Anja van Polanen Petel

Anja has been working with clay for over 20 years both in New Zealand and the United States. 

She primarily hand-builds her forms from slabs of clay using patterns.  

Anja loves to decorate the clay surface with imprints from plants and flowers from her garden. Being in the garden gave her the idea to place ceramic totems amongst plants and trees and many of them have found a permanent home in someone's garden. A blank clay canvas is for Anja an invitation to start painting and printing on it often using bright colours. She is always exploring new ways of decorating her work. Playing with clay never stops.

 

Anja loves to share her skills with others and she has taught various workshops at Titirangi Potters of which she is a member.