Latvian Australian Folk Pottery
The identify of the maker of this Latvian/Australian Pottery in the last half of the 20th Century has finally been found. He worked in Adelaide, South Australia.
Posts from the ‘Studio Potters’ Category
Jul 31
Dec 18
Ilja Chapoff – Further Information
Thank you to Emma for sending a photo of piece by Ilja Chapoff (previous posts). This piece has a similar style of pattern and brush technique to the first piece by this Artist which I came across – and appears to have been from the same exhibition/gallery going by the labelling on the base.
As a fascinating side note I have come across an photo of a large mural painted by Ilja before he came to Australia as a WW2 refugee from Czechoslovakia.
I cant post the image here as it is a “stock image” – but HERE is the link to it.
The mural is in the Dormition Church at the Olsany Cemetery in Prague, Czech Republic, and the caption says this is one of several murals painted 1941-1945 by a group of Russian Icon Painters after a design by Ivan Bilibin. I knew that Ilja worked as an Artist in Prague before migrating to Australia, but until now didn’t know in what capacity or field…so it is fascinating to be building up a background story every so slowly of this talented artist and craftsman.
(There is also a fascinating brief history of the Olsany Cemetery on Wikipedia here )
Ilja Chapoff
Aug 15
Rhonda Boehm Blossom Vase 1991
A recent find – a lovely, large stoneware blossom vase by Barossa Valley potter Rhonda Boehm, dated 1991.
This piece is typical of the style Rhonda became well known for – a carved sgraffito design of leaves and floral elements and a beautifully balanced thrown form.
The clay used was a whitish stoneware, to which Rhonda applied first a mushroom pink slip or oxide wash, followed by a blue grey slip.
The design was then carved trhough the blue grey slip to reveal the mushroom pink beneath.
