I live in the Waitakere Ranges in West Auckland.  The bush, the coastline and beaches in this environment have a major influence on the pots I make.  I have also been influenced by the simple elegant pots made in 13th century China during the Sung Dynasty.
 
Porcelain is my clay of choice.    It has qualities that appeal to my senses  -  its purity enhances the colour clarity in glazes and its translucency adds mystery in different lighting situations.  My pots generally are based on the traditional vessel form.
 
Bowls, boxes, vases and bottles are the pots I like to make.  I use several techniques including wheel throwing, press moulding, slabs and slip casting to make my pots.  I then decorate them using carved, imprinted and pierced designs which are coated in a matt-white glaze and airbrushed with oxide washes before firing in an electric kiln to a temperature of about 1260 C.
I use lustres on a satin-finish glaze on some of my pots for other decorative effects.
I also recycle the fragments of my unsuccessful and broken pots to make mosaic mirror frames.

Contacts:
Telephone:  09 814 9701
Email:  jan.cockell@xtra.co.nz
Links:     www.nzpotters.com    www.warkworthcraftgallery.co.nz

Pierced Porcelain Bowl