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| Peter Lange with his brick sculptures exhibited on the estate in June 2007. |
Peter Lange, a pioneer in the New Zealand ceramics world, brings with him a long history of respect, achievement and exploration. Peter’s recent series of sculptures made from bricks are heart warming and humorous with an undeniable New Zealand flavour. One of these pieces, a brick lilo, recently earned him the premier award at the 2006 Portage Ceramic Awards.
Throughout Peter’s extensive career he has achieved a variety of interesting and sometimes groundbreaking milestones, from building a ‘brick boat’ which he launched in the Waitemata Harbour, to building and firing an ice kiln in Wales.
Peter describes his work as minimalist, simple, and attractive. He first began making pottery and clay sculpture during the 1970s while living on a farm with his family and learning basic pottery techniques from neighbour Lex Dawson, another well known pottery identity. “During this time pottery was profitable and people were generous with sharing their knowledge”.
Peter’s recent material of choice, bricks, are objects that inspire and challenge him. “Much of the brick work in New Zealand (objects and buildings), have right angles and straight lines”. Peter enjoys challenging people’s perceptions of the material, for example enabling bricks to float or creating curves in his brick sculptures.
The inspiration for his recent work draws on childhood experiences and memories of the objects that he feels nostalgic about. “As a child, I would be entertained for hours with a single ceramic shoe, which would also become a racing car, a boat or a plane”.
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