Zekiah Heath

Clever?

Zekiah Heath

Ceramic Artist - Auckland

"Ceramic artist creating colour and pattern without glazing the surface of the clay."

I am a three-dimensional artist. I have combined a love of hand-crafted objects with my technical experience in ceramics. I graduated from Unitec in 2006 with a Bachelor of Design. My final year of study was dedicated to making ceramic objects. Prior to studying, I worked in the fashion industry. Primarily working with slip cast porcelain, I create light works, vessels, vases and jewellery. I have an obsession with creating objects that are repetitive in form yet individual in pattern and decoration. My objects are always planned, but at times are created from chance happenings in the slip casting process. This allows for a holistic approach: each piece that is misshaped or too cracked becomes a new object. Every object that I produce is entirely handcrafted, making each piece individual.
As I have grown as a Ceramic artist, my awareness to the environment and to natural, sustainable design has become more integral in my daily practice. There is no better raw material to work with than clay. I am inspired to work with clay because of its close connection with the earth. It is natural, non-toxic and not rigorously processed with chemicals. My aim is to eliminate most of my waste by drying out off-cuts to later be remade into slip. Focusing on raw slips and their qualities, I give each piece its own identity through colour tinting, piercing, lighting or inscribing the surfaces. The slips are high fired to give structural integrity then left unglazed. I prefer to embrace the clay's organic finish rather than adding further layers and processes to them.
   Auckland


Buy

 > Artist's Full Collection 
  • Bambina Vessels Mint
  • Bambina Vessels Lemon
  • Bambina Vessels Lavender
  • Bambina Vessels Grey
  • Candy Bowls - Medium Soup/Salad
  • Candy Bowls - Small Dipping/Tasting
  • Bambina Vessels Dusk
  • Bambina Vessels Strawberry