In 2005 I was commissioned to make an in-ground surround for a drinking fountain at the Hester Reserve in Port Melbourne. I used clay slabs in an elliptical form to mirror the shape of the drinking fountain. The clay slabs were cut in to shapes to fit the design. In the artwork I used the landscape to construct an abstracted view of the site that included the sea, parklands, railway tracks and trees, which all lead to the city along the oldest train route still in use today connecting the port to the city. Dog foot- prints are embedded into the work as the area was designed to be user friendly for the local dogs and their owners.

Bachelor of Fine Art, Victorian College of the Arts

   Studio: Gasworks Arts Park , Albert Park, Victoria, Australia

   email:  ursula@ursuladutkiewicz.com

I grew up surrounded by the abstract and expressionist paintings of my artist father, Wladyslaw (Wlad) Dutkiewicz. Wlad and his younger brother Ludwik were part of the influx of migrant artists who arrived in Australia after the Second World War. They settled in South Australia and soon became two of Adelaide's leading modernist painters in the 1950s and 1960s.

 (Painting/ drawing by my father 'Ursulas Toy' 1964)

As children we were encouraged to paint as soon as we could hold a paintbrush, as my father was keen to encourage our artistic development. Our home was an artist's studio that turned into a gallery every year, either for a pre-Christmas show or for the biennial Adelaide Festival of Arts. Our family hosted regular salons and parties and our home was the hub of creative life in Adelaide.

(Photo reproduced from the book a Matter of Mind by Adam Dutkiewicz courtesy of News Limited)

Unlike my brothers, my teenage years were spent following other interests. I was well in to my 20s before art became a major focus for me. In 1989 I received a Certificate of Art in Adelaide and moved to Melbourne where I studied ceramics, receiving a degree in fine Arts from Melbourne University. Currently I am resident artist at the Gasworks Arts Park. Over the course of my career, I've taken part in many exhibitions, including shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. During 2008 I was the co creator of The Art of Suff-Rage travelling art installation which was used as part of celebrations for the centenary of Victorian women gaining the vote. Working as a full-time, professional artist has given me many opportunities to run workshops for children of all ages, adults, people with disabilities, youth with mental health issues and Aboriginal and migrant women. I have coordinated a variety of community art projects, run activities for various festivals and undertaken many residencies in schools including in the UK at the Brighton University-School of Health Professions in 2007. My latest project is The Tree of Life ceramic art project which sees me working with community groups such as MaKillop Family Services, the Good Shepard, South Port Community Housing Group as well as individual families creating life size ceramic tree murals. My main artistic influences, apart from the profound impact of the art of my father and his brother, include the works of Kandinsky and Miro. Abstraction has always fascinated me, particularly its ability to ignite and excite the imagination. As a child of eight it was recorded in the newspapers that my painting 'developed with sweeping rhythmical lines'. My work is a journey of exploration, seeking to give shape to the energy of intuitive experience.

The idea for this 2005 project started with a tree in the yard that had been cut down leaving the stump. It was decided we should make a sculpture with it and I thought we could create a wise old owl to sit on the log and oversee the yard. Over four weeks all the children worked with me making their own little owl sitting on a stump and  these were then treated with oxides, fired and stuck on bamboo sticks. For the last two sessions the children worked with me rolling and joining coils as we built up and made the big owl. The little owls on bamboo were placed around the big owl creating an installation.

I was invited to the St Brendan's Primary School in Flemington to work with the year five and six student's on creating an artwork they could make and take home. The student's made a tile each and used their favourite achievement for the year as inspiration for the work. The tile was to be exhibited at their graduation evening and then taken home as a reminder of their time at the school.