Vessels captured inside out
- Peter combines his photographic work with wheel thrown ceramics
- His work brings a modernity and edge to French porcelain styles
- He works intuitively to layer images and colours that suit his vision
Peter Olson’s ceramic vessels are influenced by French Sèvre porcelain works, which beckon viewers to take a deeper look. The surfaces are richly illustrated inside and out with hundreds of original photos Peter captures in different locations, from city streets and museums to airports and even catacombs. "Upon closer inspection of a piece, what appears to be a border reveals itself as hundreds of tiny portraits or a series of architectural details," he explains. Weekend clay classes in Philadelphia opened a creative portal for Peter, who worked as a professional photographer at the time. After years of honing his skill at the wheel, he discovered he could transfer his original photos onto the pottery through black-and-white decals, which he then meticulously hand colours with transparent glazes.
Interview
- What influences your ceramics?
- I really love Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV and Sèvres pieces. I also enjoy the idea of Rococo, but I work with it in a modern way. Eadweard Muybridge, who first used images in a circle to imitate motion, was an influence of mine when I started working in ceramics.
- What reaction do you hope your pieces evoke in people?
- I want people to walk up to the pot, observe it closely, then open it to see the work I have done on the inside. I hope they enjoy looking at it, and find a new element every time they see it.
- Which comes first, the imagery or the vessel?
- With the street photography, I will come away with 2,000 images from an afternoon. Then I start mining them. The imagery always comes first. If I have a bunch of thrown pots first without an idea of imagery, I get lost and the pots do not work out as well.
- How do you capture your street portraits?
- When I am taking photos in Times Square, for instance, I may wait for the light to change for a good shot. But there are always loads of people across from me, and I just photograph them. They do not end up looking terribly happy in these candid photos, but I do not want people to give me that certain look we all have for the camera.
Peter Olson is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2016
Where
Peter Olson
