Madeline Jovicic Shifts Her Focus To Crafting Handmade Ceramics
Newcastle-based multidisciplinary artist Madeline Jovivic has launched a captivating collection of ceramics. Inspired by Greek architecture and mythology, her creations infuse the realm of functional art into our daily lives, transforming the ordinary and creating beauty in the mundane.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Madeline Jovicic
‘Inspiration came from a few sources for this collection, from ancient Greek architecture and Greek gods to seafood dinners. The goal of this collection was to create a bright colourful pieces full of joy and vibrant energy,’ says Madeline Jovicic. Photo: Madeline Jovicic
‘Everything is handmade and hand painted by me. Most pieces in this first collection are hand-built or slip-casted but in future releases I’ll be including some wheel thrown pieces, which I’m super excited about,’ says Madeline Jovicic. Photo: Madeline Jovicic
‘I think functional art pieces are such a special purposeful thing to be able to use daily. I like to think that by adding art to your day-to-day routine you can romanticise your life and create beauty in the mundane,’ says Madeline Jovicic. Photo: Madeline Jovicic
‘The collection came about when I was looking for new ways to express my creativity and expand my artistry into new mediums. I was definitely feeling ready to introduce a new form of creation.’ Photo: Madeline Jovicic
Oyster Trinket Dish by Madeline Jovicic. Photo: Madeline Jovicic
For many artists, inspiration can come in waves – much like the ocean, with its ever-changing tides. At times when it’s low, inspiration to create becomes challenging, making it easy to become unstuck and question the path we’re on.
Newcastle-based Madeline Jovicic started to feel a shift in her inspiration a few months ago – while initially painting was a meditative practice, it gradually ceased to bring the same joy for the artist.
‘In my head, if a piece didn’t sell it had meant I had failed. I dreaded going into the studio and eventually I just stopped creating,’ shares Madeline.
After six months, Madeline was still not ready to head back into her studio to paint, it was then that she decided to embrace a new medium and navigated her creativity a little differently, changing her focus to exploration, curiosity and most importantly, fun.
‘I started taking pottery and ceramics classes and fell in love. This was my new form of meditation, thinking of nothing but the clay whilst I was working.’
Working with clay has been an extremely humbling process for Madeline, teaching her to let go of any expectations. ‘I’ve also been easing myself back into painting recently and inspiration is flowing! All I needed to do was take a step back and broaden my creativity horizons,’ she says.
Inspiration for the colourful new collection came from Greek architecture and mythology to seafood dinners – the primary objective was to create pieces full of joy and vibrant energy.
For Madeline, finding beauty in the mundane and applying her artwork onto functional pieces has created a new chapter in her practice, with pieces that allow us to appreciate art in our day-to-day lives. All pieces in the collection are handmade and hand painted by the artist, with plans to include wheel thrown pieces in upcoming collections.
‘I’m so excited to be creating intentional objects for beautiful living – working with clay has been so healing for me, you’re pretty much forced to let go of perfectionism when working with clay as there are so many stages in the process where things can go wrong, especially things that are out of your control during the firing stages.’
The future looks bright for Madeline, ‘I’m looking forward to staying open to opportunities that arise and I’m also to releasing some new paintings, and many more ceramics!’
You can see the entire range of Studio Madeline’s new ceramic collection here!