The second person to make a presentation to her fellow potters at our May meeting was long-time member Eliza Wang. We have been so impressed with the fine, carefully considered pieces she makes and her recent successes in the wider ceramic world. Yet Eliza seemed to be asking us for advice about directions, what to make, which pieces to assemble for gallery selections and which kinds of firings best suit her work. Humbled by her meticulous technique and her obvious influence from her Chinese roots I wouldn’t want to suggest a particular form, firing or theme. She’s doing just fine!

After showing us the work she’d brought in for the evening and posters which included her prize-winning pieces Eliza gave us a carefully prepared power point presentation. She grew up in Hong Kong and was trained as an artist but I gather she did not do much pottery there. She and her husband have lived in Coquitlam for some twenty-five years. A while ago she took pottery classes at Place des Arts with June MacDonald and supplemented that with joining in wood and salt/soda firings at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.

I think I first met Eliza when we both participated in a salt firing led by guest artist Jane Hamlyn. The blue and green of her teapot fired then still delights me in my kitchen. She combines wheel-throwing with sections of texture-imprinted slabs and significant modelled frogs. Or she coats a potpourri jar with slip and carves out a bird design.

My best contribution to recording her presentation is to post photos of her work. Sadly I am unable to take the power point slides from the cd Eliza has lent me to share the meanings in her work. We were told how Chinese symbols are often puns and the double meanings are portrayed in her images.

She has achieved some recognition from entering the Potters Council Calendar contests and has had her work selected for two, along with another TriCity potter Clive Tucker. I apologize for the amateur photos and I recommend that other groups invite Eliza to show her little ‘slide’ show to you. She is the best one to explain her influences and techniques.

Of interest locally is the fact that some of her work was made in collaboration with Place des Arts instructor Vin Arora. She has applied her skilful painting to large lidded jars and a series of plates made by him. One of the latter has already been donated to the Port Moody Arts Centre fundraising dinner. There will be some bartering for that, I’m sure!