This enormous dish is thrown from 30 pounds of clay! Svend Bayer reveals the inspiration behind the decoration of this wonderful charger and his happy discovery of the affects of his wood fired kiln on a kaki glaze.
Decoration
In Conversation | Anne Mette Hjortshøj | Part 2
Join us for Part Two of Anne Mette Hjortshøj | In Conversation. Anne Mette talks about making a living as a craftsperson and finding the freedom to create what she wants. She also discusses using shapes and glazes that have come before, about making plates, both thrown and press molded and shows us some examples of her work. She talks about growing up in the countryside, coming from a working family (her father was a traditional carpenter) and how that has inspired and informed her career as a potter.
Masterclass | Kang-hyo Lee | Moon Jars
Join the great contemporary Korean potter, Kang-hyo Lee, as he makes moon jars from start to finish.
Kang-hyo Lee’s moon jars are not just beautiful ceramic objects: they are spiritual reflections of the natural world, alternately calm and contemplative, dynamic and dramatic.
Born in Seoul in 1961, Kang-hyo Lee is widely regarded as one of the finest Korean potters working today. His work is rooted in the major Korean ceramic traditions of Onggi pottery – voluminous storage jars originally designed for holding fermented food – and Punch’ong decoration, where white slip is layered and brushed over dark clay.
Perhaps the most beguiling of his many beautiful forms, however, are Lee’s moon jars, a type of pottery that inhabits a special place in the history of Korean ceramics.
In his moon jars, however, the decorative process is slowed to a serenely meditative pace. Scratched and splattered slip-marks echo dappled moonlight between woodland trees; blushes of peach and cream-white reflect the luminescence of a full-moon in the early evening sky.
Both quiet and vital, powerful and with presence, Lee’s moon jars are the intimate results of his search for a beautiful life.
In Conversation | Warren MacKenzie | Part 3
The final part of Warren MacKenzie’s conversation with Randy Johnston. They talk about their diverse influences and inspirations, perfection and imperfection and the excitement of exploring new ideas.
Talking Pots | Anne Mette Hjortshøj | Square Bottles
Anne Mette Hjortshøj looks at one of her trademark square bottles and reveals the surprising way they are constructed. She talks about the importance of getting away from the wheel and how these bottles serve as a canvas for decoration and experimentation.
Lee Kang-hyo: Potter of the Four Elements
Art critic David Whiting discusses the work of major Korean potter Lee Kang-hyo, in particular his giant onggi jars and his punch’ong moon jars.
Masterclass | Phil Rogers | Throwing Guinomi and Decoration Techniques
Phil Rogers delicately throws two of his trademark guinomi and demonstrates a considerable number of surface decoration techniques on the wheel.
Talking Pots | Anne Mette Hjortshøj | Salt Glaze Teapot & Decoration
Anne Mette Hjortshøj shows us one of her typical salt glaze teapots and considers the importance of decoration – a little bit of something to tease the imagination leaving the viewer to complete the story.
Featured Ceramics | Slipware Press-Mould Dishes by Doug Fitch
In these dishes, produced with Michael Cardew’s old press moulds, Doug Fitch distills an intimate bond with the local landscape with a modern touch.
Featured Ceramics | Large Square Platters by Jean-Nicolas Gérard
These huge square dishes, with rumpled, up-turned edges, become vineyards or lavender fields in miniature: sgraffito scars mimic row upon row of grape vines.
In Conversation | An Interview with Potter Walter Keeler
Ahead of our major exhibition of ceramics by renowned British potter Walter Keeler, we headed over to Monmouth to meet him in his studio.
We Love Clay Guide | How to Spot a Good Pot: Surface (Pt. 2)
If the surface of a pot tells a story, decoration is the potter’s language, gestural marks and impressed shapes their vocabulary.
We Love Clay Guide | Buying Pots: 10 Types of Ceramic Decoration
It can be difficult to spot how different marks on a pot have been achieved. Here’s our short guide to ceramic decoration to get you started.