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NZ pottery, clay and ceramics by John Waterman

I started pottery as many did, making coffee mugs, rice bowls, wine decanters, goblets. I shudder at my early efforts, wrestling with clay shrinkage, glaze fit, consistency in shape and a much too fast home-built electric wheel. Clay was mixed by foot in a large concrete bird bath - a hilarious, very sticky event that tended to turn feet numb with cold in winter.

Kiln firings were panic-stricken events - carbon-blackened faces and hands, the sound of exploding pots heated too quickly, clouds of black smoke, a kiln shelter roof that went up in flames, whole kiln loads of pots glued to kiln shelves with the power of superglue, when a supplier sold us a batch of faulty pyrometric heat-measuring cones...and other adventures

On the other hand was the thrill of discovery: the stunning beauty of pottery transformed by unpredictable fire; the challenge of raw flame and incandescence; the joy of new glazes and processes, and so on.

Looking back over my pottery years I realise they did not happen in isolation. I need to express my profound thanks to all those who helped me on my journey, providing both teaching and inspiration - Phil and Leoni Thoms, Jack Luckens, Len Castle, Warren Tippet, Shoji Hamada, Peter Alger, Barry Brickell, Andrew van der Putten and all those others with whom I worked, fought and delighted.

Pottery Galleries: