Conservation – Cheeky Beaks

About Cheeky Beaks

Cheeky Beaks is a ceramics studio in Arrowtown, founded in 2025 by New Zealand sculptor Jack Stobart. Zimbabwean-born Jack grew up surrounded by art -his mother, Louise Stobart, is a renowned metal sculptor and designer, and together with his father Bruce, they founded Birdwoods Gallery in 2004.

In 2018, Jack began a sculpting apprenticeship under internationally recognised Zimbabwean stone sculptor Tendai Gwaravaza. Since then, his work has been exhibited and collected across Europe, America, Australia, and Canada. You can see more of his sculptures at jackstobart.co.nz.

Jack opened Birdwoods Gallery in Arrowtown in 2020 and still runs it today, working from his studio just outside town. In 2025, he branched into ceramics, combining his sculptural expertise with a love of New Zealand birdlife to create Cheeky Beaks - a whimsical collection of handcrafted ceramic birds inspired by Aotearoa’s native species.

Each Cheeky Beak is sculpted and glazed by hand in Jack’s Arrowtown studio, celebrating the colour, character, and charm of New Zealand’s birds.

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Handmade at home

Every ceramic bird is handmade in our studio here in New Zealand. Each piece is carefully glazed and carries its own unique character—no two are exactly the same

Collect the flock

Collect them all! These cheeky birds love hanging in a flock - pop them on a windowsill, fence, or deck and watch your own colourful colony come to life.

Doing our bit.

With every bird sold, a portion is donated to conservation groups across New Zealand, helping protect and preserve our feathered friends for generations to come.

Miromiro | Tomtit

Tieke | Saddleback

How do we do it?

We won’t give away all our secrets, but here’s a peek behind the scenes at how our birds come to life.

Bird Design

Each bird is carefully hand-sculpted from clay, with a focus on staying true to its real-life counterpart - while adding a subtle, whimsical twist that gives it its own unique personality.

Slip Casting

Once a design is finalised, we create a plaster mould of the bird. After it sets, the original sculpture is removed, leaving a negative impression inside the mould. Liquid clay is then poured in and allowed to dry, forming a replica of the original model.

Fettling

The birds are then removed from their moulds, and we carefully add the finishing details - bottoms, beaks, wattles, eye rings, and all the little features that bring each species to life. Once complete, they are left to dry before being bisque fired in our kiln to 1000°C.

Glazing + Underglazing

Once bisque fired, each bird is carefully coloured using underglaze and glaze, with a focus on staying true to its living counterpart. After glazing, they are returned to the kiln for a final firing at 1250°C, bringing out their richness of colour and durability.