Li Jun Liang is an independent ceramic artist based in Pretoria, working with stoneware and porcelain for over a decade. This page shares the background, the working principles, and the people who shape the practice — from the studio floor to the gallery wall.
I am Li Jun Liang, a ceramic artist working from a small studio on the outskirts of Pretoria. For over a decade I have thrown, carved, and wood-fired stoneware and porcelain, building a body of work that moves between sculptural vessels, everyday tableware, and installations made for specific spaces. The work is slow by nature: clay is dug and prepared, forms are thrown and trimmed, then fired in kilns where atmosphere and ash decide much of the final surface.
This site is a record of that process as much as a portfolio of finished pieces. You will find project pages with multiple angles of each work, notes on the clay body and firing temperature, and the thinking behind a particular curve or carved motif. There is also a small shop section for one-off mugs, bowls, and vases, and information about beginner hand-building classes held in the studio.
Collectors looking for original ceramic sculpture with a clear material history. Interior designers sourcing handmade tableware and vessels that carry a sense of place. And workshop participants who want to learn hand-building from the ground up, in a real studio rather than a classroom.
If you are unsure whether a piece fits your space or your table, I am happy to talk it through. Most work is made to be used, and I can advise on glaze durability, care, and how a form will behave in daily life.
I work with a limited palette of clays and glazes, mostly local stoneware and porcelain. Surfaces are left to develop through firing rather than covered with decoration. What you see is what the kiln gave.
Throwing, trimming, and wood-firing are documented openly, including the failures. A warped rim or an unexpected ash run often teaches more than a flawless piece ever could.
Even the sculptural vessels are built with the same care as a daily mug. I want the work to live in homes, not just on plinths, and to hold up to years of handling.
The studio did not start with a plan. It started with a rented wheel, a borrowed kiln, and a stack of notebooks full of failed glaze tests. What follows are the stages that shaped how the work is made and shared today.
A second-hand electric kiln set up in a garage in Pretoria. Early work was functional stoneware, mostly mugs and bowls, fired to cone 6. The first year was about learning to control temperature and accepting that not every pot survives.
A shared downdraft kiln with two other potters changed the direction of the work. Ash glazes from local eucalyptus and acacia wood became a signature. This was also the year the first sculptural vessel series was completed, though it took another two years before it felt ready to show.
A regional gallery in the Gauteng area hosted a solo show of ash-glazed vessels. The exhibition sold out on opening night, which was unexpected. More importantly, it established relationships with collectors and interior designers who still commission work today.
A deliberate shift toward porcelain tableware with carved botanical motifs. The decision came from a simple observation: collectors wanted pieces for daily use, not just display. The carving technique took a full year to refine without cracking the thin walls.
An invitation to create an installation at a decommissioned brick factory led to a new body of work using unfired clay. The piece, Clay Memory, was documented and later shown in a smaller form at a gallery in Pretoria. It opened up conversations about material history that continue to inform the studio practice.
Beginner hand-building classes started in the studio, filling a gap for hands-on pottery learning in the Pretoria area. A small online shop followed, offering one-off mugs, bowls, and vases. The goal was never volume, but a steady way to connect with people who live with the work.
A decade in the studio
The timeline below traces the practical turning points of the practice: when the work shifted from functional ware to sculptural forms, when wood-firing became a regular part of the process, and when teaching entered the picture. Each stage is tied to a specific body of work or a particular technical decision.
2014
Started with a second-hand wheel and a small electric kiln in a rented garage in Pretoria. The early output was mostly functional stoneware: mugs, bowls, and simple vases. The focus was on learning to throw consistently and understanding basic glaze chemistry.
2017
Attended a two-week wood-firing workshop in Mpumalanga. The experience changed the direction of the work: the unpredictability of ash deposits and flame paths became a central interest. Returned home and began building a small downdraft kiln with the help of a local bricklayer.
2019
A solo show at a regional gallery in Pretoria featuring a series of ash-glazed stoneware vessels alongside the first porcelain pieces with carved botanical motifs. The exhibition sold out and led to commissions from local interior designers looking for original tableware.
2021
Created "Clay Memory," an installation using unfired clay bricks and ceramic fragments sourced from the same clay body once used on the site. The work was part of a group exhibition exploring industrial heritage and marked a move beyond the gallery pedestal.
2023
Began offering beginner hand-building classes in the Pretoria area, with small groups of no more than six participants. The shop section of the website launched the same year, selling one-off mugs, bowls, and vases that did not make it into exhibition bodies of work.
2025
The present focus is a series of porcelain vessels with carved patterns based on indigenous Pretoria flora, paired with ongoing experiments in ash glaze recipes using wood from different local tree species. The work continues to balance functional tableware with sculptural forms.