Titian Studio Pottery Blog

 Transfer or Decal. What's the difference? Maori Warrior & Wahine Barrel Mug with Ashtray Lid So, what is the difference between transfers and decals? Nothing! However, in my musings I refer to the images made in-house at Titian Studio (Henderson), and later at Orzel Industries (Drury) as transfers. And, I refer to imported images as decals which were sold by salesmen, representing English companies. Decals were sold to various commercial potteries including Crown Lynn. Wahine Maiden (S.100) Reginald ‘Reg’ Taylor was Crown Lynn’s colour chemist in the 1960s. In the evenings and nearly every weekend, he moonlighted with Cameron Brown teaching him how to make silk screen transfers using an old camera. Kiwi Mug It was in Henderson that the first transfers were made. They were of various coloured knives, forks and spoons and were added to the outside of cookware. At this stage nobody has found an ovenware piece with the original knife-fork-spoon transfer. It’s like looking for a ne...

 What's the story? (Photo courtesy of Warren Roberts) On the last weekend of September, I attended the 46th Annual Bottle Show at Hamilton. It was fantastic and I highly recommend that you go along next time it's in your part of town. Oh yes, did I mention the Kiwi Auctions were there, and the sales tables of antiques and collectibles too? I had a wonderful chat with a couple of guys who'd set up the Ti-toki Liqueur bottle display. I certainly learnt a lot from chatting with them. I'm bummed I didn't get their names. Hopefully they'll see my post and get in touch with me. Glass Ti-toki bottle used in the mid 1970s It was in the late 1970s Diane Balich, managing director of wine company based in Swanson, contacted Orzel Industries about commissioning them to make a tekoteko crock for their Ti-toki liqueur. Up until then they'd been using a bulbous shaped glass bottle. The photo above is an empty bottle I rescued from my parent's house when I was a child. ...