Lucy Tolan is an artist based in Melbourne, she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at RMIT in 2018, specialising in Ceramics. All of Lucy’s objects are hand built in Melbourne, materials are sourced from Walker Ceramics and everything is fired at The Kiln Room.

Lucy Tolan’s work is all about repetition. Behind each one of her beautiful ceramics is hours of work, as she creates piece by piece, hand-building layer upon layer. Sometimes, she even builds her vessels just to cut them apart again, and reassemble them in a unique new patchwork, with visible ‘seams’ and tactile imperfections.

It can take her up to three weeks to create just one piece. But her patience and originality is part of what makes her hand-crafted pieces so special – and distinctive.

It’s no surprise that Lucy’s always been a creative and she’s been building her own ‘visual language’ even before completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics) in 2018. Since then, her work has featured in galleries like Modern Times and Craft Victoria, and has recently become a full-time occupation.

Lucy eloquently describes her style as ‘occupying the space where contradicting characteristics meet’. This extends to her differing inspirations, ranging from architecture to textiles, and her use of opposing hues like bold blues against romantic reds.

There’s also an amazing combination of ‘soft and hard’ textures in Lucy’s pieces. Moulds made from textured objects give her work a delicate, paper-like quality, while other dents are the result of Lucy tapping rocks into her creations once they’ve dried firm.

The local artist has created a signature style that’s completely her own, thanks to the intriguing ‘seams’, textures and bold colours of her one-of-a-kind vessels. And in just few short years, this distinctive ‘visual language’ has quickly made her of Melbourne’s most beloved creatives.

According to hunterandfolk.com & thedesignfiles.net & printmag.com