Situated in beautiful Guringai country, Sydney’s Pittwater, Salt Studio Sydney is where you will find me.
An organic and sculptural starting point and an absolute adoration of all things botanical, I create slow hand-built ceramic vessels and tableware which attempt to honour nature. Surrounded as we are with technology 24 hours a day and the perfection idolation, fast pace and instant gratification which comes with it, this approach just feels so good.
Inspired by the beautiful, incredible, natural landscape of Pittwater and a wild childhood spent on Dyarubbin (Sydney’s Hawkesbury River), the visual language; shape and tone of sandstone, gum tree and oyster shell are part of my DNA and inform my work.
A traditional Japanese Reiki Practioner, I have meandered from an incredible art/ceramics teacher in High School, on to figurative sculpture, ceramics, ikebana and bonsai. The study as well as the collaborations with incredible floral and ikebana artists continues.
I create slow hand-built ceramic sculptures, vessels and tableware.
Working lovingly on one individual piece at a time, with each process done by hand is such a joy. My studio is my sanctuary where technology, instant gratification, perfection and a hurried pace have no place. And this just feels so good.
Inspiration comes from the beautiful, natural landscape of Pittwater, the shoreline and hills, the tidal pools, the waterways and an unforgettable childhood spent on the wild Deerubbin (Sydney’s Hawkesbury River).
I first studied Ceramics as a teen and from there a continual weaving in of studies in figurative sculpture, ceramics, glaze formulation, as well as Japanese Reiki, Ikebana and Bonsai.
Some of my favourite exhibitions to have participated in:
Annual Exhibition Sydney Art Space 2015, 2016,
Bonsai Society of Sydney Exhibition, Forrestville 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Grand Bonsai & Ikebana Festival Exhibition, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, 2022, 2023, 2024
WA Ikebana Festival, Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne 2024.
Toorak Sculpture Trail 2025
Pittwater Artist Trail Exhibition 2025
Pittwater Artist Trail Opens Studios 2025
The exploration and study as well as collaborations with incredible floral and Ikebana artists continue….
x Kelly Hawken
