Clay and self
Eliza Claire Munro is a ceramic artist on Wurundjeri Country, living in Footscray and working in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria, Australia with her Australian born Chinese husband and their two children.
Functional ware is produced by Eliza under the label 'Made by Mrs Woo'.
Eliza also makes private commission pieces signed with her initials, EM.
Eliza holds a Diploma of Arts from Griffith University, a Certificate of Chinese Language and Culture from Wuhan Daxue and completed two terms at the Bendigo Pottery Centre of Learning and Design in 2019, under the tutelage of the former CLAD Director, Dr Damon Moon.
Studio
Eliza has a large professional ceramic studio she has called 'Community Clay', a name chosen to allow for community projects and small philanthropic acts. Community Clay is situated directly off the High street of Lancefield in Central Victoria.
Eliza's large studio contains a large electric Tetlow k11A kiln as well as a large Tetlow #5 gas kiln to accommodate reduction firing. The kilns are all locally manufactured Tetlow kilns, made in Victoria. Eliza recently added a small Tetlow k2 kiln for regular small firings and test pieces in order to reduce the environmental footprint of the studio.
A Rohde slab roller, Shimpo de airing pugmill, and Shimpo pottery wheels and banding wheels are also in place for both handbuilding and wheelthrowing production methods.
A full array of glaze materials and clay bodies is stored onsite to allow a great breadth of creative freedom and expression.
Disability
Eliza lives with a debilitating and life limiting auto immune condition that requires she avoid UV light as it triggers her immune response.
Clay has been an important tool in coping with the pain, fatigue and the myriad of other symptoms brought about by her condition.
There is currently no cure for Eliza's condition and lifestyle modifications (avoiding light) are her best method of ensuring a quality of life. Five minutes of light exposure is enough to cause damage. Fluorescent indoor lighting is a particularly damaging light source, and this limits Eliza's access to many spaces that still utilise Fluorescent lighting.