Contents

COVER : “Clay is my voice,” says potter Mike O’Donnell, who hand-built this sculpture from local clay on his Paeroa property. One of four “guardian figures,” it reflects its maker’s concern that humans are not facing up to their responsibility to respect Mother Earth.
CONTENTS - Features :
LIVING UNDER THE SHADOW OF CANCER [Although cancer is now the main cause of death in New Zealand, being diagnosed with the disease need no longer be a sentence to an isolated and painful death];
THE ENDEARING, ENDANGERED SEASHORE [With the head and chest of a stallion (but the speed of a snail on steroids), a chameleon’s eyes, a reptilian tail, and a reproductive set-up that sees males competing to become impregnated by females, the seahorse is one strange little fish];
A FEELING FOR CLAY [Using our fingers to mould clay into some shape that has hitherto existed only in the imagination is almost a primal instinct. We visit some of the people who make a living out of this impulse, and find mixed fortunes on the ceramic scene.
TOUCHED BY FIRE - THE PRIVATE LANDSCAPES OF LEN CASTLE [Arguably our foremost and most versatile potter, Len Castle has had a lifelong fascination with clay and landscapes, expecially geothermal landscapes, which he considers are “art galleries of nature’s creations”];
THE FAMILY AT TIEKE [Tieke, situated on the middle reaches of the Whanganui River, 12 kilometres from the nearest road and uninhabited for almost a century, has again become home to descendants of its original owners];
CONTENTS - Departments :
LETTERS; GEONEWS [fencing Karori; damming Opuha; de-pigging Auckland Islands; tracing greywacke]; WEATHER [lessons from the ice]; OPEN COUNTRY [fly-fishing for Romneys]; BOOKS [An Eye for Country; I Was There!; Kea : Bird of Paradox]; COMING UP [what’s in store];