Una Deerbon facts for kids
Una Deerbon (born 1882, died 1972) was a talented Australian artist who made pottery. She lived in the early 1900s. It was special for a woman like her to be a potter and earn enough money to support herself and her family back then.
Early Life and Learning
Una Clare Eden Deane was born in Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia. This was on February 16, 1882. She later became known as Una Deerbon.
Una loved to learn and create. She studied art at the Sydney Art School. Her teachers included famous artists like Julian Ashton and Rayner Hoff. She also traveled a lot to learn more about art. From 1913 to 1915, she studied in big cities. These included New York, Chicago, Paris, and London at the Slade School.
While in England, Una had a daughter named Diana. After her studies, Una came back to Sydney. She worked as an artist and designed clothes for David Jones. She even opened her own fashion studio. She showed her designs at David Jones and Anthony Hordern. Una also made funny postcards.
Una later moved to Brisbane in the early 1920s. There, she began to learn how to make pottery. She had a son named Murray. Una became a single mother of two children. She needed to find a way to support her family. So, she started teaching pottery to earn a living.
Una Deerbon's Pottery Work
Una Deerbon became a well-known potter. In 1931, she showed her pottery at an art exhibition. This was for the New South Wales Society of Arts and Crafts. In 1933, she had a big show at Anthony Hordern's gallery. She displayed over 200 pieces of her unique pottery.
Newspapers praised her work. The Sydney Morning Herald said her pottery had amazing variety. They noted her different shapes and decorations. Una often made simple bowls, vases, or jugs. She would then add fun decorations. These were usually made of hard-glazed earthenware. She loved to add plants and animals. You could see leaves, daisies, frogs, or even polar bears on her pots!
In 1934, Una moved to Melbourne with her children. She opened her own pottery school. It was called the Una Deerbon School of Pottery. It was located on Collins Street. In 1937, she moved her school to South Yarra. She and her daughter Diana also started a small pottery factory there in 1938.
Una continued to work and show her art for many years. She often exhibited her pottery at big stores. These included Myer, Georges, and the Ridell Gallery. She kept making pottery into the 1960s. Una Deerbon passed away on July 12, 1972, at the age of ninety.
Una Deerbon's Legacy
Una Deerbon taught many people how to make pottery. Some of her students became famous potters themselves. Her work is now kept in important art collections. You can see her pottery in places like:
- The Australian National Gallery
- The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney
- The National Gallery of Victoria
- The Shepparton Art Museum
- The Ballarat Art Gallery
- The Melbourne College of the Arts
Since 2010, Una Deerbon's pottery has become very popular. Her pieces now sell for high prices at art auctions. This shows how much her unique and creative work is valued today.
