IAG Masterclass: Clay Creatures with Bonnie Hislop

Bonnie Hislop is an artist focusing on ceramics, particularly handbuilding and ceramic illustration. Grounded in technical skill, her practice has evolved from creating illustrative ceramic planters to large scale sculptural work. Bonnie uses her forms to critically engage with the world around her and document the human experience. 

Working from her Meanjin home studio, Bonnie meticulously hand crafts her forms through an involved and often uncertain process inherent in working with clay. She unites bright colours and satirical concepts to engage her audience in a dialogue with the physical world around them. Her work intersects traditional representations of ceramics with a craft aesthetic to create a contemporary interpretation of the ceramic medium. The artwork doesn’t take itself too seriously yet is able to capture personal experiences universal to the human condition. Her practice aims to encapsulate universal experiences of frustration, angst, grief, emotional fatigue as well as feminine strength, intimacy and desire.

Bonnie regularly facilitates ceramic classes, produces public programs and exhibits her work around Australia. In 2024 she won the 3D category at the Ipswich Art Awards and was a finalist in the North Queensland Ceramic Awards.