Pottery In Australia Vol 39 No 4 December 2000

Right:
Teapot, porcelain.
hl3cm
Photography by Ian Hobbs
the ceramics department of Canberra School of Art ar
AI U. ThL~ has been a great opportunity to review and
consolidate my work pmctice. The ceramics department
has a healthy Visiting Artists programme, and this,
combined with lively undergraduate activities and a
teachi ng staff of practicing ceramists, has been a
welcome 'return from the desert'.
I have chosen 10 base my Post Grdduate Studies on the
teapOl fonn and symbols, stories and magic that centre
on thc brewing of a por of tea. Parallel with these
studies, I am revisiting my adult journey, which has been
one of considerable dislocarion and relocation. I am keen
to make sense of these moves, both on a personal level
and a level related to my work. l1le reapot seemed the
obvious point of reference for these investigations. The
potential for exploration of form exists because of its
symbolism as an alchemical vessel.
I am interested in the alchemy of the act of brewing
and pouring a cup of tea. I3efore I begin a sitting and
thinking task, virtually without exception, [ brew a por of
tea. The teapor sil~ with me as I write this piece. [ brew a
por of tea as a comforter when I am in need of nurturing,
as a reviver when I have been working ha rd in the
garden and a a luxury with the Sarurday rapers
(suburban bliss, now delivered to my door!) Sitting down
to have a cuppa with a friend carries powerful
connotations of shart-d storie , histories and confidences.
Does a teapot take on its own poser by being used
regularly? Do rhe secrets rhat arc told in its presence
innuence the next brew? .. or the next in teraction
between friends'
Once again I have reviewed the clay body I am using.
Canberra's soft climare, lush gardens and the presence of
warer have signaled (0 me that it's time to return to a
porcelain body and that celadons and sofl colours are
appropriate again. I have been having fun experimenting
with different bodies and different colouring techniques. I
am learning to let the forms soften and let go of some of
myoid production expectations. (I was shocked at how
few pots one produces in a week when given permission
to play and experiment!) l1lere has been lime to consider
the work and il~ development and give the teapoL~ time
to metamorphose, rather than meeting the next
production deadline. The teapots are beginning to speak
for themselves. Working in porcelain, wh ile at times
challenging, affords a looseness, lighrness and sensitivity
whit'h is extremely satisfying. I am learning to let the
porcelain breathe and rhe teapots to take on their own
power.
In the process the teapors arc leaching me lors about
myself, as I am learning to breathe and understand my
own power. G\9
Kaye Pemberton
147 Duffy Street, Ainslie. Ph, 02 6262 773;
3914 DEGMBER 2000 + POTTERY IN A USTRAl.IA 39