F I L M P R O J E C T S
We had lots of fun with 'R&D' to get to the final bowl choice for this New Zealand film project.
Using New Zealand clay, we made 30 antique style noodle bowls for the scene with washed blue interior and worn white exterior.
High firing created the effects we needed in this instance.
We also enjoyed making a series of vessels and bowls recently for an international film project & after much experimentation with glazes and layering, we settled on a green that met the brief.
A sample of small chocolate brown sake cups made for a New Zealand film. We created two options, the first hand-built and the second thrown on the wheel.
A R T A W A R D S
&
E X H I B I T I O N S
BOYS WILL BE BOYS
Group Exhibition in Support of Movember
and Men’s Health
The Mandarin Tree
Gordonton Art Gallery
1-22 November 2025
Lee Johnston - 'Shiva Lingam'
"Made from black clay and layered with glazes, this work echoes the ritual of pouring milk or ghee over the Lingam—worshipped as a symbol of Shiva. It embodies the union of masculine and feminine qualities within us.
My practice is deeply influenced by Hindu philosophy and Zen Buddhism. Men’s health is close to my heart, shaped by the struggle of trying to fit into a society I often felt at odds with—especially in my younger years after the death of my father. Without turning to mystic practices and the discipline of looking inward, I doubt I would still be here today.
In my view, society is too often focused on the superficial, leaving a void where depth of thought and feeling should be. Many of us attempt to fill that emptiness with distractions—drugs, alcohol, sex, and endless consumption.
I would love to say that art alone saved me, but the truth is it was the path of going deep: reading, practicing Jnana Yoga (self-enquiry as taught by Ramana Maharshi), and Zazen (sitting meditation in the Buddhist tradition). These practices gave me the strength to endure and the clarity to see what is real.
It is a profound relief to stand on the other side of the black dog, and to realise that peace is not somewhere distant—it is right here, where we stand. "
Finalist in the New Zealand Painting & Printmaking 2023 Awards
Place and year of birth
Tonia Geddes
3 part woodcut
A three part wood block print referencing the beginnings of a life in the Waikato. I completed a BFA at Canterbury University majoring in Printmaking in the 1990s, followed by many years of artmaking and teaching before recently returning to live in Maungatautari Cambridge.
Finalist in the Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award 2022
The Strawman Fallacy
Lee Johnston
(Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu)
No 8 wire, clay wheel thrown vessel with bullet holes and flag
Bringing forward ideas of boundaries and ownership, constraint, control and subjugation, freedom and revolt, & truth and distortion.
ArtsPost Kirikiroa Hamilton (22 April - 23 May 2022)
*The fundamental principle of the ‘strawman fallacy’ results in the original position held by one party becoming distorted by a second party. Used to misinterpret, distract or avoid, the second party will then pretend there is no difference between the two versions.
Finalist in the Molly Morpeth Canaday 3D 2022
SHOT
Lee Johnston & Tonia Geddes
A work bringing forward ideas of protection and destruction, has been selected as a finalist in the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award - 2022 3D.
Glazed clay vessel with bullet holes, containing green crop seeds of lupins, mustard and oats with catchment bowl.
13th February – Saturday 9 April 2022 at the Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi - Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre.
Finalist in the Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award 2021
Tonia Geddes
The Way Out is the Way In consists of found wire from our country property and various ceramic discs with pattern indentation. Finalist in the Fieldays No.8 Wire National Art Award 2021.
Hamilton’s ArtsPost Galleries Friday 23 April - Monday 24 May 2021
detail pictured
Finalist in the New Zealand Painting & Printmaking Award 2020
Tonia Geddes
Printed on felt with use of found/surplus material (the floor tile) to frame, this laser cut wood block print used simple circular and rectangular shapes to reference artistic modes and concepts.
600mm x 600mm
[Eye Contact - Avoiding Enfeeblement, Peter Dornauf 10 October 2020]
