In this episode of In the Studio, SAM’s Communications Officer Mikela Guseli visits ceramic artist Prue Venables in her Castlemaine studio.
Known for her refined porcelain forms, Venables reflects on a practice shaped by discipline, repetition, and a deep sensitivity to materials. Originally trained in science and music, Venables speaks about the moment she encountered clay, and how its tactile, responsive nature offered a new way of thinking and making — and how learning metalsmithing has amplified her practice.
Recorded in the artist’s studio, this conversation offers a quiet insight into the processes, ideas, and philosophies that sit behind Venables’ work, and the enduring influence of music — where rhythm, structure and expression continue to inform her approach.
About Prue Venables
Prue Venables (b. 1954 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom) is one of Australia’s most accomplished ceramicists, with a demonstrated mastery of porcelain. Practising since 1977, her work has evolved from traditional functional objects to groups of abstract sculptural entities that inventively play with form and space.
Based in Castlemaine, VIC, Venables was selected as the Australian Design Centre’s ninth Living Treasure, Master of Australian Craft; World Craft Council Asia Pacific Region Craft Master; and finalist in the 2023 Loewe Craft Prize, New York. She is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London, and is represented by Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Sydney.
Top image: Shepparton Art Museum