Blog
Mocha Diffusions
by Robin Hopper ocha Diffusions is a little known technique of surface decoration developed and used in the Southwest of England, and subsequently copied in parts of North America, particularly Canada. It was only done on wares of a simple functional nature, and on forms that were simple in shape, such as mugs, bowl, jugs,... Read More
June 12, 2019
Inorganic Lead
by Edouard Bastarache Sources : The inorganic compounds which are of concern in ceramics are : -basic lead carbonate 2PbCO3.Pb(OH)2, -lead frits, including lead-boro silicate. -lead oxides : -red (minium) Pb3O4 , -yellow (litharge) PbO. Stability : I-Lead Carbonate : This product is unstable under the following conditions : when heated it decomposes at 400... Read More
June 12, 2019
Bernard Leach (1897-1979)
British Potter Bernard Leach is regarded as one of the great British potters of the 20th century. He spent eleven years in Japan, from 1909 to 1920, after which he returned to England to set up the St. Ives pottery and to spread the message of ceramics, the Oriental way. His influence through his writings and as mentor... Read More
June 12, 2019
Early Japanese Pottery
Of all the kinds of artifacts which may be found at archaeological sites, ceramics are surely one of the most important. Ceramic artifacts are extremely durable, and may last tens of thousands of years virtually unchanged from the date of manufacture. And ceramic artifacts, unlike stone tools, are completely person-made, shaped of clay and... Read More
June 12, 2019
Hans Coper
A Modernist Potter (1920-1981) Hans Coper was an influential modernist ceramist. Originally born in Germany, Coper migrated to England in 1939. Coper’s work was of a ‘continental’ sensibility – it had little or nothing to do with Leach’s ‘Sung Standard’. Coper was concerned less with the revival of Chinese or Korean rural expression, but rather... Read More
June 12, 2019
The Mud-Pie Dilemma
by John Nance. Review by Steven Goldate. John Nance’s diary-style book ‘The Mud-Pie Dilemma’ is a journalist’s account of the life and struggles of American studio-potter Tom Coleman. Nance picks up the story of Tom Coleman, the potter, in Oregon in 1977, when Tom is 32 years old. He had already been making a living as... Read More
June 12, 2019
How to Make a Clay Whistle
Technique by Chris Henley Below you will find a sequence of photographs with accompanying text that describes the fundamentals of a clay whistle making technique. I discovered quite by accident sometime around 1970. It is simple and works every time, if you follow the sequence. However, there are a few variables that come into play.... Read More
June 12, 2019
The Origins of Chattering
A Deocrative Technique Chattering is a decorative tecnique where a flexible metal tool is allowed to ‘jump’ across the surface of a leatherhard pot, making regular incisions on the surface. Japanese potters call such a tool a ‘jumping’ kanna, or ‘tobikanna’. In Japan, turning tools are known collectively as ‘kezuri no dogu’. The tools which potters originally... Read More
June 12, 2019
The Box
Japanese pottery boxes are works of art in their own right. Report by Robert Yellin In the West, one never really pays much attention to the box after receiving a gift or after making a purchase for oneself. It’s simply there to hold the contents and then be thrown away. It doesn’t really tell us... Read More
June 12, 2019
Nesta Nala & Clive Sithole
Two South African Zulu potters Photo: Collection Axis Gallery/Gary van Wyk & Lisa Brittan, photo Gary van Wyk Nesta Nala (b. 1940) is an award-winning South African Zulu potter. Nala learnt how to make traditional Zulu beer pots from her mother Siphiwe, who was also a potter. She has in turn also taught her daughters Jabu, Zanele and Thembi... Read More
June 12, 2019