Keane Ceramics: is the new place to clay around, discover your inner artist with and get your hands messy with #Australiasfavouriteclay.
There’s an artist inside all of us, so they say. And the best place to find that inner creative self is at the Central Coast’s own exclusive clay hub – Keane Ceramics. Affectionately nicknamed a ‘Disneyland for potters’, the newly opened shopfront at West Gosford is an artistic haven to indulge in the beauty of earthen craft. If you aren’t an artist now, you will be after your first visit.
“You don’t have to know anything about clay. You can just come in and get a basic tool kit, start looking on YouTube and off you go,” CEO Babette Keane told Coasties.
“In Australia, there’s nothing like this for ceramic artists. I really wanted to lift the game.”
“The industry is so funky, arty, and delicious. We need that space for artists to come to.”
Walking through tall glass doors, you are warmly welcomed into a humble and sophisticated space filled with shelves of colour and local bespoke creations. It’s very easy to become inspired. Keane’s high-quality, pure organic clay is carefully sourced from the earth beneath our feet here in Australia, as well as from first-class suppliers in America, China, and India. It’s a leading product that has earned the Central Coast born business the best in NSW and a top three spot in Australia.
“We manufacture the clay – the base product you need. There are only about five of us in Australia,” Keane said.
“We do a lot of research and development in the process of developing it. The clays are all formulated, not just dug from a pit, and put into a mixer and a bag. It’s like a cake recipe.”
Discover your inner artist with Keane Ceramics
Central Coast Ceramics store, Keane Ceramics in West Gosford
A ceramic queen of international stature, Babette Keane, locally known as ‘Babs’, took the reins of the business with her brother when her parents retired in 1999. It’s a family success that has been passed down generations for over forty years and is now directed by herself with the help of her daughter Imogen.
Babs continues to channel the same passion and love for the art as her old folk, everyday growing Keane Ceramics as the largest clay manufacturer and distributor in the country. Throughout her experience with the craft, she has witnessed reoccurring and emerging pottery trends. Speckled clay is a huge hit nowadays, and people tend to prefer working with raw textures that boast natural, earthy tones. Uneven edges and grainy surfaces are also popular choices that reflect authenticity.
Babs said if there’s to be a silver lining of the pandemic, it is the newly developed appreciation for local, handmade craftsmanship. It is certainly doing local artists a favour when it comes to competing with cheap, and often synthetic, homewares.
“There’s been a massive trend towards people wanting handmade and local made. They either want to do it themselves or support the artists that are doing it,” she said.
“It’s not just about what you create, it’s the process of making it. It’s so therapeutic. You lose yourself.
“I’m just so happy that people are appreciating what we do and what we offer. It’s been an amazing journey so far.”
As well as supplying artists and distributors across the county, Keane Ceramics sends materials abroad to New Zealand, America, Germany, and Spain – just to name a few. The team also exclusively provides to schools, TAFEs, and universities in Australia, assuring students are learning with the finest products.
If you’re ‘Keane’ – excuse the pun – to get started, you can grab one of the pre-boxed Klay Kits for $89 a pop online or in-store.
Then grab a rolling pin from the kitchen, pick a flat benchtop and tune in to Babs’ pre-recorded lessons.
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Coasties Card members take 10% off Keane Klay Kits, Keane Clay Sample boxes and Keane’s environmentally friendly Keane Keep Cups. *discount is not available in conjunction with any other offers or discount schemes.
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Visit Keane Ceramics at their uber-cool store 20 Grieve Cl, West Gosford NSW 2250
Or online:
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Keane Insta @keaneceramics
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