knotted on traditional looms near Kabul in Afghanistan using New Zealand wool. Under the Taliban women are not allowed to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative.
The current exhibition (October 30 th 2024 will be held at ILA (Immersive Light + Art) Light Square, Adelaide.
Carpets Woven by Afghan Women Weavers
Glaze-painted Ceramics
Alexandra Copeland
Install image artist @ILA, Adelaide October 2024
Alexandra Copeland
Morning Glory in Ming Vase
platter
—
porcelain with stoneware glazes, fired at 1300 degrees Celsius
47 cm diameter
—
$900
Alexandra Copeland
Gum Leaves in Ming Vases
platter
—
porcelain with stoneware glazes, fired at 1300 degrees Celsius
40 cm diameter
—
$750
Alexandra Copeland
Pumpkin Flowers in Ming Vase
pot
—
porcelain clay, stoneware glazes, fired to 1300 degrees
60 cm (h)
—
$1,800
Alexandra Copeland
Tree of Knowledge
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
250 x 182 cm
—
$3,900
Alexandra Copeland
Autumn Vine Cuttings
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
266 x 169 cm
—
$3,900
Alexandra Copeland
Pomegranates, pink border,
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
221 x 178 cm
—
$3,900
Alexandra Copeland
pomegranates, zigzag border
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
244 x 184 cm
—
$3,900
Alexandra Copeland
Blue Tree (detail)
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
266 x 180 cm
—
$3,900
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Birds in Tree
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
212 x 144 cm
—
$3,000
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Lily on grey
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
191 x 150 cm
—
$2,700
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Poppy
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
194 x 139 cm
—
$2,700
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Pinwheel Flowers
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
195 x 141
—
$2,700
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Lily, on Black
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
188 x 154
—
$2,700
Alexandra Copeland
Ranunculi in Vase (detail)
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
184 x 120 cm
—
$2,200
sold
Alexandra Copeland
poppy, pale field
runner
—
hand knotted NZ wool
298 x 75 cm
—
$2,200
Alexandra Copeland
Turkish Embroidery
runner
—
hand knotted NZ wool
296 x 74 cm
—
$2,200
Alexandra Copeland
Boteh
runner
—
hand knotted NZ wool
296 x 73 cm
—
$2,200
Alexandra Copeland
Poppy on celadon field
runner
—
hand knotted NZ wool
297 x 73 cm
—
$2,200
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Pomegranates, black field
runner
—
hand knotted NZ wool
312 x 74 cm
—
$2,200
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Lily, black field
runner
—
hand knotted NZ wool
273 x 74 cm
—
$2,200
Alexandra Copeland
Lily, pale field
runner
—
hand knotted NZ wool
298 x 80 cm
—
$2,200
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Pomegranates, celadon field
carpet
—
hand knotted NZ wool
298 x 80 cm
—
$2,200
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Install image, artist @ILA October 2024
Alexandra Copeland
Autumn Vine Cuttings
platter
—
porcelain with stoneware glazes, fired at 1300 degrees Celsius
47 cm diameter
—
$900
Alexandra Copeland
Cyclamen Blossoms in Ginger Jar
platter
—
porcelain with stoneware glazes, fired at 1300 degrees Celsius
40 cm diameter
—
$750
Alexandra Copeland
Rainbow Trout
platter
—
porcelain with stoneware glazes, fired at 1300 degrees Celsius
40 cm diameter
—
$750
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Autumn Fruits
platter
—
porcelain with stoneware glazes, fired at 1300 degrees Celsius
47 cm diameter
—
$900
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Vines
platter
—
porcelain with stoneware glazes, fired at 1300 degrees Celsius
43 x 39 cm
—
$750
Alexandra Copeland
Arum Lilies with Insects
platter
—
porcelain with stoneware glazes, fired at 1300 degrees Celsius
43 x 39 cm
—
$750
sold
Alexandra Copeland
Ranunculi in Ming Vase
—
porcelain with stoneware glazes, fired at 1300 degrees Celsius
60cm (height)
—
$1,200
Alexandra Copeland
Plum Blossom
bowl
—
porcelain clay, stoneware glazes, fired to 1300 degrees
35 cm (diameter)
—
$450
Alexandra Copeland
Install image @ILA
Alexandra Copeland
Install image @ILA
Alexandra Copeland
Install image @ILA