Rebecca Cooper

These Native Bird Tiles are inspired by my love of nature, which finds expression in exploring the native flora and fauna of New Zealand. When I first moved back to here, having lived abroad most of my life, the thing that struck me most was the incredible quality of light in New Zealand, and the beauty of hearing constant bird song. The Tui, in particular, captured my imagination and heart, both with its  haunting and unique voice, and with its physical beauty. The fantail, or Pewakawaka, is a beloved New Zealand icon, and everyone who has ever gone tramping is sure to have been accompanied by one of these bright, flitting creatures, who fly in such close proximity to us, catching the insects attracted to our body heat. The Kereru, or New Zealand Wood pigeon, is also a uniquely endearing bird. So much larger than the average pigeon that it seems a different creature entirely. With his huge, plush white breast, and soft grey plumage the Kereru seems regal, until the first time you see it land in a sapling, crashing through branches, and bending the tree with it's weight, or staggering drunkenly having gorged on Nikau berries. Then perhaps affection replaces awe, but still its unique beauty inspires me.

 I accompanied each of the birds with New Zealand flora. The Tui with Kowhai of course, as Tuis are nectar eaters and the Kowhai is one of their favourite plants. The kereru sits in a Nikau Palm, with its distinctive branches and the red berries that the Kereru loves to eat. The Piwakawaka, I put with Manuka, as it is a remarkable plant, with many uses and beautiful flowers.

My interest in Art Nouveau is also apparent as an influence in these tiles, as the lines and flowing natural forms both contain and emphasise the forms of the birds in their habitat.

If you would like to order any of these tiles please email me at sweetlandceramics.com. Each tile is approximately 12x15cm. Because they are handmade they are not all exactly the same size. Please tell me the quantity you would like and the colours (written below each image.) I will calculate shipping for you. If you order a set of three there is a 10% reduction in the price.  These are also available in most of the colours shown on the small native bird tile page.

I love to make sculpture, but for some reason have a block about letting myself do it. So this year my challenge to myself is to overcome this inhibition and let myself do what I most love. A sculpture always feels to me like a being in its own right, with its own life. Animal sculptures I find hard to sell as I they feel like part of me, and express something about my relationship to life that can’t be said in words. My very favourite objects for sculpture are horses. I love all animals, but have had a passion for horses for as long as I can remember. To me they are the essence of grace, sensitivity, beauty and wildness. The wish I made on every falling star of my childhood was to have a horse of my own. I now share my life with a very affectionate, somewhat too wild and, to my mind, exquisite, small brown horse. He is my muse, my constant challenge, my joy, and a significant piece of my heart belongs to him. His name is Finn.

I also love horses for their embeddedness in nature and for their inability to dissimulate. I love them for all that they symbolise: Of Spirit, and freedom and wildness. I love that which is untouchable in a horse, and in each of us, I love the freedom a horse lends us, to fly, to feel the wind rushing and our hearts beating, to feel at one with another being.

These shells are my inspiration for a series of candle holders that are in progress...as in, still in my head, but soon to be created! 

Here are some pictures of work in process which give some idea of how my work is created.

These little hanging decorations are drawn from actual frost crystals. The intricacy of the design really inspired me. Isn't nature amazing!

When my sister asked me to make her a sushi set it set me off on a challenging path of experimentation and failure for a few months. I kept thinking of Winston Churchill’s comment that “success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” I did lose my enthusiasm occasionally, but I now have a technique for making slab built sushi sets that I’m very happy with. Dishes and sushi sets are also wonderful shapes for experimenting with new decorating techniques and glaze combinations.

This year I am honing my skills on the pottery wheel. Throwing on the wheel is a skill that probably takes decades to really master. I find it very challenging , very frustrating, and occasionally immensely satisfying! The long process of throwing, drying, trimming, firing, decorating, glazing and firing again, , is not really apparent in the simplicity of a finished piece of work. Even the simplest piece of pottery is a labour of love. I am working on lightness, pleasing forms and working towards being able to replicate a form! I’m also exploring ideas for decoration and I’m always experimenting with new glaze recipes and combinations. At the moment I use about equal amounts of my own glazes and commercial glazes.