Last week on Monday the 16th of June, I was in an exhibition called ‘Botanica’ alongside my fellow SDES6700 Introduction to Ceramics class. You may have read in a previous post (even I myself cannot remember which), about me talking about this project that I have been working on as part of my university elective course. I am glad to say that I have finally completed this project, exhibited it, and now sharing with you my new ‘Lovelily’ Tableware Collection!

Though they spread across the water’s surface, filling it with colour and vibrancy, they are not just beautiful to look at. Water lilies and lily pads serve an important purpose in the pond, mainly in aiding in sustaining its ecosystem. They provide shade to keep the water temperature down during hot summer months, and provide shelter to any fish or living organisms inhibiting the pond from lurking predators. They also absorb nutrients in the water that would normally feed undesirable green plants such as algae, keeping the water clear and clean-looking.

Hand-building slab techniques were applied to produce the collection. Therefore, no two plates or bowls are alike, which reflects on the nature of plant growth where organisms are not always identical: their observable characteristics and traits can vary. This idea of sustenance inspired the collection – the act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence around the dining table. The name of the collection is derived from symbolisms of cultural and religious beliefs. The colour red is often associated with emotional attachments of the heart, representing love, compassion, and passion, for food in this instance. The blooming lilies represent the heart being open and filled with love (food), drawing people together to one place and share a meal made with love, compassion, and passion, and thus the Lovelily Tableware Collection.

The range is made using fine white stoneware clay where the lily pad plates were glazed using celadon which turns jade-green in reduction firing. Though all my water lily vessels had the same glaze, which was copper red, and all fired to reduction, not all of them turned out the colour they were supposed to be. I was told that it could be due to the thickness of the glaze, which I ruled out because I dipped them in for the same amount of time. I was later then told by another fellow student that it had to do with the firing temperatures. The ones that turned completely red were fired at a higher temperature than the others. Though I was a bit disappointed with the outcome of the glazes for the copper red, I have learnt to love them as a whole collection.

– Ally xx