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I like to say I served my apprenticeship in Middle-earth. For two years, I worked fulltime to create the ceramics for The Hobbit films, from inkwells and crockpots for Bilbo Baggins’ house to tankards for the Green Dragon Inn. Before that, I’d used clay to create sculptures, but the Hobbit work was a deep dive into practical ceramics.
Artist and production potter, Ivan VostinarMaking domesticware is a design and technical challenge, and I enjoy the problem-solving. I love simplicity, and I think that leads to good design solutions. If an object fulfils its purpose and is the simplest possible form, then beauty, timelessness, and honesty are imbued in it. In terms of colour, I like bright and fresh-looking glazes which give a positive feel.
Because I use porcelain, it can sometimes feel similar to a commercial product. And I like minimalism, but I don’t want it to look like something from Briscoes. By adding iron sand from the beach, it immediately has a different feel. It’s still crisp and modern, but it looks more like an unusual handmade product and less a commercially made item. I’ve tried other materials, but it’s nowhere near as nice as the iron sand.
Sand is easy for me to access because I live and work from Castlecliff Beach. The building I’m in at Castlecliff was built as Whanganui’s first supermarket in 1965. It was unbelievable to me that it was close to the beach and could be a workshop and a gallery but also a home. I make a lot of work, so I need a huge space. I came to Whanganui from Wellington for a building, not knowing anything about the city. So it was a good surprise to find out Whanganui has a thriving art scene!
Visit Ivan's studio here
