Patina Gallery Presents.

Step into a world where clay becomes canvas and pattern, a form of prayer.

Nerikomi: Patterns in Colored Clay is a luminous celebration of an ancient Japanese ceramic tradition reborn through the hands of five contemporary visionaries: Thomas Hoadley, Barbara Gittings, David Pottinger, Henk Wolvers, and Ben Davies. Their shared devotion to the handcrafting technique of nerikomi results in ceramic works that are as technically astonishing as they are visually mesmerizing.

Rooted in the Japanese technique of nerikomi—from neri, “to knead,” and komi, “to press into”—this practice weaves color directly into clay. Layers of pigmented earth are composed, compressed, and cut to reveal rhythmic geometries and unexpected symmetries. These are not glazes painted on, but secrets unearthed from within. The result is not mere surface decoration but a deeply integrated design, motifs that pulse with rhythm, repetition, and spontaneous surprise.

At once methodical & meditative, nerikomi demands both discipline & surrender.

It is a practice of stillness and revelation, where each slice reveals a surprise, and each vessel becomes a map of its making. The artists in this exhibition are not merely potters, they are patternmakers, alchemists of clay, and cartographers of form.

For artist Thomas Hoadley, whose vessels seem to hum with harmonic vibration, nerikomi is an ongoing inquiry into geometry and gesture. Barbara Gittings embraces the joyful unpredictability of the process, revealing patterns that resemble quilt work or natural strata. David Pottinger’s work is a testament to the method’s architectural potential, with complex tessellations and layered illusions that pull the eye deep into the vessel’s skin. Henk Wolvers conjures movement from stillness, his softly undulating designs recalling wood grain, water, and woven textiles. And Ben Davies draws upon the slow, deliberate rhythm of the process to create pieces that feel both ancient and freshly formed, works in which every slice is a revelation.

Nerikomi: Patterns in Colored Clay invites you to witness the poetry of precision, the intimacy of touch, and the profound beauty hidden beneath the surface. Explore a striking new body of work, and experience this reverent homage to color, craft, and the quiet alchemy of clay.

Watch the Mindful Meditation with artists THomas Hoadley and Ben Davies
to accompany the exhibition.

View all Mindful Meditations

Throughout our 25-year story of extraordinary jewels, groundbreaking ingenuity surfaces in the evolving friendship and collaboration from years gone by and in those to come.

For more information on the work, please email: allison@patina-gallery.com

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MAIN IMAGE: 'Asymmetric Rhomboid Form II', by Barbara Gittings.