About Us
Of Hand & Heart Art Gallery is located in Warkworth, 45 minutes north of Auckland. It is owned & operated by Rick Urban, a potter from the United States & his wife, Mio Endo, an art tutor who is originally from Japan.
Please enjoy exploring our offerings from many painters, sculptors, pottery & ceramics artists on our website or real life in our gallery at
19B Queen Street in Warkworth.
RICK & MIO
Before moving to New Zealand in 1979 Rick gave up a career as an art director at advertising agencies in New York & London. He started taking pottery classes nights & weekends while still working in London & after 2 years quit his job & for the next 2 years joined the full time studio pottery course at the Harrow College of Art.
Rick returned to New York, worked again for one year to save money & in 1979 moved to the beautiful mountains in North Carolina to set up a pottery studio & shop called "The Mountain Pottery" in the small town of Sylva. In 1984 he moved his studio & pottery gallery to the charming craft village of Dillsboro where he also sold pottery by 25 different artists.
Rick & his wife, Mio Endo from Japan, immigrated to New Zealand after vacationing there & in 2006 opened "Of Hand & Heart" in Rotorua.
In 2009 they relocated the gallery to the small town of Warkworth where they now show the work of over 50 different potters, ceramic artists, sculptures & painters.
To find "Of Hand & Heart" just follow the Yellow Brick Road down the short alleyway on Queen Street besides the fantastic Pete & Mary's Eatery.