Priscilla Chan 陳宜貞
Member since 2018
我生於香港, 在溫哥華習陶, 師承Sam Kwan, 並深受英屬哥倫比亞陶藝家如 Tam Irving, D’Arcy Margesson 等人對我的啓迪和影響.
初始只想著做些漂亮又實用的東西, 愉悅於點綴平凡的日常生活, 然眼高手低!
當年在學, 課程涉獵: 製陶, 釉藥, 燒製, 築窯, 歷史…等等. 當中鑑賞課的 ”器形” 與 ”裝飾” 尤為吸引.
一九九七年, 在Sam 的指導下, 我們在學院陶室旁建造了一座鹽燒窯, 從此同學們都沈迷於鹽燒賦予陶瓷上特有的”橙皮紋理”.
有一天. 我的注意力被Sam的一片小小泥漿試片吸引, 那原本灰綠綠的黏土經火煉後竟變成一片光滑釉面!? 好奇心起, 不禁揣測, 我那在學院舊陶室地下挖出的炭黑灰泥又會是何模樣? 一念生, 不久一片滿佈泡泡面的試片燒出來了. 釉面較Sam 的試片無論在色澤/質感上都要啞硬, 但有趣! 從此測試不斷, 對象也由斷層,曠野,路旁的泥石, 目光貪婪地伸延至海邊的貝殼, 後園的櫻花樹上…
習陶路上, 我珍惜並享受過程, 不斷得到啓發, 一步一印, 探索未知, 期待更多的可能.
Born in Hong Kong, studied pottery in Vancouver and was under great influence of BC potters like Sam Kwan, Tam Irving, D’Arcy Margesson, etc. At first, I just wanted to make something beautiful which could enrich the ordinary rituals of life by giving expressive force to utility. But that was easier said than done.
At school, potting, glazing, firing, kiln building, history… were involved. Among all, the fascination lies in the complex relationship between the form of the pots and their decoration.
In 1997 under Sam’s guidance, we built a salt kiln next to Capilano’s clay studio. Being deeply attracted to the “orange peel” surface gained from salt firing, the whole class developed a passion for salt ware there on.
One day my attention was drawn to a small piece of test tile shown by Sam (a clay slip melting test). It amazed me how the grey green clay turned into a glaze all by itself after fired?! An idea popped up from my mind, “Why not do a test of the clay I dug from the old Cap’s studio?” So I did, and the result came with a bubble surface. Although it differed from Sam’s, it was still interesting. From then on, tests keep on going and I collected more clay/ stone from faults, wilderness, roadside, shells from seashore, cherry wood from backyard….
And now, I enjoy the process of testing different materials, especially those drawn directly from the natural environment. I enjoy exploring the unknown, and treasure every inspiration throughout the process.
