LESLEY TARLINTON

CERAMICIST

Bio

Lesley Tarlinton is a Blue Mountains–based ceramic artist who lives and works in Wentworth Falls, where she maintains her practice at Glass Door Studio. With a background spanning both fine art and ceramics, she brings a deeply informed and intuitive approach to working with clay.

Lesley is a graduate of the National Art School, where she majored in painting, and holds a Diploma in Ceramics from East Sydney Technical College. This dual training underpins a practice that bridges surface, form, and material exploration, drawing on the sensibilities of both disciplines.

Her work reflects a lifelong engagement with art-making, grounded in a respect for the inherent qualities of her materials. Working independently, she continues to develop a practice shaped by experience, observation, and an ongoing dialogue between maker and medium.

Artist Statement

The enduring company I have enjoyed throughout my life is art. My materials are both demanding and delightful co-workers, requiring attention, patience, and a willingness to respond to what they reveal.

My background in painting continues to inform my work in clay, particularly in the way I approach surface, texture, and form. I am interested in the relationship between control and unpredictability—how materials behave, and how much they are allowed to speak for themselves.

Working with clay is an ongoing conversation. It offers both challenge and reward, and no two outcomes are ever quite the same. This process of discovery is central to my practice.

In the studio, I seek to create work that reflects this engagement—pieces that carry a sense of material presence, quiet observation, and the accumulated experience of a life spent making.

Current Exhibition

Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 9AM — 3PM

2026 Blue Mountains Pottery Fair

Wentworth Falls School Of Arts

The Blue Mountains Pottery Fair returns in 2026 for its seventh year, celebrating the talent, diversity, and creativity of potters from across the region and beyond. Held in the beautifully restored Wentworth Falls School of Arts — an Arts and Crafts era treasure set right on the Great Western Highway — this annual event has become a favourite destination for ceramic lovers, collectors, and curious visitors alike.

Lesley Tarlinton's profile at the BM Pottery Fair