ROBERT BARRON

Born in Harpenden, England. Robert Barron commenced potting full-time in the family pottery at Croydon, Victoria, in 1976. In 1979, he left Australia on a five-year journey to New Zealand, North America, England, Europe, and South Korea to work with woodfiring potters. During this time, he visited Michael Cardew at Wenford Bridge Pottery, Cornwall, UK. He was engaged as an apprentice at Cornwall Bridge Pottery, Connecticut, USA and frequented many workshops, art schools, galleries, and museums.

Returning to Australia in 1984, he established Gooseneck Pottery at Kardella, Victoria and with the assistance of a Crafts Board grant built a 1000 cubic ft five-chambered woodfired kiln. Influenced by the philosophies of Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew, and with a passion for the pots made by traditional crafts people throughout the world, he continues to develop ideas and techniques by exploring the intricacies of woodfiring.

AQUISITIONS

Arts Victoria 1978 Festival Collection; Westpac Corporate Art Collection; Shepparton Art Gallery; Victorian Ministry for the Arts; Diamond Valley Shire Collection; Australian Crafts Centenary Collection; Sale regional Art Gallery; Myer Collection; Ballarat Fine Art Gallery; Water Phillips Gallery Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada; Victorian Ceramic Group; Latrobe University; Museo Internationale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Italy; numerous private collections in Australia and overseas.

CURRICULUM VITAE

  • 1979
    Victoria Ceramic Group 10th Anniversary Pottery Award;
    Diamond Valley Art Award;
    Pugmill Award, South Australia.

    1980
    BP Australia Ceramic Award.

    1984
    Crafts Board Grant.

    1991
    RSPCA Ceramic Award;
    Victorian Ceramic Group Exhibition;
    Northcote Pottery Award.

    1992
    RSPCA Award.

    1994
    Visual Arts Crafts Board Grant;
    South Gippsland Crafts Prize.

    1995
    RSPCA Ceramic Award.

    1998
    Poyntzpass Pioneers Ceramic Award;
    Sidney Myer Fund;
    Shepparton Art Gallery.

    1999
    Gold Coast Ceramic Award - Merit Award.

    2008
    Patrons Choice Award – Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts; Portland, OR, USA.

    2011
    Membership to the International Academy of Ceramics.

    2022
    Clunes Ceramic Award, Finalist.

  • 1976
    Group Show, Gallery 99, Carlton, Victoria.

    1978
    Gallery 99, Carlton, Victoria.

    1979
    Fletcher Brownbuilt Exhibition, Aukland, New Zealand.

    1981
    Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada.

    1982
    Surroundings Gallery, New York (group show with potters from Cornwall Bridge Pottery, Connecticut, USA).

    1987
    Sale Regional Art Gallery; Leongatha Art Gallery; Coalface Gallery, Yallourn.

    1989
    Distelfink Gallery, Hawthorn.

    1990
    Northcote Pottery Gallery, Thornbury.

    1991
    Shino Show, Distelfink Gallery, Hawthorn.

    1994
    Artworks Gallery, Nungurner, Victoria; Crystal Creek Resort, Dinner Plain, Victoria; Westpac Private Bank Exhibition, Melbourne.

    1995
    Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada.

    1996
    Australian Woodfire Survey 1996 (8th National Conference, Canberra); Artworks Gallery, Nungurner, Victoria.

    1997
    Then and Now - Works from the State Craft Collection and Contemporary Works, Meat Market Craft centre, Melbourne.

    1998
    Beaver Galleries, Canberra; Woodfire Show, Distelfink Gallery, Hawthorn; Fletcher Challenge Exhibition, Aukland, New Zealand.

    1999
    Woodfire Masters - Qdos, Lorne, Victoria; Different Stokes, Iowa University, Iowa, USA.

    2000
    Sidney Myer Fund - Shepparton Art Gallery, Gallery 101, Collins Street, Melbourne; Cloudehill, Olinda, Victoria.

    2001
    Cloudehill, Olinda, Victoria; Museo Internationale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Italy.

    2002
    Ceramics Masters - Skepsi, Swanston Street, Melbourne.

    2003
    Meeniyan Art Gallery, Victoria.

    2004
    Ceramics Masters, Skepsi, Swanston Street, Melbourne

    2004
    Sydney Myer Fund, Shepparton Art Gallery, Shepparton.

    2004
    Ceramics Masters – Skepsi, Swanston Street, Melbourne

    New Energies, Meeniyan Art Gallery, (Travelling show) Victoria.

    Sydney Myer Fund – Shepparton Art Gallery, Shepparton

    2005
    National Woodfire Survey Exhibition, Canberra Potters Society Gallery, Canberra.

    2006
    Freeland Gallery, Sydney. New Energies MAG (Travelling Exhibition)

    Mashiko, Japan

    Northern Arizona University

    2006/07
    Freeland Gallery, Sydney.

    2007
    Clay – Wood – Fire. Chemeketa College, Oregon, USA

    “Six of the best” The Barn Pottery, Moretonhampstead, Devon, UK

    2008
    Masters Exhibition, Sturt Woodfire, Mittagong, NSW

    Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, Portland, Oregon, USA

    2009
    Woodfire Collection, Kristiansand, Norway

    Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award. Melbourne

    2011
    The Art of Woodfire – The Front Room Gallery, Gulgong – Travelling Exhibition

    2012/13
    Engaging Form – Montsalvat, Victoria, Australia

    2014
    Woodfire 2014 – Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney, Australia

    Homage – Narek Galleries, Tanja, NSW

    2015
    Woodfire Masters Exhibition, Strathnairn Arts Centre, ACT

    2022
    Clunes Ceramic Award Exhibition, Clunes, Victoria

    2025
    PICES Exhibition - Berninneit Gallery. Philip Island. Vic

  • 1981
    Woodfiring Residency Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada; Workshop at Chicago Art Institute, USA.

    1986
    Conference Paper at Woodfire '86.

    1987
    Sessional Teaching at Yallourn TAFE.

    1987-2002
    Regular workshops and demonstrations at Gooseneck Pottery to visiting college groups.

    1988
    Demonstration at VCG Festival of Ceramics; Slide Presentation at Ceramics '88 (National Conference, Sydney).

    1989
    Conference Paper at Woodfire '89.

    1990
    Lecture and Workshop Tour of USA, Bradley University, Illinois; Iowa State University; Juniata College, Pennsylvania.

    1995
    Residency at the Leighton Artists Colony and Slide Presentation, Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada; Slide Presentation at NCECA Conference, Minnesota, USA.

    1998
    Sidney Myer Fund International Ceramic Award Conference, Shepparton Art Gallery.

    1999
    Demonstration / Slide Presentation / Fire Master, Qdos Woodfire Conference, Lorne, Victoria.

    2001
    Demonstration / Slide Presentation, Monash University, Melbourne.

    2003
    Slide Presentation / Panel Discussion, - �Ignition�, National Ceramic Conference, Bendigo, Victoria.

    2004
    Slide Presentation / Demonstration, Chisholm Inst. / Monash Uni.

    2005
    Slide Presentation, Gundaroo Wood fire Conference

    2006
    Throwing course / Slide Presentation. Sturt Summer School, Mittagong, NSW.

    Residency, Slide presentation, Demonstrator at the Mashiko International Ceramics      Symposium.

    20+1 Years of the Tozan Kilns. International Woodfire Conference. Arizona, USA.

    2007
    Residency. La Borne s’enflamme, La Borne, France.

    2008
    Sturt Woodfire, Mittagong, NSW.

    Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, Portland, OR, USA. (Keynote address).

    2009
    Kiln building project. Kristiansand, Norway.

    2010
    Ceramic Symposium, Shadbolt Art Centre, Vancouver, Canada.

    2010
    Presenter, Demonstrator. European Woodfire Conference, Germany.

    2012/13
    Portland, Oregon. USA.

    2013
    Making demonstration, Dieulefit, France.

    2014
    On the Edge of the Shelf. International Woodfire Event. Mystery Bay, NSW.

    2021
    Workshops and Courses regularly presented at Gooseneck Pottery

    2023
    The Gosling Kiln Build Course 2023 at Gooseneck Pottery

  • 1986
    Woodfire '86 - Proceedings of National Woodfire Conference.

    1989
    Woodfire '89 - Proceedings of National Woodfire Conference; Craft Victoria 7/89; Pottery Australia Vol. 28, No.3; Meat Market Craft Centre Export Video 1989.

    1990
    Ceramics Art and Perception, Issue No. 2; Pottery in Australia, Vol. 29, No. 3.

    1992
    Ceramics Art and Perception, Issue No. 7.

    1994
    Pottery in Australia, Vol. 33, No. 3.

    1995
    Woodfired Stoneware and Porcelain by Jack Troy.

    1997
    "The Kiln at Kardella," Ceramics Technical, No. 3, 1997.

    1998
    Pottery in Australia, Vol. 37, No. 1.

    1999
    Ceramics Art and Perception, Issue No. 35.

    2000
    Bourke's Back Yard, Channel 9, August 2000.

    2005
    Gundaroo Woodfire Conference. 

    2006
    The Log Book, Firing at the Gooseneck.

    2008
    Ceramics Australia                                

    2009
    Ceramics Art and Perception, Issue 77, P 26.

    2011
    Throwing Large by Nic Collins.

    The Art of Woodfire by Dr Owen Rye.

    2023
    Ash Glazes by Phil Rogers