ART & CULTURE
In the Pettyjohns’ recent exhibit at Celestina, Greenbelt 5, they featured pieces from their various collections: “Blossom,“ “Five Elements,“ “Sentinel,“ and other functional pieces such as the Oribe glazed tea set. The large bowl on the right is Shino glazed stoneware with gestural finger marks. Shino and Oribe are very traditional Japanese glazes using simple natural materials fired in a gas kiln.
HANDS OF THE POTTERS
BY NYX MARTINEZ I PHOTOS BY ROMMEL C. BUNDALIAN
ground, so we have to process it. We built our own From the time they first came into contact with the kilns. “We are self-sufficient,” he says proudly. “We earth’s elements, our ancestors would experiment work at very high temperatures, so it produces a with clay. It was as simple as mixing the dry earth very earthy range of color.” with water to make it malleable, then hardening it Jon met Tessy during his first exhibit in 1978. in the sun. They crafted jars, pots or bowls; someBoth shared the same love for pottery. Years later, times functional, sometimes decorative. Nowadays, they’re still at it, with their home studios in Laguna. the process hasn’t changed much. Pottery still takes Originally a student at the UP College of Fine patience. There’s no cheating here, no tinkering The word ‘pottery’ Arts, Tessy talks about the old days: “We had a big with digital tools, no shortcuts. It is pure craftscomes from the bathtub to mix the clay. We would go in there and manship in the hands of the potters. Greek word keramos mix it with our feet.” Jon smiles at how the 1990 In the Philippines, contemporary pottery looks (țİȡĮȝȠȢ), or Hollywood movie Ghost helped raise awareness to Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn, a couple who propelled about pottery. In this film, Demi Moore’s character this art in the 70s—a time when more focus was ‘potter’s clay.’ has an erotic encounter with her slain lover, played given to the country’s younger artisans. Jon, who by Patrick Swayze in a pottery. was born in Okinawa, studied ceramics in Escuela Jon and Tessy were eventually able to set up the Masana, Barcelona for six years, then came to the Putik Association of Philippine Potters, to encourage ceramic art Philippines, his mother’s native land. “In the beginning,” he recalls, locally (putik is the Filipino word for mud). They held workshops to “I put my work into a suitcase and walked around a gallery to show focus on using Philippine materials. people my stuff.” The Pettyjohns aren’t near tired yet. “We will just do whatever The young potter was just 25 years old, and no local stores sold comes,” reckons Tessy, “I don’t think you ever retire in pottery.” clay. So Jon found himself heading to Bicol and Iloilo to get earth “You just keep getting better and better,” adds her husband. “We straight from the ground. They also experimented with volcanic ash are proof that, if you keep at something long enough, eventually for their innovations. The end result was more than satisfactory. people will notice you.” (Visit Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn in their “It’s the greatest thing in the world, especially if you have the experience of actually digging the clay. It comes straight from the Calamba, Laguna studios by calling +63917 896 5491.)
The Philippine’s Manunggul jar, found in a cave in Palawan, is a national treasure and dates back to 710 - 890 B.C. You’ll find its portrait on the 1000 Philippine peso bill, and on actual display in the National Museum. 30 I Mabuhay Magazine I October 2011