At home with. . . Stone House Ceramics
In what was naturally just an excuse for us to pop by, we caught up with local artist Taryn, aka 'Stone House Ceramics', to admire her stunning Federation-style home full of Monopoly Man statues, Lollipop-filled Handbags, and Art - lots and lots of Art.
Published 04 January 2024
Photography: Castle and Crown
Q. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF.
I’m a mum of four, who loves creating things, spending time in my garden and being a mum. I'm an artist and I work primarily with ceramics and fibre, but really I love all things creative (if you've ever been to one of our Halloween parties, I tend to go all out with building large scale pirate-ships, krakens and another monsters on the front lawn).
Q. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR HOME?
I would describe it as Alice in Wonderland meets Pride and Prejudice! At first glance, it’s a 130-year-old historical home with beautiful high ceilings, a grand staircase, and a big old garden. If you look beyond that, however, you’ll find hidden secret rooms behind tiny doors, a room that sits below ground level, and some decorative pieces that wouldn’t look that out of place in Wonderland! It’s a fun juxtaposition that makes it feel like home to us.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ROOM?
What we call The Green Room is my favourite. The large bookshelf in there is not only filled with books we love, but it’s also somewhere we put special little items we’ve collected over time…. Broken pieces of antique china we’ve found whilst digging in the garden, souvenirs from our travels, and the kid’s handmade things. At night time we all play pool together on the table that is in there. There’s a lot of loud music, dancing, and singing going on, and every now and again we sink a ball too.
Q. YOUR HOUSE IS FULL OF ART, DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE PIECES?
The gallery wall of black and white family photos is definitely a favourite. My husband and I stop and look at them every single day and never get tired of them. As far as art goes, the two hyperrealistic female portraits by Swedish artist Anna Halldin-Maule are pretty special to us.
Q. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING ART? ANY TIPS?
Art for us is fun, and every purchase has its own little story to go along with it. We always buy pieces we love, not just pieces we like a lot.
Whether it’s a feeling of appreciation for the pure artistic skill, emotion-evoking colours, or a sculpture that makes you want to reach out and touch it, buy something that makes you FEEL something. The world is a big place and there are lots of incredible artists everywhere…have fun seeking them out.
