Prue Venables
Prue Venables
British, born 1954
Person TypePerson
Biography(Born 1954, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK) After receiving her BSc (Hons) Zoology from Melbourne University (1971-1974) Venables left for England in the late seventies to become a professional flute player. Sidetracked along the way, she returned to Australia thirteen years later a highly accomplished potter. She received the Harrow Diploma of Studio Potter (1981-1983) took a diploma in teaching while working as a gallery assistant at Contemporary Applied Arts, London. In 1989 she returned to Australia and settled in Melbourne. In 1995 she received her Masters of Arts, Fine Art - Ceramics, RMIT. Venables works have drawn much inspiration from the elegance and restraint of the 18th and 19th century English potters. Particularly influenced by the Staffordshire industrial pottery, Venables works exclusively in porcelain clay. Its inherent translucent qualities lends her distinctive pottery a refined, fragility; one that is offset by a functional and deceptively simple design ethic. She has had hundreds of exhibitions both solo and group, numerous awards and her work can be found in the following collections: Fletcher Challenge Collection, Auckland, New Zealand, Hamilton Art Gallery, Victoria, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, National Gallery of Victoria, Victoria, and the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, New South Wales.