"Anyone who has driven the stretch of highway south of Cooma will see the mass loss of Ribbon Gum that scar the ridges. These monster trees now haunt the vast open landscape. A decade long drought in the early 2000’s has had a dramatic effect on the environment, leading to the Ribbon Gum being defoliated by the Eucalypt weevil, and ultimately, resulting in the death of the trees. 

The surfaces of these works take inspiration from the harsh, colourless, bleached paddocks, which in Winter are occasionally blanketed with snow. Alabaster and ivory from the snow, dry grasses, graphite, and charcoal from the decaying trees and strange rocks. Simple wheel formed shapes are altered and joined, the surfaces contrast matte and gloss, rough and smooth, hard and soft. Each piece exists as a reminder of this curious region."

Allison Mueller is a Manly-based artist whose ceramic practice embodies the connection between nature and design. With an accomplished background in Interior Design, Mueller's career in styling, homewares and photography cultivated her passion for vessels and decorative ceramic forms. Using raku clay, Mueller's wheel-thrown works embrace the gritty, earthy texture of the ceramic, often glazed to produce unique visual forms.