Merilyn Wiseman

Merilyn Wiseman (25 October 1941 – 13 June 2019) was a New Zealand potter.

Education

Wiseman graduated from Elam School of Art in Auckland with a Preliminary Diploma in 1959. In 1963 she graduated from Goldsmiths School of Art in London with a National Diploma in design, gaining an Art Specialist Teachers Diploma the following year. She recalls

I was a complete novice but with constant reference to A Potter's Book and persistent telephone calls to generous long-suffering established potters such as Ian Smail, Warren Tippett and many others, I started potting.

Wiseman's early work reflected the contemporaneous interest Japanese ceramics spread in New Zealand by influential English figures including Bernard Leach, but she quickly came to develop her own style. Her mature work is characterised by curvaceous and sensuous shapes, influenced by forms found in nature, and colours she creates through mixing glazes to match her needs. Other awards include the 1984 Premier Award at the Fletcher Challenge Pottery Awards and the 2005 Premier Award at the Portage Ceramic Awards. She has received three creative development grants from the QEII Arts Council.

In 2002 one of Wiseman's works, Pacific Rim, was featured in a special edition of stamps called 'Art Meets Craft' issued by New Zealand Post and Sweden Post.