Tiki, Pikorua and Matau are back - with a new green joining the family

There’s been quite a bit happening behind the scenes at Bright Side Ceramics lately, and we’re very happy to finally have three familiar faces - or perhaps forms - back at Dee’s Bees.

Tiki, Pikorua and Matau have returned to our Land and Sea Collection.

And while they may be familiar, they’re not returning quite as they were.

A new Light Green

Until now, you may have known these pieces in their rich Dark Green finish. We’ve now added a second option: Light Green.

It’s a softer, earthy sage-olive green that behaves beautifully over the detailed surfaces of these pieces. The glaze settles more deeply into recesses and breaks lighter across raised areas, revealing details that can sometimes appear quite different from one firing to the next.

That natural variation is part of what makes ceramics so interesting. We can carefully control the clay, glaze, application and firing, but the kiln always gets a little say in the finished result.

And getting this particular glaze right took some doing.

I worked through nearly 40 test glazes while developing the recipe we now use for our Land and Sea Collection. Having reached a green we loved, being able to develop both a darker and lighter version has given us two quite different looks without losing the character of the collection.

Tiki

First back is Tiki.

It’s a wonderfully detailed piece, and the relief across its surface gives our glaze plenty of opportunity to pool, lighten and change.

Rather than attaching one simple meaning to Tiki, we prefer to let this distinctive New Zealand form speak for itself. Tiki traditions are complex, and their meanings and stories are not captured neatly by the few words sometimes used to describe them.

What we can say is that this is a striking piece of porcelain wall art, and we're very pleased to be making it again.

Pikorua

Next is Pikorua, with its flowing, intertwined form.

Pikorua is widely associated today with connection, relationships, friendship and the paths we share through life. That makes it a lovely piece for your own home, but also one with a natural place as a gift.

From a ceramic point of view, all those sweeping curves are particularly good at showing the character of the glaze. Dark Green brings richness and depth, while Light Green produces a gentler, earthier result.

Matau

Finally, we head to the sea with Matau.

This one has a special connection to where we live and work.

Matau means fish hook, and here in Hawke’s Bay we sit alongside Te Matau-a-Māui - the fish hook of Māui.

That makes Matau seem particularly at home in a collection called Land and Sea, and particularly at home being made here in Hawke’s Bay.

Made by Bright Side Ceramics

Tiki, Pikorua and Matau are part of our Bright Side Ceramics range, the ceramics brand here at Dee’s Bees.

We handcraft the pieces in Hawke’s Bay using our own porcelain clay recipe, which we blend using New Zealand kaolin. We glaze and fire them ourselves too, including the green glaze we've developed specifically for this collection.

The designs themselves have a longer history.

Tiki, Pikorua and Matau are original JS Ceramics designs by Jen in Te Puke. Jen made and sold her ceramics for around 15 years before eventually stepping away from them. We acquired the collection so these distinctive New Zealand designs could continue to be made, and today they form our Land and Sea Collection.

It feels rather good to see them coming out of the kiln again.

Three distinctive forms. Two rather lovely greens. Handcrafted here in Hawke’s Bay.

And yes, after nearly 40 glaze tests, I think I'm allowed to be just a little bit pleased with the green. 💚