Meet your Monitors: Betty Wang
Article by Thomas Winn
As a young girl growing up in Taipei, Taiwan, Betty Wang would gaze in amazement at the pottery in her parent's home. Over the years, her father had acquired an impressive collection of pieces by master Japanese potters.
"Ever since I was small, I enjoyed my father’s beautiful ceramics pieces from well- known Japanese ceramics masters," Betty explained. "I thought it would be nice if someday I could take ceramics lessons."
Years later, after moving to America, Betty finally got a chance to dig her hands into clay. Betty and her family (husband, son, and daughter) were living on the East Coast when Betty took her first ceramics class. She learned how to use pinch-pot techniques to hand build pots and bottles.
Her first experience with ceramics didn't last long. A year later, in 2003, Betty's husband accepted a job in the Bay Area, and her family moved to Danville. Betty immediately started looking for a studio. In September she started taking classes at Walnut Creek.
"After I moved here, I tried hard to find a ceramics class," Betty said. "I was overwhelmed when I found the Walnut Creek Ceramics Art studio from the website. We are lucky to have such a great studio facility here. I really appreciate being able to take lessons from so many well-qualified instructors. And other potters and friends at the studio have given me lots of hints and helpful advice."
Betty, who is a retired statistician, enjoys making functional pottery such as bottles, vases, bowls, and plates. Her current focus is porcelain bowls and teapots.
The impression made by her early exposure to the work of Japanese master potters is apparent in her work. Her pieces lean toward classic East Asian forms. Betty has a keen eye for the flow of a silhouette. She's also a bit of a perfectionist. Anyone who has watched her trim a bottle or throw a bowl knows that she's never happy unless the curve and proportion of a piece are just the way she wants it.