The Bethlehem Pottery Club runs an annual exhibition where club members can enter and sell their pieces. The 2020 event was scuttled by covid, so everyone was looking forward to 2021. We had one false start for the 2021 event, and the date was rescheduled for July.
Entrants could put in up to 5 pieces for selection, they are then judged and pieces given the yes or no for being be part of the exhibition.
I entered four pieces – three plates and one Paua bowl, and all 4 pieces made it through selection. I was well chuffed.
The exhibition titled “In my Mother’s House……and garden” was housed at Tauranga’s Historic Village. 106 pieces entered and four awards were up for grabs – Supreme, Merit x2 and First Time Exhibitor. Judged by fellow Bay Of Plenty Potter Andrew Killick aka the Laughing Potter in Waihi.
Guess what??!! I got one of the Merit awards for Koaro | Kaitiaki Series. So flipping happy 
Supreme went to Murray Garner, first time Exhibitor Chloe , both of Tauranga and other Merit Dianne Caton from Waihi.
What was surprising, was the fact it was not the piece I thought was the winner winner chicken dinner (that would have been the Paua), it was my second choice Koaro | Kaitiaki Series – the best plate I have made to date. I thought the Paua was a sure thing because the glaze work was insanely beautiful (see below), photos just don’t capture the movement and depth of the glaze.
Koare has something different about it, something that makes you just want to touch it. I am especially pleased because it is a piece that features one of Aotearoa’s freshwater fish. The Koare is one of five species that make up ‘whitebait’. The number of adult fish of the Koare are declining, because of several reasons, whitebait fishing and the health of our waterways.
It was a great event with plenty of interesting pieces on show. Both the Paua and Koare are still available for purchase and can be found in the shop – Koare | Kaitiaki Series and Paua
