Judit Esztergomi makes wheel-thrown and press-moulded tableware from high-firing clays. Because they are useful and simple pots, they are meant to be used every day. Eating, drinking, sharing creates a relationship between the pot and its holder, changes the average into the special. She considers herself an honest craftswoman and her pots lack deep philosophical thoughts. However, they offer the joy and love with which she made them.
The shapes are light and comfortable to hold. It is very important how the pot sits in the hands, and how it relates to the food served in it. The simple forms together with the rhythm of throwing provide the blank canvas for her patterns.
Judit Esztergomi’s decoration techniques all involve carving through or scraping back. This method of hiding away first and then slowly and carefully revealing the pattern beneath is the strongest connection between her pots.
Her inspiration comes from many sources. The heritage of her motherland, Hungary and its traditional folk pottery is present throughout. Along with the country’s hilly landscapes with their softly waving silhouettes, the wind as it blows the meadow grasses and flowers. Her landscape architect background adds the love for order, intricate details and plants.
Meadow Range
The memories of my childhood summers, spent back in Hungary. Meadow flowers and grasses, softly moving and waving in the light summer breeze, their vivid greens already burnt to a warm yellow-brown by the sun. The scorching heat, that melted the tarmac on the roads and made the air tremble above them. The chirping of crickets, the buzzing of the insects, the ringing of the church bell from a distant village, the constant whisper of the feathering grasses. The long gone freedom and carefreeness.
