From clay bodies to glaze ingredients and colourants, modern ceramics practice cannot be disentangled from mining. For this body of work, Natalie Ward has collaborated with North Queensland and Tasmanian mining and geological exploration companies to examine the distinct geology of these disparate locations and the processes through which land is explored, sampled and extracted. She has collected unprocessed materials alongside the waste, byproducts and excess matter generated through exploration, processing and analysis, redirecting them from industrial discard into ceramic practice. By studying their elemental composition, Natalie undertakes meticulous material testing, combining these geological residues with other waste products – including wood ash, shells and bone sourced from commercial restaurants – to formulate clay bodies and glazes. Through this approach, Ward reframes mining waste as both material resource and conceptual lens, foregrounding ceramics as an inherently extractive practice while proposing cycles of reuse, transformation and responsibility.

Natalie Ward is an emerging ceramic artist based in Gurambilbarra / Townsville. Born in Djilang / Geelong, she made the move north in 2022 and developed her ceramics practice after joining the community pottery studio, North Queensland Potters Association. In 2023, Ward received a mentorship through the Transitions program offered by Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts and Townsville City Galleries. This program supported her to develop and exhibit her first body of work, which was visually inspired by drill core samples from geological exploration.
This visual inspiration became a material inspiration, and Ward then commenced investigating how drill core and other materials and byproducts from exploration and mining could be used in ceramics. She has been supported in this work with grants from the Regional Arts Development Fund and Regional Arts Fund. Most recently, she was awarded a Creative Australia grant to support the creation of this current body of work, and to develop waste stream partnerships between industries and artists. Ward was a finalist in the Next Big Thing Prize (2024) and Queensland Regional Art Award (2024) and was the 2025 Artisan Regional Artist in Residence.