Ceramics NZ Touring Potter 2026
Bangkok-born ceramic artist and educator Chanakarn “Punch” Semachai creates work that bridges cultures and questions belonging. She holds a BA from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and an MFA from Edinboro University, USA. A 2022 NCECA Emerging Artist awardee and member of the International Academy of Ceramics, she has exhibited internationally. An observer at heart, she draws on everyday life, travel, and the question of who we are when we feel out of place. In 2026 she was awarded a British Council Connections Through Culture grant for a collaborative project in the UK exploring storytelling and memory through clay. This summer she takes up residencies at the Royal College of Art and in Brighton.
Artist statement
My work explores identity, multiculturalism, and the search for belonging. Moving from Thailand for my MFA, I learned that happiness lies not in conforming but in embracing what makes us different. This led to my dinosaurs, ancient creatures navigating a modern world, much as I have navigated unfamiliar terrain far from home. Blending sculptural and functional forms with vibrant color, ornamentation, and a dash of humor, I hope to create special moments between my pots and the people who enjoy them, and to remind us that it is our differences that make us remarkable.
Ceramics New Zealand October 2026 Workshop Schedule
3-9 October – Nelson Clay Week
- 10 & 11 Oct – Narrative Sculpture 2-day Workshop at Otago Potters Group (Dunedin)
- 13 & 14 Oct – Sculptural Lidded Jar 2-day Workshop at Wakatipu Potters (Queenstown)
- 17 & 18 Oct – Workshop at Ōtaki Potters (Ōtaki)
- 21 & 22 Oct – Workshop at Quarry Arts (Whangārei)
- 24 & 25 Oct – Workshop at Studio One Toi Tū (Auckland)
Ceramics NZ is helping facilitate 2 different workshop offers – a 2-day sculptural lidded jar workshop, or a 2-day narrative sculpture standing figure workshop.
Sculptural Lidded Jar + Surface Decoration Demo
Format: 2 days
Workshop text
Greetings, I’m Chanakarn Semachai, also known as Punch. In this 2-day hands-on workshop, I’ll guide you through crafting my signature sculptural lidded jar. Where pottery meets sculpture to infuse functional pieces with playfulness and joy. All levels are welcome.
You’ll learn how I build a vessel and introduce sculptural elements to add narrative and uniqueness to everyday objects, alongside surface decoration techniques using underglaze methods including water coloring, sgraffito, wash, and underglaze pencil. I’ll share tips and tricks from my own journey with clay to help you navigate the process with confidence. We’ll close the second day with a focused demo on underglaze surface decoration for lidded jars, including what to watch out for when firing them.
By the end, you’ll have the skills to build and decorate your own sculptural lidded jars to carry forward into your own practice.
Narrative Sculpture – Clay Creatures & the Stories They Carry
Standing 2-legged narrative sculpture
Format: 2 days
Workshop text
Join Punch (Chanakarn Semachai) for a playful, hands-on exploration of figurative sculpture in clay. Learn how to build expressive creatures and characters from scratch, mastering handbuilding and coiling techniques to construct figures that sit, stand, and come to life.
Punch will share her approach to embedding personal symbols, narrative, and meaning into form, alongside intentional surface decoration techniques you can adapt for your own classroom. There are no limits here every participant will leave with their own unique story told in clay.