ANJA PENGER-ONYETT

Anja started working with ceramics over 25 years ago by attending ceramic courses and evening classes.  She has been a full-time potter since 2008.

She throws most of her work on the potter’s wheel, using white stoneware clay, which can be fired to high temperatures and allows the colours of the glazes to come through.

Anja is inspired by Japanese and Chinese style glazes, - celadons, tenmokus, oxblood copper red.  To achieve these glazes, the work has to be fired in a kiln with an open flame (gaskiln).  At a certain point during the firing, the atmosphere is starved of oxygen by closing a damper over the flue exit. This creates a reduction-atmosphere and the oxygen-hungry flame has to find oxygen from the glazes.  As if by magic, copper green turns into red and iron honey-brown into greens or blues.  

Anja mixes all her glazes from raw materials and she never stops experimenting!

Her work is functional (bowls, vases, plates) as well as decorative/sculptural (her Meteorite and Elemental pieces).  Due to the high firing temperature, the decorative work can be kept outside all year round.

http://www.ceramicsbuyanja.co.uk/