Artist residency in Jingdezhen

First artist residency.

First time in Jingdezhen.

First time being away from home for so long.

I’m so grateful to @thepotteryworkshop for this precious opportunity to learn and grow — visiting traditional ceramic factories producing blue-and-white pierced porcelain on a large scale, discovering shops filled with countless glaze colors and cobalt blue pigments, and learning blue-and-white painting, shallow relief carving, and overglaze painting from local masters. I was able to attend inspiring artist talks and demonstrations, connect with artists from around the world, and make time to visit exhibitions and museums during my stay.

Beyond honing my ceramics skills, these weeks of experiences and emotions have quietly nurtured my own inner growth.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone at The Pottery Workshop for all their care: Adriel, Maggie, Sailor, Wendy, Huhu, YuLiang, and also the wonderful kitchen team and driver Mr Huang. Not only did you provide room and board, you helped us communicate with the public gas kiln owner, the brush maker, the tile factory, and the glaze shop so we could get exactly the materials and tools we needed. The kitchen staff catered to our preferences, making dishes less spicy and oily, and even lit mosquito coils for me at night. Mr Huang gave me rides to and from the high-speed rail station — all these thoughtful details made me feel truly welcomed and at home.

With a heart full of gratitude for each moment, I’m excited to see how these experiences will guide my next steps.