Once someone asked me: "When you dream, do you dream in colour or in black and white?" I replied that my dreams are coloured --- vibrantly, exquisitely coloured --- indeed, I cannot conceive of beauty itself without seeing it in colour.

Life is short, and time and beauty are precious. That is why I seek beauty in the everyday objects that touch our lives, from the smallest plate to the largest vessel.

It was that sense of the fleeing nature of time and beauty that inspired my pottery journey. I wanted to realise that aesthetic in clay.

When I began to work as a potter I first sought perfection in my throwing. But as my skills evolved, I began to find a deeper beauty in things imperfect and natural. Clay has its own unique character and the mature artist allows it to express its innate and natural beauty.

I also seek beauty in simplicity. Although my work has been extensively handled and worked I want it to show no unnatural elaboration or fussiness. I want it to express clean lines, clear and vibrant colours, and an unforced character.

Above all, in my work now, I seek to realise a natural beauty, growing from within the character of the clay itself. I find myself continually amazed, as I throw and press my clay, at the naturally extended shapes of edges. When I glaze, I seek a natural impact with multi-layered colours and glazes. And finally, I enlist the collaboration of the Kiln God who, in his hot dwelling place, will add his own unpredictable and mysterious beauty to my piece!

Hsiao-Chen Peng