La Marzocco and Yucca Stone acknowledge the land of the Bundjalung people on which this project was created and pays respect to its elders past, present and emerging.
A collaboration between La Marzocco and like-minded visionaries, the True Artisan series sheds light on artists who hold unique stories and share a strong appreciation for the unique art of handcraft.
A long way from her picturesque hometown of Vancouver, Jennifer Redmond has established her brand, Yucca Stone in an Aussie paradise.
Living on a 10-acre farm with her partner, Brad, Jennifer has made the most of the tree change. Sharing property with one of the region’s largest avocado and mango farms, Jennifer has made the most of the idyllic surrounds and has restored one of the farm’s sheds as her own spacious studio where she works exclusively on Yucca Stone projects.
With only a 10 minute drive from the farm – where the landscape drastically changes from rustic farmland to serene coastline – we can find Jennifer’s community studio, Stone Studio. Fronted by a café, where members of the community often stop and gather for their morning coffee, the space stretches beyond the café to house a community studio with six wheels and several large tables.
A welcoming space where those new to pottery or those familiar with the craft, anyone is invited to attend the studio’s broad range of classes which range from short introductory classes to workshops spanning over several weeks for various levels of experience. For those confident behind the wheel, there is also the option of a paid membership to the studio, allowing access to an endless supply of materials and equipment to explore one’s creative projects at their own pace.
It’s a split between coastal and farm life that has Jennifer grateful for her natural surrounds and the warm nature of the Northern Rivers community who share similar interests in the outdoors and creative arts.
‘I feel a lot more at home here in Australia.’
While her surrounds may be vastly different to those of San Diego and Vancouver, Jennifer’s goal in establishing Yucca Stone and Stone Studio in Australia was to keep the same ethos which drew her into the craft several years back; to create a studio space which the community can openly engage with no matter their background or output, and to continue expressing herself creatively through her brand, Yucca Stone.
‘I love having the creative space to do what I want to do’
In her personal practice as Yucca Stone, Jennifer draws from her unique natural surrounds by exclusively using raw Australian materials when creating functional wares by hand. While tied to the Australian earth, Jennifer enjoys shaping objects from silhouettes which inspired her at the beginning of her pottery journey in San Diego, creating a unique hybrid between culture and place.
‘Yucca Stone is my own personal journey and my own commitment to the craft.’
Sharing similar values at Stone Studio, the community workshop and café bar uses the natural medium of Australian clay to share the joy of pottery with the broader community and ultimately encouraging creativity and fostering community.
Proud to create an environment which drew her to pursue her creative calling, Jennifer shares that her favourite part about teaching classes at her studio is introducing someone new to the craft and watching them fall in love with the process by returning time and time again to experiment with new methods.
‘You can come in to the studio not knowing anything and we can nurture you to learn as much as you’re willing to know.’
While classes may not be to everyone’s liking, Jennifer has found comfort to see the broader Kingscliff community using their studio café as their local hub.
Managed by Toby, a local coffee enthusiast, the café compliments the studio’s creative values by taking pride in crafting the perfect espresso by hand and sourcing its coffee locally through Tweed Heads based roaster, Therefore Coffee.
‘Like pottery, making coffee is a craft.’
When building the café, Jennifer and Toby chose to include La Marzocco as their hero machine due to its shared values and appreciation for creating a high-quality product by hand.
Having accomplished many achievements over the last 12 months, including the opening of Stone Studio and collaborating with La Marzocco on a limited release of handcrafted homewares, Yucca Stone looks forward to spending time over the next year to expand its range by experimenting with new shapes and methods. As for Stone Studio, the space looks forward to welcoming more curious ceramicists to their open classes and workshops, while also looking to expand to a second venue and engage with a new community in the very near future.
To celebrate the True Artisan partnership between La Marzocco and Yucca Stone, a limited run of handmade homewares has been created to purchase and enjoy as part of your morning routine.
Made from speckled Australian clay with a white gloss glaze, a set of four coffee cups and a matching breakfast set will soon be available to purchase. With each object hand-stamped with a bespoke Yucca Stone and La Marzocco stamp on the base and half-glazed to appreciate the raw earth in each piece, this limited run is a perfect gift for a loved one, or quite simply a great addition to your existing set of homewares.
