Business: New pottery gallery
For pottery aficionados, a new gallery, Abbi M Design, has opened at 59 Motupipi Street.
Here, behind a purple door in a lush and cool garden setting, potter Abbi Vandeskog displays a range of light and elegant pottery in vibrant colours, a distinct Norwegian flavour and a slight hint of Japanese styling, which friends termed “Japanavian” at the recent gallery opening.
“I like simplicity and this is probably a common factor in Norwegian and Japanese pottery, although the Japanese pottery is a bit rougher and has an old tradition with lots of rules of how pottery is made. Norwegian pottery is light both in form and shape and in colour—at least the modern Scandinavian designs,” Abbi says.
In 1991, Abbi trained with potter Paul de Jager for a year before returning to Norway to finish her studies as a psychologist. After working as a psychotherapist in Norway and Nelson for 17 years, Abbi decided last year to allow her passion for pottery take priority. She moved back to Golden Bay with her partner Bjarne and took up pottery again with the help of Tim Jessop.
All her delicate work is done on the wheel, and it takes about eight to nine steps—from wedging to shaping, firing and decorating—to turn a lump of clay into a decorative pot.
“I do lots of throwing; it is my favourite part of the process. When the shape happens in my hands, I absolutely love it—it is the most fascinating part of the process. I can see my own progress, which is very rewarding.
“I like the handmade touch of a piece of pottery. It is a quality of beauty I can appreciate in pots I buy from other potters.”
Abbi’s pots sell locally at MONZA and Pot’ n Plants in Nelson.
Ina Holst
