MEET OUR TEAM

GABRIELA MELLO

Studio Owner, Teacher, Early Childhood Educator and ceramic artist studying a Masters in Therapeutic Arts with The MIECAT Institute.

Gabie is passionate about community and the arts. Her vision for Warrandyte Pottery is to offer a space that fosters creativity and engages with individuals in their pursuit of artistic developments. She strongly believes that there is a place for everyone in the arts community as it has the power to move us in profound ways. She has be working with clay since she was a young child; she would dig up clay from the lake on her family Farm in Fortaleza, Brazil. However her formal engagement with clay began in New York City where she studied sculpture at the New York Studio School in 2010. She’s since continued to develop skills and knowledge in ceramics through various workshops and courses.

You can find Gabie in the Studio or Gallery helping in anyway way she can. From teaching, to organising events and exhibitions, and supporting her community.

View Gabie’s work here.

NICOLE TOMLINSON

Teacher, Artist and Writer

Nicole Tomlinson has an involvement in the arts that goes back to the mid 90s when she was a core member of the seminal artist-run gallery First Floor. With a background in art and writing Nicole turned her focus towards clay. If you ask Nicole what drew her to begin making ceramics 10 years ago she will say she was drawn to its democracy. “Ceramics is what binds us to a common history spanning millennia,” she says, “the fascinating thing about ceramics is that it is a story of the human hand, of the earliest forms of mechanisation, of the elemental materiality of earth, water and fire and the very human impulse to express, to capture and to create. Its potential is infinite, and I love to share the excitement of this living story with as many people as I can!’

You can find Nicole’s functional and sculptural work in the Warrandyte Pottery Gallery and online here.

LILJANA CERILLES

Potter, Owner of Kokoro Clay, Teacher and WPS Studio Hand

Based in Naarm/Melbourne, Liljana is a pottery maker, teacher and owner of a small ceramic practice, Kokoro Clay. Inspired by her Philippine and Japanese heritage and a childhood spent living around the world, Liljana seeks to reimagine familiar functional forms and simple shapes to serve as anchors to everyday moments. Through Kokoro (which means ‘heart’ in Japanese) she explores this idea that the daily use of thoughtfully considered, hand-crafted pieces provides comfort, grounding influences and encourages mindfulness. A perpetual student of the medium, it is a joy for Liljana to share with all her love of clay and its endless possibilities.

You can check out Lil’s work here.