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'Painting Place' by Madeleine Thornton-Smith – online exhibition

‘Painting Place’ by Madeleine Thornton-Smith is a community exhibition examining pre-existing hierarchies between paintings and ceramics. 

Originally trained as a painter, Thornton-Smith creates ceramic works that imitate traditional elements in fine art, such as canvases, frames, and plinths. Through pressing clay against textured surfaces of local buildings and making moulds of small found objects such as rocks or concrete, the artist attempts to capture a sense of Boroondara. These collected impressions are recreated in a series of ceramic paintings using the process of slip-casting. 

Thornton-Smith’s practice aims to challenge traditional beliefs in Western Art History that painting is the highest artform and more valuable than craft-based works like ceramics. In representing one medium by using another, their perceived meaning, value, and symbolism become merged.

Many of these artworks are for sale. Visit our Boroondara Arts shop website to purchase an artwork.

Banner image: Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting (with studio textures)’, 2019, slip-cast earthenware, stoneware, midfire, glaze, 40 x 30.7 x 4.7cm framed, image courtesy of the artist.
A rectangular white canvas with dabs of coloured paint
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting I (with studio textures and wall memory)’, 2022, earthenware, midfire, stoneware, ceramic stain, glaze, 31 x 27 x 2cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $650
Dabs of paint on canvas with a small painted square absract art
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting II (with studio textures and wall memory)’, 2022, earthenware, midfire, stoneware, ceramic stain, glaze, 28 x 25 x 2.5cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $650
A small painted scultpural artwork
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting III (with studio textures and wall memory)’, 2022, earthenware, midfire, stoneware, ceramic stain, glaze, 19 x 19 x 3cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $550
A pink painted square with a small inlaid white square artwork
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting IV (Barrington Avenue)’, 2022, earthenware, underglaze, acrylic, 19 x 19 x 2cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $550
Different sized and coloured ceramics on a cracked white background
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting V (Cotham Road, with studio textures)’, 2022, earthenware, midfire, stoneware, glaze, ink, 24 x 19 x 2cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $450
A ceramic artwork of a cream coloured hexagon on a pale background
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting VI (Belmont Avenue)’, 2022, earthenware, stoneware, glaze, acrylic, 22.25 x 22.5 x 2.5cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $450
A ceramic artwork of a circle on a textured, pale background
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting VII (with wall memory)’, 2022, earthenware, midfire, glaze, acrylic, 24.5 x 19 x 2cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $550
A ceramic artwork of an inky blue rectangle on a textured background
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting VIII (Belmont Avenue)’, 2022, earthenware, stoneware, glaze, acrylic, 19 x 24 x 1.5cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $550
A ceramic artwork of an inky blue square with a pale duo of inlaid squares
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting IX (Uvadale Grove)’, 2022, stoneware, glaze, 11 x 11 x 2.5cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $180
A ceramic artwork of a small orange square on a white background
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting XI (with wall memory)’, 2022, earthenware, terra sigilata, 18.5 x 24 x 5cm, image courtesy of the artist. Not for sale
A ceramic artwork of a trio of squares
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting XII (wall memory)’, 2022, earthenware, midfire, underglaze, 9.5 x 9.5 x 2cm each (three works), image courtesy of the artist. Price: $300
A ceramic artwork of a square on a textured, painted backdrop
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Painting XIII (with wall memory)’, 2022, earthenware, midfire, stoneware, 29 x 38.5 x 2cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $650 with easel
Two textured, abstract ceramic artworks
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Medium Cast Paintings (raku, Campbell Street)’, 2022, raku, earthenware, glaze, acrylic, 14.5 x 9.5 x 2.5cm each (two works), image courtesy of the artist. Price: $300
Ceramic artwork resembling a jeans pocket
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Back of a Painting’, 2022, stoneware, glaze, 13 x 8.5 x 0.5cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $130
A ceramic arttwork of a textured square on top of a ceramic package
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Cast of a Canvas (Kent Street)’, 2022, earthenware, stoneware, glaze, ceramic stain, 9.5 x 9.5 x 4.5cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $130
5 ceramic artworks of textured cubes
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Small Cast Paintings I (pink, terracotta, raku with wall memory, earthenware, iridescent)’, 2022, earthenware, terracotta, raku, midfire, acrylic, 7.5 x 7.5 x 4.5cm each (five works), image courtesy of the artist. Price: POA
A ceramic artwork of 3 textured, coloured cubes
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Small Cast paintings II (pink, chun)’, 2022, stoneware, stoneware reduction, glaze, 7 x 7 x 4.5cm each (three works), image courtesy of the artist. Price: $300
A vibrant turquoise and beige ceramic block
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Wall Memory Cube’, 2022, midfire, underglaze, 6.5 x 6.5 x 6.5cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $350
A ceramic artwork of a white rectangle with textured surface
Madeleine Thornton-Smith, ‘Plaster Painting Memory’, 2022, plaster, 26 x 30.5 x 4cm, image courtesy of the artist. Price: $300

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