Unearth Your Local Potter, a group of local potters who will be exhibiting in Wellington next month. Photo / Rosalie Willis
Unearth Your Local Potter, a group of local potters who will be exhibiting in Wellington next month. Photo / Rosalie Willis
Unearth Your Local Potter, a group of local potters are taking their work to Wellington, exhibiting at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts at the start of June.
Normally hunkering down in their own individual studios, the exhibition is a chance for the potters to come together and share the vast styles of pottery being created in the district.
"Being part of this group is a chance to catch up, share information, find out about different clays, share problems we're having, ask others for help and also encourage each other," Jenny Turnbull said.
Pottery by Kāpiti artists which will be on sale in Wellington next month. Photo / Rosalie Willis
"We're not a group of amateurs, we all work fulltime and more, with a number of us having more than 30 years' experience."
The exhibit is a first for the group and was originally planned for the same time last year but Covid-19 changed their plans.
The potters create using a full range of ceramic firing and techniques from gas kilns to electric, wood, pit firing and more which will all be for sale.
"We're covering all bases."
The 13 artists are all from Kāpiti except for Rebecca Flowerday and Aimee McLeod, former students of Jenny Shearer who come up and join the group each month.
Pottery by Kāpiti artists which will be on sale in Wellington next month. Photo / Rosalie Willis
Jenny Turnball creates usable vessels, crafting her pieces with an awareness of weight, texture and surface glaze that are not just works of art, but are also functional and usable.
Paula Archibald creates decorative and sculptural works from bowls to water features and if you're lucky you can find a mouse or two.
Michelle Retimana is a potter and a bronze artist who creates New Zealand inspired pottery pieces.
"My pottery usually has a New Zealand or Māori influence, using a primitive pit-fire technique," she said.
Aimee McLeod creates sculptural works which are often inspired by other planets and aliens.
Pottery by Kāpiti artists which will be on sale in Wellington next month. Photo / Rosalie Willis
Rebecca Neal said, "I primarily hand build, so many of mine are coil built, adding powdered pigment to clay to make my own colours."
Judy Page's sculptural, hand-built works currently feature horses, made using a wood-fired soda process.
Mike Page creates large pieces, with works from his reflections series featuring at the exhibition.
Rebecca Flowerday uses porcelain based moulds with her works displayed with shavings from while she was making it, showing part of the process together with the finished work.
You might have seen James Carter's work around, often at the Paraparaumu Beach Market on Saturdays. James makes usable vessels, known for his ceramic keep cups using thrown, gas reduction firing.
Look out for Biz Hayman's Ash Box, part of a series called Evolver inspired by Biz's burning of a whole lot of papers as part of a therapeutic release, "so I needed containers to hold the ash", she said.
"My works are always part of an artistic project or series which has meaning behind it."
Karin Amdal uses sands from beaches all around New Zealand as subtle decoration.
"There's a bit of geological research going on but they have to be places I've been to which contain memories."
Foundation member Jenny Shearer has created what she calls "families", families of still life.
Together with Pamella Annsouth whose works are often autobiographical, exploring the delicacy between abstract and realism, they are the 'oldies' of the group.
