Whanganui potter Melissa Crawford will have a display at the Star Glaze Ceramics Festival during Matariki. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui potter Melissa Crawford will have a display at the Star Glaze Ceramics Festival during Matariki. Photo / Bevan Conley
Artists from all over the lower North Island will convene in Kāpiti to be a part of the Ōtaki Pottery Club’s annual Star Glaze Ceramic Festival.
The club’s Sue Wilson said the Star Glaze festival celebrated Matariki, the Māori New Year, by fostering a celebration of art and culture.
The pottery club’s Star Glaze festival intertwines with the Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club’s race day at Matariki and Wilson said it was great seeing art and sport converge.
The festival is supported by Kāpiti Coast District Council through its Arts Sustainable grants, and Wilson said the club hoped Star Glaze would become an annual fixture in Kāpiti’s arts calendar.
Artists from all over were attracted to the festival, but there were also some artists from closer to home who were keen to get involved.
One of those local artists was Lorna Tawhiti, who the pottery club commissioned to create nine panels depicting the nine-star cluster known as the Matariki constellation.
An artist who is coming from further away is Whanganui’s Melissa Crawford.
Crawford, who owns Lee Creations, has been a potter for about eight years and is fully self-taught.
Her work is all in a rustic style and is inspired by her own life and family, and reflects her family values.
“I’m a mum and wife first, and that’s really important to me.”
Some of Whanganui potter Melissa Crawford's work. Photo / Bevan Conley
Crawford, who is almost finished creating her home studio where she plans to host mini-workshops, said she used pottery to express her love and commitment to her family, while also sharing her unique artistic vision with the world.
She was looking forward to the Star Glaze festival because she would be exhibiting a “new and exciting” range that signified the next step for Lee Creations.
The collection will feature pots filled with herbal bath soaks made from herbs she grew in her garden, handcrafted scoops and spoons, candle holders and a selection of bowls.
She is also planning to bring back some of her older work, such as garden flowers and hanging pot bird feeders.
Christine Fagan will be coming to the festival from Levin – where she has been a potter for over 35 years.
Fagan, who is a former tutor at the Learning Connection, holds a Diploma in Arts and Creativity and has worked on several art and cultural projects over the course of her career, including being a regular contributor to the Hutt Arts Society.
For the past 20 years, Fagan has been dedicated to creating original garden ornaments.
She creates moulds and casts in various materials such as concrete, glass, bronze and even chocolate.
Fagan said she took her inspiration from the fauna and animal patterns found in the New Zealand bush, and often her work featured the designs of kōwhaiwhai - reflecting her connection to nature and New Zealand’s cultural heritage.
“I am honoured to be part of the Star Glaze festival and to celebrate Matariki through my ceramics.”
The festival is on June 28-30 at three venues - the Ōtaki-Māori Racecourse, Tote Modern Gallery and Ōtaki Pottery Clubrooms.
