Nathan can’t pinpoint the exact moment he became a ceramicist, but he knows it began early. The craft sits deep in his family story. As a second-generation Australian with Vietnamese and Chinese heritage, he draws on a lineage of makers who shaped how he works today. His grandfather was a traditional potter in Ho Chi Minh City, creating practical, everyday pieces that carried an intuitive understanding of form. That sense of knowing has carried through the generations.

Nathan completed his Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) at The Australian National University School of Art and Design in 2022 and the influence of his time at art school has had an immense impact on how he approaches his art today. Guided by the Bauhaus teaching method, he learned through hands-on practice and a collaborative studio environment. The daily rhythm of learning beside passionate teachers and fellow students helped him refine his eye, deepen his technique and find new momentum in his craft.

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The colourful world of ceramics

“The medium of ceramics knows no boundaries. The more you know, the less you know,” Nathan says, his hands moving instinctively through clay as he coaxes the slip into form.

The ancient art of ceramics resists limits. It can be as pared back or as bold as an artist wants it to be, with endless room for expression. Nathan’s work lands somewhere his own. It’s a window into his character: a little quirky, full of colour and anchored by a quiet sense of control.

For Nathan, confidence is something you grow into. With the support of his teachers at ANU and a studio environment that encouraged exploration, he began shaping the artist he is today. The fundamentals he learned in class still anchor his practice. You can see those threads running through every neon-bright pot and each experimental glaze he pulls from the kiln.