Amber Smith

We proudly introduce a stunning body of ceramic works by Amber Smith. Shining a light on the beauty of Te Reo Māori, with the use of Whakataukī, Amber intricately applies her motifs with the method of sgraffito. We had the pleasure of asking talented artist, Amber, about what makes her tick and what her creative process looks like.

You are a multi media artist, creating works on paper and clay. What first led you to your different creative mediums?

As far as mediums go, painting is my first love, but I have always been a maker. I began making pottery because it was a way to support myself and children and be at home with them at the same time. The prints developed from the images I was creating on the pottery. The prints are made first as images in the clay which I photograph and complete using photoshop.

Your focal point alongside the Māori motifs, is to celebrate Te Reo Māori and Whakataukī (Māori proverbs) which adorn your works. It is a beautiful and unique way of honouring the taonga that is Te Reo Māori. How did you first come to weave this into your works?

Since I was young, I have been drawn to Māori art form, especially carving and moko. My first marriage was to a man from a beautiful whānau (Ngāti Wai) and being a part of that whānau had a big effect on me and my awareness of Te Ao Māori. I went on to raise our child away from that whānau and in my own home town, with an awareness of what he was missing out on and the 'casual racism' in the environment he was now in. I wanted to make a stand against that by bringing what elements of Te Ao Māori I could and as an artist, that was through art. I think art is a subtle but powerful way to bring awareness and a positive feeling towards unity. I love the visual look of words but have no original words of my own, a friend was teaching me some words in Te Reo and kihi kihi (kiss kiss) seemed perfect for fantails to be saying, and so it began.

Does the imagery on your works link to the whakataukī chosen?

Sometimes it's the bird I might choose, but the imagery now follows similar themes and my attention is in the piece as a whole. First I have to create the canvas for the work which is in the hand building of the ceramic vessel or bowl. This is done by hand through coiling and pinching the clay. Each form has to be a complete work in itself before I even begin the etching. Then my intention is to decorate it so that even though it is a static object, it has movement and that the birds ‘fly’. This is why I don’t use moulds or stamps or decals. Everything is hand painted because it needs to fit the shape of the form and fly around it. Composition, contrast and design all continue to be a challenge.

You use the sgraffito technique, which is a method of creating images by scratching through a layer of paint or glaze to reveal the layer underneath. How long does this process take to complete?

A long time! The whole process is a long one. I hand build all the forms, I don’t use moulds, I want each piece to develop organically so that no two pieces are the same. This means that each piece I make, the image has to be drawn on to fit the shape of the form; no stamps, no decals, hand painted everything. The etching is a slow process, it’s physically demanding and I took a break from making ceramics for a year. And will only be making these pieces until the end of 2024. It is my desire to make pieces that are treasured for a lifetime so I take my time over them. I put a lot of my heart into them.

What does a regular day in your studio consist of?

I'm hand building or painting. When I’m making ceramics it’s all consuming. Ceramics are needy, once you begin you can’t walk away. Pieces need to be worked on at the correct stage of dryness or they are ruined. I work from the beautiful Kiln Studio alongside Jamie Smith and Tom Baker. Two talented potters who own Kiln studio and who are running Nelson Clay Week this year.