Details

About Me

Introduction	Danica Wichtermann is a Perth Hills-based ceramic artist and teacher. Her ceramic artworks reflect a passion for the native flowers and birds of Australia, as well as threatened species within Western Australia. Her porcelain clay vessels are predominantly wheelthrown before illustrations and stylised designs are hand-carved into the surface. Danica also loves using impressions from nature to create textures and patterns as part of her designs. The finished, glazed and fired pieces are works of art created to be functional, durable, and safe for use. Danica is fortunate enough to LOVE what she does for a job- creating ceramic pieces; handmade homewares, tablewares and artworks; as well as teaching and being able to pass on her passion to others.
What I Love about Ceramics	Clay and wheel throwing in particular is my meditation. It really does centre me, ground me, make me breath out what I might have been holding onto… and all this while I actively centre the clay, and find a rhythm with my hands to guide this malleable medium into a vessel form. Talk about multi tasking in the best possible way.
How I started with ceramics	Arts and creativity have always played a big part of my life. Ever since I was a child I have been exploring different mediums, painting, drawing and sculpting. My love of nature and flora comes from my upbringing, and was also greatly fostered by my grandmothers’ love of drawing botanical studies, and her many macro nature photographs. I got into ceramics purely by chance, as I was studying visual arts and painting full time at University, and after returning from overseas travels realised my classes were full. So I tried out a pottery and ceramics unit instead, much to the dislike of my previous teachers! I was instantly hooked and never went back!
What inspires me	My creations start their humble beginning on the pottery wheel. Over time, mounds of clay evolve to become a canvas that tells my story. Each surface resonates what I live amongst and love so dearly – the Great Australian Bush.
What I'm working on at the moment	I love what I do, also being able to pass on that passion to my children and my students. I have been teaching clay since 2008, a high school teacher since 2010, and became a mother in 2017. My two little ones, Aurora and Lachlan, love coming into the studio to ‘play clay’ with me. I am also fortunate to be able to run my business from home, and create the work that I do.
My CV	Danica holds a Diploma of Education and a BA in Fine Arts from Curtin University. She is a high school teacher and has been operating her own studio – Rediscover Ceramics since 2006; where she conducts workshops, private tuition and master classes.Danica has won awards for her work and participates in numerous exhibitions, including regular group shows at The Studio Gallery in Yallingup, Moores Gallery in Fremantle, and occasionally the Zig Zag Galleries in Kalamunda. Her work is available at multiple galleries; Aspects of Kings Park, Fremantle Arts Centre and Art Gallery of WA are just a few of the Perth based one. Her works are also part of Government and public collections across Australia and abroad.