‘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.
![A rectangular white canvas with dabs of coloured paint](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/1.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20I%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=gxT8Uek2)
![Dabs of paint on canvas with a small painted square absract art](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/2.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20II%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=I36DsJBP)
![A small painted scultpural artwork](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/3.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20III%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=drF0Vvrq)
![A pink painted square with a small inlaid white square artwork](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/4.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20IV%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=xr32buFG)
![Different sized and coloured ceramics on a cracked white background](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/5.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20V%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=Q5UGTo_x)
![A ceramic artwork of a cream coloured hexagon on a pale background](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/6.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20VI%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=x0Tt9CRg)
![A ceramic artwork of a circle on a textured, pale background](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/7.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20VII%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=PvS1rPOD)
![A ceramic artwork of an inky blue rectangle on a textured background](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/8.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20VIII%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=990oShX5)
![A ceramic artwork of an inky blue square with a pale duo of inlaid squares](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/9.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20IX%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=dYltskw1)
![A ceramic artwork of a small orange square on a white background](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/10.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20XI%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=ntC2VdGE)
![A ceramic artwork of a trio of squares](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/11.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20XII%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=kphHqjnP)
![A ceramic artwork of a square on a textured, painted backdrop](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/12.%20Cast%20of%20a%20painting%20XIII%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=2L_gr4ww)
![Two textured, abstract ceramic artworks](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/13.%20Medium%20Cast%20Paintings%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=HewDRwE-)
![Ceramic artwork resembling a jeans pocket](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/14.%20Back%20of%20a%20Painting%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=i6gMOm1Q)
![A ceramic arttwork of a textured square on top of a ceramic package](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/15.%20Cast%20of%20a%20Canvas%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=5daliz_V)
![5 ceramic artworks of textured cubes](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/16.%20Small%20Cast%20Paintings%20I%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=MZ0DL3-m)
![A ceramic artwork of 3 textured, coloured cubes](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/17.%20Small%20Cast%20Paintings%20II%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=iGhaT_er)
![A vibrant turquoise and beige ceramic block](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/18.%20Wall%20Memory%20Cube%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=5DmMFnfG)
![A ceramic artwork of a white rectangle with textured surface](/sites/default/files/styles/council_photo_gallery_small/public/2022-09/19.%20Plaster%20Painting%20Memory%20-%201200%20x%20675.jpg?h=c74750f6&itok=J6BBsWbG)