Skip to main content

Arty Places #10 2012 : Clayhouse

Gundaroo NSW : Sally Paskins Store 
Gundaroo, a village about 35km north of Canberra, takes you back in time. Most of the buildings  in the main street of the village are typical of 19th century Australia  - slab huts, wattle and daub, stone and local brick. What a delightful place! Although I lived in Canberra  for over three years, I am embarrassed to admit that I only discovered Gundaroo last week while attending a family wedding. There are  a few arty places in Gundaroo, but I really liked the work of Leanne Percival of Clayhouse and so Clayhouse becomes Arty Place #10 ( most likely the last arty place in this series for 2012). 

 I really like Clayhouse pottery ... I think there is an appealing simplicity and a  trendy cleanness  about the shapes and patterns in a "happy" colour range. 



Clayhouse is very much at home in Sally Paskins Store, a slab hut,  built in 1886 with  kauri floors,  newspaper "wall paper " from the period, and  a brick chimney . 







 Sarah ('Sally') Paskins ( who died in 1892)  was an interesting character who was renowned for keeping  a cockatoo on the counter in the shop. These days, Leanne doesn't have a cockatoo, but her silent guard dogs ( sculptures) are a talking point. While this photo depicts Leanne as rather serious, she is a very friendly, personable, talented  and obliging artist. I enjoyed chatting and learning a little about the history of the building and the area. Thanks, Leanne! 


 I love the little egg cups I bought at Clayhouse, and have some creative plans for them. In the meantime, they have happily settled in with  my egg cup collection. 


When you are next in the area, I hope you will enjoy a visit to Gundaroo, and especially to Clayhouse in Cork Sreet,  Gundaroo or at least visit on Facebook  .  
PS Also recommend the Cork Street Cafe and Grazing  Restaurant - great food! 
Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 27, 2018 at 11:05 AM

    Thanks for showing me my great great grandmother Sarah (sally) Paskins' old shop. It is great to be able to see something still standing and in good use. I seem to always miss out on seeing the real thing as I was also down that way last year and had no idea until research that this is where my gr gr grandmother got to. The extra interior decor from that era was something I can now add to my notes.
    Hope to pass that way, one day!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes  - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary.   Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's  Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers).  This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach.    Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that...
Post a Comment
Read more

Christmas Countdown 15 : Christmas Tree #11 - Disposable

Plastic cups  https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/christmas-stem-ideas-kids/ Advent Blog : Day 11 - Disposable  We are all so much more conscious about ridding our landfills and oceans of plastic waste. For Christmas, here is a way to use up some of those disposable items which seem to multiply at holiday parties and celebrations, or perhaps you have just been saving them up for a creative use.... Who would have thought coffee pods would make such stylish Christmas trees ? ... Add caption If you don't have one of those machines, then perhaps you have coffee on the run - Starbucks or Nescafe ?  from  https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/369858188126737920/ Nescafe cups https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/72761350208620530/ The disposable cups don' t have to be brand names to work well as materials for Christmas trees. Taking an engineering approach to plastic cup trees seems to be the answer for a more ornate result.  from  https:...
1 comment
Read more

Christmas Firsts #11: Penguins

This year, I fell into the sentimental trap of making some penguin softies for Christmas .... and I am not the only one - penguins seem to be everywhere at the moment dressed in Christmassy costumes, with trees, bells, and all kinds of Christmas paraphernalia.   Should penguins really  be associated with Christmas?   Probably not  and not as Santa's helpers as they often depicted. Penguins inhabit the Antarctic region in the South Pole, while Santa Claus it has been established has his home in the North Pole. The theory is that somehow penguins are associated with snow, then Winter, then Christmas, but what about us in the southern hemisphere. Perhaps they are just cute?  Whatever the reason, when were penguins first seen as part of the Christmas scene ?  While there is no verifiable answer, it would seem that Monty the Penguin in the John Lewis Christmas advertisement in 2014  popularised  the trend. (If you are not famil...
Post a Comment
Read more