HEADING up Howes Creek Road towards Goughs Bay, there’s a magical place on the left, a ceramics studio vibrant with chatter, where members initially come to learn about pottery and stay for the laughter and friendship. Pam Sumptner is a clay and metal artist, and Tickety Boo Ceramics is not only her business, it is her creating space and her heart and soul. After an illustrious career in Melbourne, teaching sculpture and ceramics to secondary students and exhibiting her work in galleries across the city, Pam and her late husband retired to the High Country. However for any working artist, retirement is something of a grey area. Pam still works prolifically on her own pieces, inspired by the surrounding countryside, producing birdbaths, wall screens and large thrown ceramics. Striking in scale and execution, Pam’s pieces are an investment, works of art to own and cherish. As a self-described “woman with a welder”, Pam amalgamates her two passions, exploring the broader use of metal and various clays in her art and combining the two mediums. “My practice has evolved over the years,” said Pam. “However thematically I’ve always been drawn to our native flora and have a particular penchant for orchids.” At a very youthful 75 years old, creating is still a huge part of Pam’s life and something she envisages doing as long as she is able, energised by the palpable enthusiasm of her Tickety Boo cohort. Every Tuesday, Pam’s studio is a bustle of activity as students past and present return week after week to work on their creations and gain insight and guidance from Pam who is generous with her knowledge. Joy Forrest is one of Pam’s “long termers”, having arrived over ten years ago for the classes and stayed for the conversation and relaxed atmosphere. Joy’s love affair with the medium dates back to the 90s, when she first began exploring glazes and colour-mixing under the tutelage of local ceramicist Kym Stubbs, before resuming her practice with Pam. Inspired by the brilliant hues in her natural environment and the vibrancy of her friendship circles, colour is one of Joy’s passions and defines her stunning work. Carving is her favourite thing at present, with Joy immersing herself in the process, engraving intricate designs and patterns into platters and bowls, which she then hand paints using a variety of underglazes. “I’m currently working on a collection in predominantly blue and white, using terracotta clay,” said Joy, who is concentrating her efforts on creating a body of work to exhibit at the upcoming Mansfield Open Studio Trail (MOST). Taking place over the Melbourne Cup long weekend, the much-loved annual event is in its fifth year, having evolved from just four artists in 2019 to over 40 participating artists and studios in 2023. Tickety Boo Ceramics will once again throw open its roller doors and invite the community into the studio space this Saturday and Sunday, with two creatives, Bill Forrest and Sarah Armsden, new to the exhibiting circuit and to MOST. Bill is an accomplished wood worker, having manufactured his own wood lathe and wood working tools decades ago. He admits happily that he's a Tickety Boo ring-in. Following a 50 year career in metal engineering and fabrication, wood working became the natural progression on retirement, with Bill committing more time to his hobby, warranting the construction of a special shed in which to concentrate on his numerous projects. Up until recently, family and friends have been the lucky recipients of Bill’s incredible turned stools made from found and fallen timber, and the biscuit barrels, boxes and mirrors he painstakingly makes, intricately inlaid with timber. MOST represents the first time his timber masterpieces will be available for sale. “I’ve always just made them for pleasure,” Bill said of his 25 years of making. “You have to be a very patient person, but it’s an immensely satisfying craft.” Ceramacist Sarah Armsden derives satisfaction from working in stoneware, creating work in earthy tones, favouring fluid forms and embracing the tactile nature of the medium. Relatively new to the medium, she’s grasped the challenge with both hands creating wheel-thrown mugs, bowls, pitchers and vases that stand out for their elegant simplicity in both form and function. Sarah creates pieces to be used in the day-to-day - your favourite mug, your chosen bowl, the vase for flowers you pick from the garden - practical items inspired by the ever-changing seasons and the mountain surrounds. “I would love for my work to live in a person’s home, to have that longevity and timelessness to one day become heirlooms, handed down for years to come,” she said. Sarah’s new-found passion for pottery has been fueled and nurtured by her fellow artists at Tickety Boo. “There’s a magic in sharing a studio, ideas and inspiration with other creatives,” she said. “I feel so incredibly lucky to have found this space and created these connections and lifelong friendships. “Tickety Boo Tuesdays are my favourite day of the week,” she said. Tickety Boo Ceramics is at 1015 Howes Creek Road, and will be open from 10.30am to 4.30pm this Saturday and Sunday as part of the Mansfield Open Studio Trail. Visitors will be in for an experience this weekend, for on top of meeting the makers and having the opportunity to purchase a one-off piece of art or homeware, there will also be a coffee van on-site and cakes on the menu with a sausage sizzle in the offering. "Everything will be just tickety boo," said Pam.
