Amanda Shelsher

Amanda Shelsher grew up surrounded by bush in the small Perth suburb of Gooseberry Hill and was introduced to clay at the age of 10 when her mother began her own career as a professional potter. Amanda began exhibiting at age 18 and went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts - Ceramics at Western Australia’s Curtin University of Technology. She then completed her Graduate Diploma of Education, Art - Secondary the following year in 1992.

Amanda uses a variety of clays, stoneware, paper clay and porcelain. All her pieces are built by hand through a combination of slab and coil technique, so that each finished piece is unique. She assembles and models the features of the bodies when the clay pieces are firm; she then later uses the sgraffito technique to ‘draw’ onto the figure’s bodies like a tattoo. This distinctive style requires her to build the body from one type of clay, and then paint over the surface using different coloured liquid clay called slip. She then uses a scalpel to scratch through the slip to the clay underneath to create delicate line drawings. Colour is achieved by using oxides, stains, slips and glazes, before firing the pieces.

Her works are exhibited nationally and internationally. Exhibitions include 'SOFA' Chicago, USA in 2007, 2006, 2005, She was also the invited artist for the Fubon Art Foundations’ 18th annual exhibition, where she was chosen as one of four international artists. She has also exhibited as 'Collect' at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 2005.  Her work has been selected as finalist for award exhibitions including 2010 Stanthorpe Art Award in Queensland, 2009; the 2006 'Sculpture by the Sea', Cottesloe W.A. Acquisitions include the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT; St John of God Art Collection, Murdoch, W.A.; National Australia Bank, Melbourne, Victoria; Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Queensland; La Trobe University Art Collection, Melbourne, Victoria.

Made in Western Australia.