Some time ago we met polish artist Andrzej, who is close to us a a person as well as a ceramist. Finally, we realized our cooperation and we are very glad we can present his „tea“ pieces on our website.
Andrzej Bero has been doing pottery since 1990 r. He absolved pottery classes at People’s University in Turno. Later on he worked with one of the oldest Polish pottery groups – KERAMOS Association. He participated in its international biennales without pause since 1997 and before opening his own workshop in 2008 he was co-leading the KERAMOS workshop. For over 10 years he was active as manual therapist in pottery workshop of a blind children’s center. He has built three wood-fired kilns, but living in the city he ended using mainly electrical one. Fundamental need of contact with live fire can fortunately be satisfied with gas-fired „raku” kiln.He participated in many pottery workshops and exhibitions both in Poland and abroad.Andrzej about his work:
„From the very beginning of my activity I was interested in tea pottery. If I remember well, the second vessel I made in my life was a teapot. A tea set was a part of my final pottery diploma, too. I wasn’t a tea connoisseur at that time – I’ve been drinking „Gun powder”, the only green tea available in Poland then, and because of my buddhism interests I’ve known „The Book of the Tea” but that was all. I loved tea vessels then, since they were closest to my idea of human need to surround oneself with things that are simple, beatiful and functional at the same time. Besides, a tea pot is – due to its multi-segmented form – an interesting object, a challenge and a good exercise.
In last couple of years the situation has changed as I’ve met several people involved in so called ‘tea culture’ in Poland and Czech Republic. I opened my eyes to variety of tastes, shapes and smells of different teas from Japan, China, Korea and India, as well as to the abundance of traditions and rituals resulting in specific pottery shapes I did not know or did not properly understood. Now I try to blend those two passions in order to create my own pottery style, enhanced with centuries long traditions of distant lands.
I owe a great deal to pottery masters I’ve met on my way. Most of all Ruthane Tudball, whose
style of throwing and what she later did to soft, barely thrown forms will always be my source of inspiration. The Australian Barry Jackson, who introduced me to endless world of natural, organic surfaces. That you can translate those experiences to the very process of throwing was a lesson I took from the French Thiebaut Chague. Last but no least, I inherited love to matt glazes from outstanding Polish potter and my friend since KERAMOS times, Magdalena Winiarska-Gotowska.”
