Ceramic artist Bai Ming in his Beijing studio. Bai is known for his ceramic works with abstract patterns inspired by nature. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily]

Despite the Italian opera and the sound of water boiling in a teapot in the background, ceramic artist Bai Ming has an aura of quietness as he sits in his Beijing studio in front of a tea set. He's surrounded by his porcelain works, which range from elegant and thin vases to small and exquisite teacups.

Bai's quietness finds its way into his ceramic works－the pots, plates and cups.

"Porcelain for me is not a pile of clay. It means the relationship between people, time and material, which leads me to quietness," he says.

He adds that after decades of devoting his time to ceramic art, he has learned clay can express itself via an artist's hands.

The 51-year-old is known for his ceramic works with abstract patterns inspired by nature, such as green vines, rippling water and stones.

He is one of the few Chinese ceramic artists who has held large shows in museums, within and outside China.

In 2014, the Cernuschi Museum in France staged a Bai solo show, which comprised his ceramics, oil and ink paintings, and sculptures.

Bai is obsessed with abstract art, which he says is a kind of cultural instinct because the Chinese first made ceramics with abstract art thousands of years ago.