Studio Anna style

Studio Anna wall plates & salt and pepper shakers
made in Australia 1950s

Studio Anna started their art pottery in 1953, in Marrickville [just near where I now live.] Unlike many other potteries in the area, Studio Anna commenced with making art pieces; rather than converting from industrial/commercial products as part of the cultural changes that the 50s ushered in.

Like Martin Boyd pottery- examples of which have been previously posted- Studio Anna specialised in hand-painted ‘Australiana’ themes. Flora and fauna and local iconic sites were depicted – I have several Studio Anna pieces that feature local hotels [oh! the 50s glamour!] as they were sold as souvenirware.

Here we have wall plates – featuring the lovely cities of Adelaide and Albury. And Moree is featured on the salt and pepper shakers. Wall plates are definetly a lost art form- you don’t find ceramic artists making them any more. These two are made with specialist hanging apparatus built into the backplate.

For Studio Anna collectors- or those considering collection- this would make a nice gift. The set of wall plates and s&p shakers are for sale: $AU80

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Studio Anna kitsch-fest

Studio Anna wall plates & salt and pepper shakers
made in Australia 1950s

I am particularly drawn to kitsch pottery that has landscape or botanical images…so souvenir ware from the 50s is right up my street! I have posted Studio Anna pottery previously- you might remember that it was situated right near where I now live, in inner-Sydney.

This very kitschy souvenirware was very popular in the 50s – and then it went out of fashion [in a big way] in the 70s and 80s. Rightly so, the appropriation – and kitschisation- of indigenous motifs was debated and condemned. Now, in this post-modernist era, enough time has passed and enough discussion ensued that we can now look on these very dated images with fondness and nostalgia.

The wall plates have a hanging device on the back, so they can be – hung on a wall; here the cities of Adelaide and Albury are celebrated.  The salt and pepper shakers celebrate Moree. A nice start to a Studio Anna collection.

This collection is for sale: $AU80

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Studio Anna [sold]

Studio Anna cup & saucer
made in Australia, 1950s

Studio Anna started their art pottery in 1953, in Marrickville [just near where I now live.] Unlike many other potteries in the area, Studio Anna commenced with making art pieces; rather than converting from industrial/commercial products as part of the cultural changes that the 50s ushered in.

Like Martin Boyd pottery, Studio Anna specialised in hand-painted ‘Australiana’ themes. Flora and fauna and local iconic sites were depicted – I have several Studio Anna pieces that feature local hotels [oh! the 50s glamour!] as they were sold as souvenirware.

This cup and saucer is no exception- depicting the ‘Dog on the Tuckerbox’, a local tourist attraction in the fine town of Gundagai. [I won’t go into the story of the DotT – I have previously on the blog since I seem to have quite a few kitschy things that pay homage to said dog.]

The cup and saucer are in excellent vintage condition, and shown here with a snowdome of the DotT- made around the same era. This set is for sale: $AU35

Martin Boyd 50s #powder pink

Martin Boyd pottery
made in Sydney, Australia c.1950s

This collection of Martin Boyd showcases some of the pottery’s other well-known designs: to date on this blog I’ve only included the two-toned pottery pieces.

The two creamers that bookend the image illustrate the handpainted ‘Australiana’ themes that Boyd is famous for. The jug to the left sports a grass tree, and the jug on the extreme right shows a worker in a field of bamboo. Both jugs have the powder pink background which is so associated with Boyd pottery.

In the middle of the image is a crimson double cruet set with bamboo handle; the mustard pot is lidded. To the rear and front of the group are pieces with a ‘dot’ design – another classic popular in the 50s. The jug is the same pink colour as the other jugs, and the salt and pepper shakers are the same crimson as the cruet set.

All the pieces are in excellent condition, with the exception of the grass tree jug which has a small chip on the pouring lip. I debated whether to buy and show this piece, but the beautiful rendering of the grass tree won me over.

For sale: $AU150