ZEKIAH HEATH
Ceramicist
When Dish meets Zekiah Heath she’s enjoying bone broth in one of her own bowls. “It’s the perfect size to cup your hands, and warm your hands in winter too,” she says. “But I like it because I made it. I made the bowl, and the broth!
“The reason I make domestic ware is because I like food,” Zekiah continues. And I like food to look good. That’s important to me. People get hung up on the price of something so they never use it. It just sits on a shelf.
For me, it’s important to use it in my life on a daily basis because what’s the point of making something if it’s not going to be used?”
Ceramics wasn’t something that initially attracted the 38-year-old. As a design student at Auckland’s Unitec in the early 2000s, she became interested in repetitive form, experimenting first with glass and resin casting. It wasn’t until her final year that she “stumbled into ceramics”.
“I liked it because the material was much more malleable. So that’s where I started to hone my skills.”
Zekiah uses a technique called slip casting, which is where a mould is used to make a form over and over again. Slip casting is used for mass production, but it still creates something unique and not exactly the same each time.
“To me, not being exactly the same is special. It’s important to see a hand in making that work. I love those little idiosyncrasies that show it’s been made by a human with two hands. It gives so much personality and character,” Zekiah enthuses.
“When you see people come and choose pieces, they really labour over it because each one has its own little characteristics.”
Most people know Zekiah’s work for the beautiful pastel palette she originally employed. The soft hues of pastel pink, blue, lemon and cream were extremely popular. But last year she selected brighter, richer colours such as raspberry, blueberry and toffee. This departure from her usual colour scheme was a tough decision for the ceramicist.
“I had been doing the pastel work for a long time so it was really hard to let go of that. But in order to grow, I needed a full departure from what I had done. I felt like it was time to do something bold and these were the colours I was enjoying and seeing,” she says.
However, for those missing her pastel work, Zekiah has recently done a collaboration with friend and fellow ceramicist Renee Boyd, which is currently stocked at fashion store Superette. The collection, called Boyd and Heath, features handle-less tumblers, mugs, platters and small bowls for jewellery, and includes a blush pink, similar to the signature pink she first became known for.
With her pieces stocked in Auckland’s The Poi Room, Christchurch’s Flock Design Store and at Piece Gallery in Matakana, Zekiah has a steady customer base. However, she admits a lot of people still don’t fully understand the process that goes into making ceramic wares.
“People are used to things being cheap all the time. A handmade piece like one of my dipping bowls goes for $32. The fact that it’s been handmade and gone through such a long process makes it so much more special. I’m more inclined to buy something that is quality over quantity.”