Nothing’s more vintage than pottery

Laura Buchanan, aka Lulu, in her shop, The Pottery Place NZ in Guyton St. Photo / Paul Brooks

What can Laura Buchanan — Lulu, in the artistic world — do to make her shop, The Pottery Place NZ, retro enough for Vintage Weekend? Bearing in mind that there’s not a lot more vintage or ancient than the art of pottery making. Civilisations are dated by the pottery found by archaeologists.

It’s mostly her work, but there are other artists who exhibit their wares in her shop.

At the back of the showroom is a workshop, where Laura is at work reclaiming clay. Buckets of clay and water sit on the floor, waiting for her to scoop the mixture out, slap it on an absorbent surface and start wedging — kneading, to the layperson.

“It’s a messy job,” she says, elbow-deep in wet and drying grey clay. “I’ve been making with clay for about five or six years - started back when we lived in Raglan. [I] joined a local club there, and ever since I have hoarded my scraps. It all goes into a bucket, [...] and you reclaim it by putting it in these plaster slabs — the plaster absorbs the water — and as you wedge, it gets drier and drier until it’s ready to be used.”

Laura started years ago making clay sculptures, forming silicon moulds and creating concrete garden sculptures.

Now her clay work can include things that inspire her. She lives at the beach, so sand, grit, shells, sea grasses, driftwood and other things found beachcombing are often incorporated into her work. Some she uses to make imprints, using them over and over.

“My stuff tends to appeal to people who are earthy or beachy, rustic or retro.”

She has come a long way in a very short time. She is also part of the Whanganui Fine Arts Collective and exhibits at the gallery in Taupō Quay. She also exhibits in other places around the country, and is on the Artist Open Studios Trust.

“I’m committed to the cause,” she says.

“I bring other things that I’m interested in into it, as well.” She has made a flax mat, woven harakeke, from which she has produced a silicon mould that she’ll use in the odd piece of pottery to give a woven effect. “It enables me to have fun mixing clay glaze combinations.”

The shop is filled with things both practical and artistic, as well as works in progress for exhibitions coming up.

Laura likes to try new things then move on to the next thing, so her shop has a wide variety of ceramic work, from big bowls to clay chains and all sorts in between.

She comes from Auckland but married a surfer, so any moves around the country were to beach communities, or wherever the waves were good.

Now she’s here, with a shop in Guyton St.

“This is a functional studio where I can create and have all my equipment and share what I’m doing. What I’m all about is having my studio open, so when you come in, I might be working on the wheel or reclaiming clay, and if you want to grab a lump of clay and make something, I’ll fire it for you. If you want lessons, I’m also on the committee of the Whanganui Potters Studio, so I can send you there to join the club.

“I’m trying to be involved with what’s going on.”

To relax, she likes to walk or swim at the beach, and working with clay is its own therapy. Laura points out that it involves all four classical elements — air, earth, water and fire.

She has an idea for the Vintage Weekend shop window, and it involves an old potters’ wheel, some retro pottery books and whatever else her active imagination can come up with.