Ghost Bottles are salvaged glass brewing vessels or "demijohns". Repeatedly painted and sanded to reveal layers of colour across a smooth or textured surface, Ghost Bottles have an almost ceramic tactility. They are one-of-a-kind pieces resembling artefacts dredged from the ocean or found on the seashore, touched by oceanic life and bleached by the sun. Located on Wadjemup/Rottnest Island, the Basin is a small beach by a hollowed-out reef, close to the heart of many Western Australians. I remember when a Blue-Ringed Octopus was found and the beach was evacuated, much to all the kids' excitement. 

Dimensions: ~17cm x 31cm | Colours: White and shades of blue. Texture: corn ears imprinted and embedded in the clay/calcium carbonate layer. 

Milk paint provides rich colour and, when layered, an unpredictable crackle. For textured bottles, a mix of clay and calcium carbonate powder creates a built-up surface in which leaf matter or textiles are imprinted, and sometimes left.