In the past couple of years, Leo Wong has carved a name for himself in the world of ceramics. From his studio in Hong Kong, overlooking the city’s modern soaring skyscrapers, Leo has immersed himself in a craft that harkens back to tradition. He creates flowers of such delicacy and detail from ceramic and porcelain. Hand-shaping each petal with particular attention to how a flower unfolds in its blooming stages, firing it in the kiln and then adding the color.
Before devoting his time to ceramic flowers, Leo studied and trained as a landscape designer and arborist in Hong Kong and Singapore. The pivot to ceramic happened when he apprenticed with Ho Tai-kwan, the last remaining Shiwan ceramics master in Hong Kong. Shiwan ware dates back to the Tang and Qing dynasties and is highly regarded for its lifelike figurines.
“I had a precious chance to learn a wide range of ceramic craft from the master – from knowledge of different types of clay, various sculpting techniques to glaze formulae. Since then I was deeply attracted to the lifelike expression of Shiwan ceramics. I decided to devote myself to ceramic art and to convey my passion and knowledge in botanical and florals,” says Leo.
It took years and much trial and error before Leo became a ceramic expert himself. There were experiments with clay, pigment and glazing that were unsuccessful but persistence, dedication and desire to master the craft eventually reaped rewards.
“My porcelain flowers are fired in a ceramic kiln at around 1300 degrees Celsius for two days after one month of slow drying process. Hotter than any known volcano, this ultra-high temperature gives the unique strength yet delicacy I seek. Under this high temperature, ceramic works easily deform and collapse during firing. The entire process must be carefully controlled. This requires not only carefulness and patience, but also perseverance without fear of failure.”
His first creation was a cherry blossom, replete with a branch and buds in various stages of blooming. Then he moved to more showy flowers like peonies. “I realised I am more interested to make voluminous and lush flowers, I started to develop making porcelain peony and became my most important collection. Compound, sweetly fragrant and packed with delicate petals, peonies are often depicted in different forms of art as omen of good fortune in Chinese tradition. My peony collection is a celebration of thousands years of Asian beauty and culture of naturalism.”
The porcelain peonies have attracted a following. In 2002, Van Cleef & Arpels commissioned Leo to create 100 flowers for their store window in Hong Kong. Homo Faber, the Italian collective that celebrates global artisans, selected Leo to be part of its 2024 exhibition. “I presented an exquisite floral porcelain sculpture entitled Peonies and Butterfly, featuring five peonies on a wood branch which is entirely made with ceramics, capturing the captivating allure and timeless beauty of florals. I felt very excited and grateful to receive this once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase my work alongside 400 master artisans from more than 50 countries around the world and had the chance to meet other masters in person and exchange ideas and skill.”
Just as he had learned from a Hong Kong master ceramists and had exchanged ideas and skills with other artisans at Homo Faber, Leo is passing on the techniques and passion he has for ceramics to those who wish to learn. He hosts workshops where participants get to craft ceramics flowers. “I was very fortunate to foray into ceramic craft, which allows me to express myself and my artistic vision through this age-old technique. It also allows me to see and understand the world in the lens of creativity and craftsmanship. Therefore, I decided to run ceramic workshop to give back. The workshop runs 1-2 times a month, approximately take 3 hours each session. Participants do not require any prior ceramic or craft experience, and they will be able to make one ceramic flower after the workshop. Many of them have expressed a positive and therapeutic feeling during the workshop and some have discovered their hidden talent,” concludes Leo.
”