A collaboration between friends - Star Act and Blenk Projects. This collection of work draws from the landscape of Banks Peninsula—its peaks, valleys, and vivid shifts in colour and light—infusing Arnhold's hand-built ceramic forms with a sense of place, the environment naturally became a collaborator. The textures, palettes, and dreamlike imagery that defines this group of work are enriched through Blenk’s use of walnut, macrocarpa,

 and rimu frames bringing warmth and gravity to each piece. Together, wood and clay speak in texture, tone, and form—each echoing the other, each made with care.

Originally from Ōtautahi and Brazil respectively, Catarina Correia Arnhold and Hugo van Dorsser live and create out of their Lyttelton home studio, where they sculpt, paint, form and splatter. Testing the outcomes of most painterly mediums, Van Dorsser’s practice lies in response to the chemistry of ceramic clay and glazes. When precision fails uncertainty excites, mistakes are enhanced while surplus is re-formed. Imagination,

fantasy, and a kinship with the material guide her creations. When caught at a standstill the two self taught artists will often swap mediums. This interdisciplinary process divulges new techniques and ideas where in bold colours and hewn forms traverse. Whether it’s predetermined or conceived through creation a story will emerge, often one warmly clutching something of sentimental value.

This debut collection was created in a barn, a makeshift studio, on Arnhold's family property in Albany, during the early days of her ceramic practice, in 2023. Working with only a few tools and a sense of curiosity, each piece took shape naturally.

The work draws on memories from her childhood in Brazil—familiar textures, shapes, and feelings that surfaced in the process.

 It’s a collection rooted in exploration, nostalgia, and the freedom of a creative beginning.