Signature Design I
It has been a long but rewarding journey working on Poppy & Pepper’s signature collection Australian Birds & Flowers.
18 November 2024
I always wanted to create a ceramic collection that pays homage to exuberant Chinese decorative designs as seen in imperial palaces in both China and many European countries. A trip to Victoria & Albert Museum in London embarked this creative journey. Houses over twenty thousand pieces of Chinese artefacts from different periods, I had the opportunity to admire many of them in close distance.
A blue and white porcelain plate hand illustrated with meticulous details of an exotic Chinese garden captured my eyes. It is inconspicuous amongst other fully decorated pieces gilded with gold and inlayed with precious gems, but it is an object of simple design that captures the essence of all Chinoiserie blue and white porcelain.
Another piece in the same gallery is a pair of coffee cups and saucers, made in 1920s and unmistakably inspired by Chinese YuanRong teacup. Back in 1920s, the pair would have been the then-contemporary design perfectly adapted from the classic teacup into a coffee mug with a saucer.
Photos are taken at Victoria & Albert Museum in London in 2022 by Shiàoh.
I was transfixed that afternoon at the museum, at once I started construct my design. Birds and florals are must haves, but I am no expert of life-drawings. Okay, I need an illustrator, and I want Australian birds and flowers. Every element in a Chinese design carries auspicious meanings, the signature shape of my ceramic wares must tell its own story. Finally, I need something else too, something echos Chinese design quietly without we notice it is present, but it seals the design.
