Osrey Pottery (Australia) ceramics

Osrey Pottery was a studio pottery established in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia in 1922 by Gladys Reynell and George Osborne. The name of the pottery was an acronym formed from their surnames.

Gladys Reynell was South Australia's first studio potter and the first Australian artist to apply modernist principles to the crafts. She had studied ceramics at the South Australian School of Arts and Crafts in Adelaide, and was influenced by the work of British potters such as Bernard Leach and William Staite Murray.

George Osborne was a gardener and ex-serviceman. He helped Gladys with the technical aspects of pottery making, such as firing the kilns.

The pottery produced a range of tableware, decorative pieces, and functional objects. The pottery was known for its use of bright colors, particularly the characteristic "Reynella blue" slip. Gladys Reynell's designs were often geometric and abstract, and she experimented with different glazing more... techniques.

Osrey Pottery operated for four years, closing in 1926. Gladys Reynell continued to work as a potter, and she later established a new pottery in Adelaide. Her work is now highly sought-after by collectors and museums. less...