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This section
of the website contains images of exhibitions that I have visited
over the years.
Peter has sent in some images of pots which will feature in his
forthcoming exhibition at John Bedding's St. Ives Ceramics. The
show coincides with the St. Ives September Festival, opening on
September 6th and running until October 3rd.
Each year their Summer exhibition features the work of many artists,
ceramicists and sculptors, included in 2008 were over 650 items
from 40 makers. As always the exhibition flows over into the garden
behind the gallery where many sculptural pieces were displayed
to great effect.
It was good to see the Rufford exhibition space hosting another
great ceramics exhibition. After firing his raku forms, Peter
develops their surface textures with techniques such as lengthy
submergence water, sanding and burnishing. The work exhibited
ranged from small burnished forms through to large totems and
a wonderful water feature in the form of a large raku disc form
with a central turquioise resin band.
A truly wonderful exhibition featuring 180 pots by master potter
Jim Malone, the most impressive display of Jim's work tht I have
ever seen.
Full marks must go to Phil and Lynn Rogers for their efforts
in staging this wonderful exhibition of pottery by Hamada Shoji,
his apprentice Shimaoka Tatsuzo and his eldest son Hamada Shinsaku.
Long will I treasure the experience of being able to touch and
feel these very special pots, to see so many pieces in one place
outside Japan was a rare privilege.
A selection of Phil's latest work was exhibited at John Bedding's
St. Ives Ceramics gallery in March 2008. The exhibition was scheduled
to coincide with the re-opening of the Leach Pottery and provided
visiting studio pottery enthusiasts with a welcome extra attraction
to see during their visit to St. Ives.
Collector's Choice looks back over the last twenty years and
features the work of a number of Britain's top flight potters,
the pots are complimented by the Leach inspired calligraphy of
Andy Moore.
A wonderful Potter’s Day at the Goldmark Gallery in Uppingham,
Rutland. A mixed show of pots Phil Rogers, Lisa Hammond, Svend
Bayer, Mike Dodd, Ken Matsuzaki and Clive Bowen was complimented
by the premiere of the Goldmark sponsored film profile of Phil
Rogers and talks by Phil and collector Alistair Hawtin.
The third Totally Tea Bowls exhibition staged by the Oakwood
Ceramics team. Visitors to the preview had the privilege of learning
about the Japanese tea ceremony from potter Yo Thom who resplendent
in her kimono made Japanese green tea and explained the significance
of the ceremony and the bowls.
A great set of pots from one of Britain's foremost traditional
potters.
This sellout exhibition features work from what turned out to
be Bill Marshall's last firing in December 2006 before his death
in May 2007. Bill was taken on as an apprentice at the Leach Pottery
by Bernard Leach way back in 1938 and was later to become the
mainstay of the pottery before leaving in 1977 to set up he own
workshop in Lelant just up the road from St. Ives where he worked
with his son Andrew.
A collection of 80 recent works featuring ceramic vessels together
with ceramic, stone and bronze sculptural forms.
A celebration of the first 50 years of the Craftsman Potters
Association. The exhibition features the work of 40 CPA members
and is accompanied by a sculpture trail around the gardens with
large scale work by 20 ceramicists.
I agree with Henry Sandon who opened this exhibition, Phil Rogers
is one of our best studio potters. His work is continually evolving
and in this exhibition he shows nearly a hundred pots which demonstrate
his skills to good effect.
The team at Bevere are working hard to become a top class ceramics
venue. Their exhibitions are beautifully staged and future ceramics
events at Bevere include The CPA at 50
with over 40 CPA members participating and a Jim Malone exhibition.
Bevere is just a couple of miles from junction 6 of the M5, well
worth the short detour if you are passing.
An exhibition of contemporary French ceramics curated by the
Pots From France team of Jack Blackburn and Margot Bartlett.
A joint exhibition featuring salt glazed stoneware from Mark
Griffiths and ash glazed stoneware by Peter Swanson
A major retrospective exhibition and symposium covering the life
and work of Bernard Leach's wife Janet.
Mark Griffiths is a highly skilled potter and woodturner based
in Shropshire, England.
His Christmas Exhibition features new salt glazed wood fired
pots together with bowls turned from local woods.
An exhibition of beautiful porcelain pots by Joanna Howells,
Jack Doherty and Chris Keenan accompanied by still life oil paintings
by Chris Howells.
Jim Malone is one of Britain's most respected studio potters
and this, his first exhibition for a couple of years did not disappoint.
A wonderful collection of 67 pots were exhibited by the Oakwood
Gallery and most were eagerly snapped up by enthusiastic and knowledgable
collectors at the very well attended preview event.
The pots formed the first firing of Jim's new two chamber climbing
kiln built by with his own hands at his Lessonhall Pottery in
the English Lake District.
The exhibition was beautifully staged and the Oakwood team are
to be congratulated for providing a first class venue.
Ruthanne's soda glazed stoneware is complimented by Julie Herring's
seascape paintings in the new Bettles Gallery in Ringwood. A major
inspiration for Ruthanne's contorted pots is the creative forces
of nature that she remembers from her childhood in California.
Unlike most potters Ruthanne's pots are finished on the wheel
rather than being assembled when hardened off. Fifty three pots
were exhibited, mostly domestic ware - bottles, platters, jugs,
teapots, dishes and lidded jars with tea ceremony yunomis and
chawans.
After a number of successful exhibitions featuring the work of
potters such as Jim Malone, Phil Rogers, Mike Dodd and Nick Rees
the Oakwood Gallery in Edwinstowe, Notts closed in 2004. Since
then David Binch has developed a successful website - Oakwood
Ceramics. This has been good news for studio pottery collectors
all over the world but until now the special atmosphere of an
Oakwood exhibition provided by David, Ausma and his team has been
sorely missed.
Until a couple of years ago Lisa Hammond specialised in soda
glazed domestic ware. In 2004 she took the opportunity to work
in Japan with shino expert Rizu Takahashi and this exhibition
shows how Lisa's work has moved on in both form and decoration.
Included were a range of traditional Japanese drinking vessels,
some specially commissioned for the event, lidded caddies, bottles,
jars and vases. The exhibition was beautifully staged, the minimalistic
setting providing just the right background for Lisa's work.
The preview was very well attended and the profusion of red spots
soon confirmed that Lisa's pots met with widespread approval.
I am already looking forward to the Jim Malone exhibition in
October!
Reuben Batterham's Poterie D'Aval is near St. Claude in Eastern
France. This exhibition was very much a family event, the venue
was the doctor's surgery where his sister works, the surgery buildings
being designed by his brother. The influence of his father Richard
is evident in Reuben's ash and salt glazed stoneware. The exhibition
consisted of around 150 storage jars, bowls, plates, casseroles
and vases. The preview was well attended and the lively atmosphere
was generated in part due to the french wine and food provided.
One of three exhibitions opening in September 2005 featuring
studio pottery from the 13,000 pieces held by the York Museums
Trust.
Fired up features the the journey of a pot from the
clay in the ground to the plate on the table. Ceramics from Iron
Age times through to twentieth century studio pottery are shown
in themed displays - posh pots, from the kitchen to the table,
tippling, tea or coffee, construction : bricks and mortar, construction
- keeping the roof over your head, beliefs and idols, pots for
shops and home comforts - illustrating how potters have responded
to the demands of the population.
Modern studio pots includes work by Hans Coper, Shoji Hamada,
Bernard Leach, Liz Frizsch, Jim Malone, Michael Cardew, William
Staite-Murray, Michael Casson and the local potter David Lloyd-Jones.
Although the valuable pots are in cases or behind wired alarms,
the exhibition includes a display of pots to be handled, these
include work by Ray Finch and Ursula Mommens.
One of three exhibitions opening in September 2005 featuring
studio pottery from the 13,000 pieces held by the York Museums
Trust.
A Passion for Pots celebrates the life and studio pottery
of Wakefield librarian Bill Ismay who amassed a 3,500 piece collection
which filled his small terraced house in the city. Bill died in
2001 and bequeathed his pots to the museum trust.
The exhibition is in two rooms. One exhibits large pots by Shoji
Hamada, Hans Coper, Svend Bayer, Ladi Kwali and Barbara Cass together
with the 80th birthday plate created by Eric Mellon featuring
Bill Ismay with some of Mellon's usual characters! A video in
which Barley Roscoe, Jim Robison and Chris Keenan talk about Bill
and the Coper and Hamada pots and huge enlarged images of some
of Bill's letters are also included together with some pots to
be handled including work from the Leach Pottery in St. Ives and
Svend Bayer. The second room tries to give the visitor an idea
of what Bill Ismay's house must have been like. Cased displays
of Bill's pots are surrounded by wall sized images of how the
pots were stored in his house - stacked on top of each other and covered
in dust.
Matsuzaki Ken is one of Japan's leading potters studying under
Tatsuko Shimaoka before setting up his own studio near Mashiko
over thirty years ago. In 2002 Ken was invited over to the UK
and took part in a number of events including Clay Art 2005 at
Ruthin in North Wales. An exhibition of Matsuzaki Ken's work was
held at Ruthin Craft Centre to accompany the Clay Art event.
The second Totally Teabowls exhibition at the Oakwood Gallery
in March 2004 featured 449 (yes, 449) teabowls by 48 different
makers.
The Gallery Upstairs is above Reg Moon's Torquil Pottery in picturesque
Henley-in-Arden. The selling exhibition featuring pots by David
and John Leach, sculpture by Ben Leach and paintings by Elizabeth
Travis (Ben's wife) was enhanced by the appearance of a number
of pots by Bernard and David Leach loaned from private collections.
The preview was attended by all four artists and was opened by
local pottery expert Henry Sandon.
As I write in June 2004, this major retrospective exhibition
of the work of David Leach is near to completing it's tour of
the U.K.
David made his first pot as a boy in Japan in 1917 and he is
still potting well into his nineties. The exhibition included
over 130 pots showing how David's work has evolved over the years.
The accompanying book simply entitled David
Leach contains a biography by Emmanuel Cooper as well as photographs
of the exhibition.
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