Chiu-i Wu

Harmless Creature by Chiu-I Wu, Hatfield Art In Clay 2015

Chiu-I Wu was making ceramics in her native Taiwan before moving to the UK in 2003, so I think she scrapes into the 20thC Studio Pottery group.

I tend to go round the fairs haranguing studio potters for not making more cats. I think this may qualify as a bald cat

I commissioned this at Christmas after N's post. Chiu-I made x2 pieces to match the photo I sent and gave me the choice. Stick one of these in the room and they are an instant attention grabber.

Loves it!

Just browsing her website and Chiu-I Wu calls these 'Harmless Creatures'

Chiu-i Wu bison from Hatfield Art in Clay

Photos from the show

I'm a big fan. If she sold on ebay or Etsy then she would shift a lot of pieces.

You wouldn't want to buy from her online; she's a terrible packer. Last year I got just a single sheet of bubble wrap round the figure. This year she was s bit better organised with boxes and chips, but when I unpacked it back home I was horrified to discover just a handful of chips swilling round its feet. Thankfully I'd dropped it off at the pot crèche otherwise it may well have got broken in the scrum.

...to add, I asked if she'd be at Oxford but she said she didn't have enough stock.

Well, if she did sell online she would have to sort out the packing as it would just come straight back. I always thought Potters like Guy Sydenham and Briglin did well in making miniatures, the rule being that if someone comes to your stall or into the shop then don't let them leave without buying something even it was only a 25p (1975 prices) miniature. A sale is a sale. I suppose it depends on how commercial you are.

She said she used to post to galleries but they kept arriving broken.

Tell her to stop making delicate sticky out bits

Lol!

Owl bowl from Hatfield Art In Clay

A friend bought her Ugly Beast. Not something you'd go "aw that's cute" over.

I like ugly...... I probably agree with philpot but does look handy for peanuts when you throw a party.

Chiu-i Wu bird, via Hatfield Art In Clay

She really is using the wrong material to get the fine detail. I'm sure they are very brittle, in years to come there will be many pieces with horns knocked off - legs missing.

She’s terrible at wrapping. So long as you take your own bubble wrap to the fairs to wrap her pieces up then it should be ok. But I do know someone who knocked a horn off before they got the piece back to the car.

Compton Verney