Peter Hamann

This bowl is just gorgeous, I love the colours in the glaze

http://www.nzpotters.com/PottersMarks/PottersMark_Image.cfm?potterID=814

15cmh a lovely asian inspired vase, its taken a while to figure this mark out.
Does anyone know where & when Peter Hamann was potting in NZ?

It seem that Peter only lived in NZ for around a year http://www.sdgallery.com/catalogs/hamann/gallery

From a 1980 (?) publication of the Canterbury Society of Arts:-
Peter Hamann - Ceramics
(B.A. in Art)
Born Nebraska U.S.A. in 1956.
With a considerable experience of ceramic teaching
and exhibitions in the U.S.A. in juried shows, group
shows and several one-man shows, Peter has also
exhibited in Auckland in a most successful one-man
show at Alicat. He was teaching last year at the
Otago Polytechnic and plans this year to live and
work in Auckland.
"My work is a statement of control. The aim of this control
is the development of a sensitively balanced form, and a rich
color-conscience glaze. Though most of my forms are direct
derivitives of functional forms, and though relating form to
function is of practical concern, it is not my direct concern.
Much more important to me is to see my pots as 'objects'
and, hopefully in their ultimate form, as Art."

Awesum thanks!

A Peter Hamann joined the site tonight, I wonder ...

His Timezone is from Tokyo which you don't see very often ....

This is from Peter Haman. I found this thread when looking for information for a cousin scheduled to visit New Zealand soon. I was pretty sure most people had forgotten about me by now, but thank goodness pottery lasts forever (almost).

I was in New Zealand for over three years before taking off for Japan. In New Zealand, I produced my first show in Northland, but most of my time was in Western Auckland (Karekare for a while) and Dunedin. In Japan, I spent a year studying the culture and language before marrying a Japanese school teacher (later vice principal and now retired) and returning to ceramics. We have a daughter (works in management for P&G) and new grandson. I am a Japanese citizen now.

I have been reasonably successful in Japan, having shown at the largest department stores and being the only non-Japanese to be accepted into the Japan Kogei (Art Craft) Association, which has strict membership requirements (very Japanese that). Being a member of the Association has allowed me to have intimate contact with many Japanese potters, including many of their Living National Treasures, who have been very supportive of me and one a close friend. (These Treasures are amazingly supported of all young artists.) However, to get started as a potter in Japan, I returned to a full-time pottery school for five years to learn the different techniques and concepts that are necessary here. They set the bar very high.

I have also been very active in the Japanese Tea ceremony for 30 years and currently teach it at home. Although much of my porcelain work is very different from what I use in the Tea ceremony, the Tea ceremony has been my main source of inspiration for decades. (The piece with the lacquer lid in the photographs is a cold water container for the Tea ceremony.)

I have also been an essentially full-time translator here, but recently retired from essentially all of it to give more time to ceramics and Tea (and to give my body a rest now that I've past 60 and looking for my second wind). It was unfortunate that translation took so much time away from my ceramics time, but it also gave me the language abilities and broader social experiences that were essentially to what I do here, and the financial ability to make it all happen.

I have extremely fond memories of New Zealand, and always hoped to return for a visit someday (the promised honeymoon there never materialized), and I was so sad to hear of the passing of Peter Sinclair of the Alicat Gallery, who was so supportive of me during my time in New Zealand. I'm afraid that most of the people that supported me there are already gone or lost in time.

I "hosted" some photographs of current work, but if you would like to see more, as well as some photographs of my very old house and Tea involvements, check out Peter Mark Hamann on Facebook.

The photographs are all of porcelain and are all wheel-thrown and altered. The pieces are finished by carving to complete the shapes and add patterns.  A couple of them are smaller, around 20 cm (largest dimension), but the rest are between around 26 to 40 cm (again, largest dimension). I am best known in Japan for the large boxes.

Welcome to the site and thank you so much for sharing these wonderful photos Peter !!

The pieces are sensational and the porcelain glows like magic.
They literally made my jaw drop. WOW !!

Thank you for your kind words. I have been 'practicing' for almost 40 years in Japan, and then there are the very high standards here.

Actually, it has only been recently that I've felt like I've established my own style, and I'm pretty excited about developing it more. I did the lidded pieces for many years, actually they are what made it possible for me to get into the Japan Kogei Association (you have to be accepted into their national show four times to qualify), but I did not do them for many years and returned to them only a few years ago. (It actually took me three years to get back into them; as you might imagine, they are no easy task.)

Peter thank you for those lovely px and for your very interesting story. I hope that one day you write an outobiography.

That would be interesting. I've had such a varied life, I'm not sure what the audience would be, but I guess I now know I'd probably sell at least one copy. :-)

Make that 2 Peter! Thank you so much for sharing your story here, it is very inspiring, and we appreciate you taking the time to enlighten us.

Hah.. More than two!    Peter where did you work and exhibit in Northland?

I worked at Peter Alger's place to produce my first show, which was at the Alicat. I'll try to provide more information in the near future.

Thanks Peter. No pressure. I was just being nosy because I am from Northland and so is Kat who has found one of your pieces.

I feel very lucky to have my pot!

I'm glad you still enjoy my old piece.

I got out my old English resume and found the following lines from the period that I was in New Zealand, including offshore shows for which I produced the work in New Zealand.

Juried Exhibitions:

1981 Concorso Internazionale della Ceramica D’arte, Faenze, Italy
1980 BNZ Art Award Wellington, New Zealand

Solo Exhibitions:

1981 The Craft Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Blackfriars Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Alicat Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
1980 Alicat Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand
Antipodes Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
1979 Alicat Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand

Permanent Collections:

Waikato Art Museum, Hamilton, New Zealand
Southland Art Gallery and Museum, Ivercargil, New Zealand
Hawk’s Bay Art Gallery and Museum, Hawk’s Bay, New Zealand

Teaching/Workshops:

1990-1993 Various Workshops throughout New Zealand
1979-1980 Otago Polytechnic, Ceramics Department, Dunedin, New Zealand

Thanks to mumof1 for identifying the signature on a pot I bought at Nelson Recycle Centre today. A beautiful porcelain pot with an exquisitely-fitting lid. I was reading the signature the wrong way up but a photo to mumof1 got it sorted. Thank you.

A photo from R L Pike of her Peter Hamann porcelain pot.
She says that it positively glows in the sunshine.

Thank you for posting photo .. much appreciated.