Ilona Topolcsanyi – How to make Ceramic Lights

Hi, I’m Ilona Topolcsanyi and I’m Colin Hopkins and we’re from Cone Eleven Ceramics.
We’re going to be demonstrating to you how we make our large-scale ceramic lights.

As we roll up our sleeves to tackle the art of transforming clay back into stone, we’re greeted daily by life’s curious puzzles and paradoxes. At the heart of this adventure lies our desire to craft contemporary, inventive, and culturally significant pieces using an ancient medium, all while embracing age-old techniques handed down through generations of skilled artisans.

Example Work

When you buy this workshop, you get:

• Instant Access to Watch my pre-recorded Workshop
  • The workshop is 44 minutes long.
  • You can watch it as soon as you purchase this workshop & login to your account.
• Bonus Q&A
  • Watch my bonus Q&A where I answered questions about my process face-to-face
• Lifetime Access to the Replays
  • The workshop and the Q&A are recorded, and you will have lifetime access to it. You can watch it online, or download it to your device to watch offline at any time

About the Artists

Ilona Topolcsanyi

Ilona Topolcsanyi, a Melbourne-based potter, embarked on her creative path after initially earning a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Chinese Medicine) at Victoria University in 2000. Her journey led her to ceramics-based studies at Box Hill Institute of TAFE, culminating in a Diploma of Arts in Ceramics in 2008. During this period, she also engaged in a skills development artist residency at the International Ceramic Centre in Keshkemet, Hungary.

Ilona’s craftsmanship has graced the tables of some of Australia’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Brae (VIC), Aria (NSW), and QGOMA (QLD).

Her latest endeavor involves a collaboration with the iconic Bendigo Pottery, resulting in the creation of ‘The Good Plate’ range, which also contributes to training refugees in the hospitality industry.

Ilona’s work has been featured in various exhibitions, including C3, The Convent Gallery, and The Australian Design Centre National Touring Exhibition. She recently received Delicious Magazine’s Design Excellence Award.

Colin Hopkins

Colin Hopkins, a dedicated ceramic artist based in Melbourne, brings a wealth of experience to his craft. His unique artistic journey interweaves his past roles as a practicing architect and a jazz pianist, allowing him to draw intriguing connections among these three distinct disciplines.

Colin’s educational background is equally diverse. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (Music) from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1984, followed by Bachelor’s degrees in Architecture and Planning and Design from The University of Melbourne in 1991. In 2008, he expanded his horizons further with a Diploma of Arts in Ceramics from Box Hill Institute of TAFE.

Throughout his career, Colin has been honored with several prestigious awards, including the Nell Norris and The Stevenson and Turner Architecture prizes from the University of Melbourne. In 2010, he received The Australia Council’s Artstart Grant, a testament to his artistic prowess and potential.

Colin’s commitment to honing his craft has led him to study under esteemed ceramicists such as Shane Kent, Phil Elson, and Malcolm Greenwood. He also maintains a strong connection to the art scene in Japan, regularly immersing himself in its rich ceramic traditions.

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About Cone Eleven

Cone Eleven Ceramics began in 2007 when Ilona Topolcsanyi and Colin Hopkins found themselves in the same year completing their ceramics diplomas at Box Hill Institute. Shortly after they established a studio at the Abbotsford Convent from where they have operated ever since. Along with a marriage certificate, they also share a genuine passion for making high quality, hand crafted objects and based on this reputation have continued to collaborate with some of the Australia’s best chefs, architects and design creatives.

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Other significant projects that have been born from the Cone 11 partnership include:

The Good Plate tableware range collaboration with Bendigo Pottery

Porcelume hand-crafted ceramic lighting

Melbourne Clay ceramic arts and crafts school

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