Shi Jie Weng

Black-Gold Deer-Head Vase

2024

Originally trained in mechanical engineering, Shi Jie Weng began working with clay in 2004 and soon discovered a lifelong pursuit in ceramics. In 2010 he established his personal studio, Cloud Hand Pottery, dedicating himself to the study of glaze. By 2013 he had become a full-time ceramic artist, exhibiting widely in Taiwan and Singapore and earning recognition for his distinctive mastery of color and form.

Weng’s focus lies in monochrome glazes, long admired since the Song dynasty, when the Ru kiln was revered as the pinnacle of porcelain. Over more than a decade he has created nearly twenty types of high and low temperature monochrome glazes, each transformed by fire into unique, jewel-like surfaces. His works, praised for their form, color, and texture, have reached museum-level quality and won major awards, including the 2019 Taiwan Ceramic Awards.

Among his most celebrated achievements is the revival of the rare Langyao red glaze. Known historically as “bright as a mirror, smooth as jade, red as blood,” it has long been considered one of the most difficult glazes to produce. After years of experimentation, Weng succeeded in advancing it into his signature “Flying Sunset Langyao,” capturing the instant before glaze vaporizes. The result is a radiant red that gleams like gemstones and flickers like twilight clouds, distilling nature’s brilliance into ceramic form.

For Weng, each firing is both a technical trial and a meditation. Through relentless experimentation he has come to master the delicate balance of kiln atmosphere and temperature. His pursuit reveals the essence of monochrome glaze as a true “art of fire,” transforming tradition into contemporary beauty and securing his place among today’s most significant ceramic artists.