Craft / end to end – Collected Works: from the Australian Pottery Collection, Bemboka. At Watson Arts Centre, until April 26. Reviewed by MEREDITH HINCHLIFFE.

Since the ’70s, David Rofe and the late Judith Pearce collected Australian studio ceramics.

A tiny portion of their collection is on exhibit at the Watson Arts Centre.

In addition to their collecting, buying works from exhibitions around Australia, they also bought and sold on the secondary market. Much of their collection is exhibited at their gallery Australian Pottery at Bemboka.

The earliest work on exhibit is a bowl by Peter Herbst, who worked with Arthur Boyd and John Perceval and set up a new pottery in the mid-’40s, which they named Arthur Merric Boyd Pottery.

The Bemboka collection has strong links to the legacy of ceramics in Canberra.

Henri Le Grand was a key figure from the ’50s and ’60s through his teaching at Canberra Technical College. Doug Alexander had a very successful studio pottery at Cuppacumbalong and trained several apprentices, including Ian Jones who now has a studio at Gundaroo. Several teachers from the then Canberra School of Art are also represented in the exhibition – Alan Watt, Alan Peascod, Hiroe Swen, Janet DeBoos and Greg Daly.

A tour de force in the exhibition is a very large circular platter by Greg Day from 1988, that is 77.5cm across. The lustre “birds” that fly across its surface give it a dynamic and contemporary feel. (As one potter pointed out at the opening, before it was fired it would have been at least one metre in diameter.)

Several pieces have an association with Sturt Workshop at Frensham Schools in Mittagong. Les Blakebrough began at Sturt Pottery in 1957 and Col Levy taught ceramics. Both are represented in this exhibition.

Peter Travis is represented by a low-fired, hand-built sculptural form very typical of his work. The earthenware body is decorated with coloured oxides and matt glazes giving a varied palette.

A large brown stoneware troglodyte by Diogenes Farri sits above Day’s large platter. The form, with tiny legs, is a gutsy work that appears to challenge the viewer.

If you have only the slightest interest in Australian ceramics, this is definitely a terrific opportunity to see outstanding works from the ’90s. Many of the people represented are still making art. For example, Alan Watt was awarded second prize in the recent Sculpture Bermagui.