COLUMBIA

Im pressions from the East By Melany Hallam & Zhana Nedelcheva

One of the great things about British Columbia is the variety of people
living here and the depth that this brings to the artistic community.
Guild member Zhana Nedelcheva brought her own unique vision to
ceramics in B.C. when she and her husband emigrated from Bulgaria
in 2005. She is involved in many different mediums of expression, but
ceramics is her Passion.

“I produce one-of-a-kind sculptural ceramics and wall tiles,” she
said in a recent interview with Canadian Immigrant Magazine (see
full article here). “My style is very different from local ceramics, and
it means something to me to bring something new to the local arts
community.”

She explains that her major teacher in art is nature.

“Shape is a leading principle in my ceramics—enormous coloured
puzzles, constructions and intertwined cats coexist with knights,
ravens and spirited horses,” she says.

“My art is aimed at a large circle of connoisseurs—from the exterior

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Bride, by Zhana
Nedelcheva.

monumental [...] art of stoneware, which is my true strength, to the
ethereal tiles and small intimate sculptures created to occupy a special
place in the interior. A favourite topic of mine is impressions from the
East, such as “Kama Sutra”, “Red Horse”, “Sphinx.” This is a small
part of the Eastern taste, carried over in my studio.”

In 1999, Zhana graduated from Sveti Kliment Ohridski University
in Sofia, Bulgaria, with a Master in Fine Arts, majoring in sculpture
and ceramics. For two years, she taught at the School of Fine Arts and
Ceramics at Stara Zagora. She was also involved in a number of group
exhibitions, and in 2004 was awarded “Young Artist of the Year” for a
solo ceramics exhibition. Her current work process includes:

Clay Sculptures. “First ] make a solid clay sculpture from white
stoneware with grogs and then hollow out the shape. After very
slowly drying the earthenware, I biscuit fire it at cone 05- 03. Then

I glaze the work with a brush. The first coat glaze ] apply on the
concave surfaces and wipe with a damp sponge. Then I apply more
coats of glaze and fire at Cone 06 - 03. Sometimes I decide to make
crackles to add more effects on the glaze. I open the kiln when is
still hot and bring out the ceramics and spray them with water. After
applying contrasting coloured stains, I fire the works again at Cone
05 to close the open cracks.”

Handmade ceramics tiles with inserted glass. “T use handmade slabs
of white stoneware with grogs to create the tiles. Then I cut out a
hole for the glass. After adding texture and decoration to the tiles I
dry them slowly. I bisque fire at cone 05. After glazing, I fire again
to cone 06 - 03. Then I cut the glass (to the size of the back hole

of the tile) from a sheet of glass. I decorate them with copper wire,
coloured glass and ceramic stains and fire at low temperature. When
everything is fired, I attach the already decorated and fired glass on
the back of the tile.”

“Colour balance and composition harmony have always been the
main accent for me, rather than detail and reality,” says Zhana.

Zhana Nedelcheva sas a show running Sept. 28-Oct. 24 at the Purple
Door Gallery on Bowen Island, and will be exhibiting at Place des Arts
(Coquitlam) and the New Westminster Art Gallery in 2009. She works
in the morning in her studio and in the afternoon as a caregiver in a
private school in New Westminster. For more information on her work see

www.artzhana.com

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter : October 2008