Graham Ambrose

Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Before turning his talents to pottery, Graham had won numerous awards for his furniture designs. But when the opportunity arose to swap mediums, he was more than ready to change. “As much as I enjoyed working with wood, I always cherished a passion for clay.”

Strongly influenced by the modernist movement, his primary interest is in creating minimalist forms. He is particularly known for his mastery of a bold red glaze that complements these unadorned shapes. His determination to produce aesthetically satisfying vessels drives his ambition to control the ceramic process. However, Graham has learned that, unlike wood, clay takes on an impetuous life of its own. A master potter once warned him that after taking meticulous notes and maintaining the most stringent precautionary regime, all his pots would be transformed by the whim of the fire gods. To his joy and sometimes his dismay, Graham has found this to be an absolute truth.

Graham supplies his work to a select group of galleries within New Zealand and Internationally. His works are increasingly being found in private collections in New York, London, Hong Kong, Sweden and Australia. Naturally, thanks to the vagaries of the fire gods, each piece will always be unique.

Graham also teaches at the Auckland Studio Potters Centre to Diploma level.