TRADE THE MARK/ We have been crushing hard at The Olive Tree Market over the ceramics and textiles of designer Christina McLean, a multi-disciplinary artist whose work is borne out of a deep love of nature and a devotion to hand-crafted practice. As a kid, Chris was drawn to the patterns she found in the natural world, inspired by the mercurial scales of fish, concentric shapes in skeletons and voluptuous botanical forms. After completing a visual arts degree, she applied this love of organic patterning to her creative expression founding Chowk ceramics, which she ran for 10 years, specialising in unique ceramic ranges and mark making in clay.
After further post graduate studies in Design, Chris turned her mark making to textiles. In 2009 she began working under the banner CMTD (Christina Mclean Textile Design), where she produced some of the most innovative work in fashion. She became one of Australia’s leading textile designers, consulting with top fashion designers including Sass & Bide, Willow, Bianca Spender, Romance Was Born and Ginger & Smart.
Her latest incarnation, TRADE the MARK, sees Chris combining her great love of hand-made technique with textiles, ceramics and leather. Her bespoke one-off works are inspired by organic textures, elemental imagination and hand-sourced treasures from her earthly travels. Using natural materials in clay, linen and natural hides, her patterns are hand dyed and painted, and her ceramics hand thrown. Eschewing the modern trend of mass-production, Chris is committed to the slow, tradition of hand craftsmanship, which inspires a love in the beauty of individual objects. In reminding us of our innate connection to nature, Chris’ work is a timeless celebration of life itself and we can’t wait to have her at Olive Tree on June 3rd.
