The Happy Potter

Deep within the rainforests of Kuranda, Far North Queensland, lurks a master ceramicist.

For forty years, Peter Thompson has laboured long and hard in the tireless pursuit of art, no matter the cost.

The bulk of Peter’s days are spent gathering the raw materials — digging up clay from rivers, creeks and road cuttings, and collecting and stacking wood — in the heavy tropical heat.

Next, a carefully selected mix of minerals from across the region is lovingly fermented in a French porcelain bathtub. The matured soft clay lulled into wondrous organic shapes on a simple stick wheel.

Once a year, the completed pots are fired for three days straight with temperatures reaching over 1300°C in a home-made Anagama kiln — a traditional Chinese high temperature wood-fired tunnel kiln.

During the firing, wood ash and volatile salts settle on the clay, and the interaction between flame, ash and minerals creates a rich natural glaze. And as all the clay and wood is sourced locally, Peter’s works are wholly unique with a distinct provenance and flavour.

Peter has studied in China and elsewhere, plus he helped make India’s first Anagama kiln. After many years of dedicated experimentation, Peter has achieved international standing. Overseas students travel to Kuranda to work alongside him, and collectors in the know hunt him down in his hidden studio to pounce on his pots.

But most of all, Peter’s very own being has been shaped and given lustre in the knowledge — indeed, the hallowed bliss — he is truly living a life well-lived.