Smiling rock

Friendly-looking rock erosion features seen at Scottish Rocks, Booderee National Park on Australia's New South Wales coast

Frangipani dish - stoneware paperclay

This 4-lobed dish is based on a common motif in Pacific art: the stylised frangipani flower. It's made from stoneware paperclay, glazed on the inside, with brushed-back oxide on the outside of one, bronze manganese-based glaze on the other; and fired to 1220 degrees Celsius.

These dishes look good wall-hung in a group to form patterns, and are useful for serving different foods together without the foods mixing.

One I made cracked in the glaze firing - I think the clay slab was rolled out too thinly, but the slightly thicker slabs were fine.

Jasper, R.I.P.

Alas my Jasper didn't survive his last firing - he was lovingly formed of paperclay over a wire armature, and had the fierce personality of an alley tomcat - full of himself and scared of nothing. However, his wire skeleton couldn't stand 1180 degrees Celsius. I opened the kiln to see him in pieces. I've kept them though, and he has several lives left, so he might appear here again.

Korean bottle

This delicate green celadon lobed bottle in the National Museum of Korea in Seoul is National Treasure no. 94, from the Goryeo Period, reportedly found in King Injong's tomb.

Patchwork house, Great Barrier Island

 This house hit me in the eye when I saw it from the road on Great Barrier Island. I had to stop and take a photo. Islanders are famous for their ingenuity - freighting materials from Auckland is costly, so everything that can be is reused and recycled.

Great Barrier Island from the air

Sweet Sixteen - Titirangi Potters' 16th annual exhibition

Recent publicity for Titirangi Potters' 16th annual members' show in Western Leader - this interview was more fun than we expected.

Western Leader reporter Vanita Prasad was coming to chat about the Titirangi Potters' members' show Sweet Sixteen. in Lopdell House's Upstairs Gallery, and to film potters at work for the Western Leader's new Internet edition.

After an initial chat we suggested to Vanita that she have a go on the wheel. She jumped at the chance, saying that she's always wanted to try it. Turned out she was a natural - with a little tuition (and plenty of advice from three directions) she managed to centre a ball of clay, and then proceeded to open it up and create a very creditable pot.

Western Leader article 

Pictured: Karen, Heather, Annie.

Naked raku mobile - Heather Bell

 

Raku can be exhilarating when it works - these pieces with naked raku (see Introspective Meringue post below for description) on one side and carbonised clay on the other worked beautifully, with a tracery of smoke patterns left on the white body when the  slip and glaze were removed.

Suspending the elements gives interesting wall shadows, which constantly change as they rotate. This group was in Lopdell House's  Upstairs Gallery in Titirangi last October for the Titirangi Potters' 15th annual members exhibition. I have another, larger group (Birds and other tricks of the light) on show at the moment at NorthArt gallery in Northcote, Auckland.

Artefact Teapot - Lana Wilson

 

Lana Wilson's fluid, draped, oxide-washed stoneware teapot, seen in the Wallace Arts Trust  collection, Pah Homestead, Auckland, New Zealand. 

I imagine tea from this pot would have a dark smoky flavour, and I'd love to see that arching spout send a jet of amber tea into a cup across the table.

Taihu rock

Taihu rock from Lake Tai in the Lower Yangze Delta, China. These eroded rocks appear in Chinese literature and painting, and are associated with immortality.
Seen in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

Neolithic jar, National Museum of Korea, Seoul

This neolithic jar in the National Museum of Korea, Seoul appealed to me - beautiful yet simple, with perky little lugs for a rope or strap, and still marked by the fire that turned it into enduring ceramic.

Curl - Heather Bell

Today, one of my pots - coiled, with layers of white terra sigillata, burnished before once-firing to 1000 degrees Celsius.
I'm thinking about giving this the naked raku treatment(see description below), but after my last disastrous raku experience where 2 large pieces ended up in dozens of pieces, I'm unsure. What do you think?




Naked raku: apply stoneware slip over smooth bisqued clay surface. When dry, apply raku crackle glaze. Fire until glaze is toffee apple-glossy, then remove the hot piece and place on combustible materials, cover & seal - smoke penetrates the glaze crackle lines, and marks the bisqued clay surface. The glaze & slip are then peeled off - soak in water, scrape & scrub - leaving a delicate tracery of smoke crackle lines. I'll post a photo of this effect soon - my pieces using the technique are in NorthArt's current exhibition.

Folded Form by Beate Andersen

This piece by Danish ceramicist Beate Andersen looked as though it was still soft, the curves and decoration were so fluid. World Ceramics Center, Icheon, Korea.

Get Together by Mei-Qun Gu

Humorous teapot by Mei-Qun Gu (China), master teapot maker, in the World Ceramics Center, Icheon, Korea. This was part of a tea-ware display on one floor of this amazing exhibition building devoted to international ceramic works.

Porcelain with blue celadon glaze - Masamichi Yoshikawa

Here are two pieces by Masamichi Yoshikawa (Japan), which I saw on display at the Toyaseum in Icheon, Korea, home of the  biennial Korean International Ceramics Expo.
The glaze is a gorgeous blue celadon, pooled in the creases and corners and dimples of the porcelain.