W140xD10xH150mm, China
These are two Chinese words, 发福, made into calligraphy pottery sculpture. It is interesting how the 2 dimensional words is transformed into 3D with the expressive action of the brush strokes.
The words 发福 originally meant the blossoming of fortune, a blessing that can be related to 发财 the blossoming of money, as in KUNG HEI “FAT CHOI”. Nowadays, the words 发福 refers to the putting on weight during the middle age. A tease in disguise of a blessing.
DIA90xH170mm, Hong Kong
For the Something Old Something New joint event, a bottle with lid in real gold and blue barium glaze finish (not food safe). Wheel thrown in one piece, lid is then cut from the body. Gold is applied after the stoneware firing, refire to a lower temperature of 750 C.
This dream like bottle made me think of Calvino’s Invisible City.
DIA100xH140mm, Hong Kong
The joint venture with Soil and Cobo is still on till the end of the month, if you are interested in contemporary pottery come and take a look!
For me, these candle shades are like a father and son having a conversation with each other.
These candle shades are unglazed white stoneware, wheel thrown and then distorted, they are then carefully hand carved to get the openings for light.
H100xW70xD50mm, China
This beautiful figurine of the Guan Yin has unfortunately got his face distorted. We suspected the damage was done during the cultural revolution when all artworks, intellectual works, religion was ordered to be destroyed. From the denting, one can see that perhaps the person ordered to destroy the figurine does not have the heart to do it, despite the hammering the face is still vivid and the garments still carries its form despite being removed from the lotus throne.
W80xD80xH120mm, Vietnam
A box that smells like Xmas, apple pie, chai, the buttery toast in Hampstead, tagine, the warm sweet desert in the coldest night …
Now i am going to make myself a midnight snack …
L160xW90xH60mm, Indonesia
Great imagination to take a piece of wood rose and made it into a broody hen!
The wood rose is an unique material, it is actually the gall developed by the tree who has been parasites by mistletoe. Mistletoe, apart from the kissing part, is actually a parasite which cost great damages to trees that they host on. The wood rose is the masses of woody tissue the tree tried to defend itself from the mistletoe and the mistletoe on the other hand leaves mushroom like malformation on the wood.
H140xW50xD50mm, Hong Kong
Something Old Something New, a pair of spoons (head) double as tamper (base) for making expresso.
The figurines are of course the famous Spike … & I. For more of Spike, visit his blog at
spiketang.wordpress.com
L190 (close) 230 (open), China
On old farmer’s folding knife with the handle made out of deer horn. A very well used and well loved piece.
H90xD50xW30, China
Two two lion with pup figurines are in fact bottles for medicine. The traditional Chinese medicine apart from the bitten tea, also comes in small pills and powder form. Judging by the size of the opening they would have been used to hold medicinal powder. Personally I find the powder form to be quite nasty, they tend to stick to your throat and the unpleasant taste lingered on for ages. I suppose these sweet looking bottles will help the patients take the medicine.
Here is the modern way of what thoughtful doctors do …
Mountain Folkcraft 