Known for her playful sculptures and imaginative world of colourful characters, Bonnie’s practice celebrates curiosity, creativity and the simple joy of making. Spend the evening exploring the ideas behind her work and discover why embracing a little creative play can lead to unexpected places.
Inspired by a project featured in the book, you’ll personalise one of Bonnie’s handmade Friend for Your Feelings sculptures using acrylic paint. Drawing on the tradition of worry dolls, these charming little companions are designed to hold worries, thoughts and emotions, becoming a colourful keepsake that’s uniquely yours.
Settle in with nibbles and bubbles, meet fellow makers and get creative in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Whether you’re a devoted crafter or simply curious to try something new, this is an evening to slow down, get crafty and leave with fresh inspiration (and a new little friend to take home).
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. The performative, brightly coloured ceramics forge an existence through joy and curiosity. In 2022 she and photographer Melanie Hinds developed an ongoing collaborative series which puts Hislop in the frame with the artwork, extending the messaging of the ceramic works. This collaboration seeks to subvert perceptions on the classic ‘artist portrait’ and expectations of femininity.Â
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.
