Ashes to Ashes: How the lowliest of materials became the height of taste

March 21, 2024March 21, 2024 by Jay

For the ancient Chinese, the discovery that wood ash could be made into glazes brought them the exquisite colours of imperial bronze and majesterial jade in a plastic medium. For Bernard Leach and his disciples (chief among them Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie) these pots were a revelation. With their own trials in ash they looked to a … Read more

The First Pot I Ever Bought | Mike Dodd

April 26, 2021 by Jay

Those of you who are familiar with my book ‘An Autobiography of Sorts’ will know that the first essay I ever wrote was called ‘In Defence of Tradition: because of the heart, in spite of the head’. In it I made the case for viewing tradition not as something static but as an evolving continuity … Read more

In Conversation | Warren MacKenzie | Part 2

June 15, 2024March 30, 2021 by Jay

Warren Mackenzie continues his conversation with fellow potter Randy Johnston. MacKenzie looks back at time spent with Bernard Leach in St Ives. They discuss the influence of Japanese ceramics and the importance of making affordable functional ware.

Documentary | Phil Rogers | Drawing in the Air

June 15, 2024September 27, 2018 by Jay

Filmed on location in Wales, this documentary follows Phil Rogers as he prepares for his 2014 ceramics exhibition at Goldmark Gallery – his first major show in 6 years.

The film shows Rogers at work in and around his studio in Rhayader, Mid-Wales. It shows him throwing cups, bowls and jugs, glazing and decorating and opening his oil and wood-fired kilns.

Rogers discusses his life as a studio potter and the challenges involved. The film also shows a range of his current work.

Profile | Warren MacKenzie: A Self-Confessed Man of Mud

October 12, 2020June 1, 2018 by Abu Morshed Julash

At 94, Warren MacKenzie is still to be found at his foot-powered treadle wheel throwing the loose, lively pots that made him America’s most famous potter.

In Focus | A Brief History of Modern Japanese Ceramics

October 2, 2020June 15, 2016 by Abu Morshed Julash

For Japan, the history of ceramics is the history of its belief systems, its cultural values – to a greater or lesser extent, it is the history of its people.