Hello Everyone,
I had a great trip in St. Ives! The Rogers' and I left on Wednesday and headed south for a place called Farrington, England. We spent the night with Nigel and Eileen Dutt, some pot-collecting friends of Phil and Lynne. Their house is decorated in a very modern style. There were many big windows so the rooms were full of natural light. The building was a converted cow barn/dairy so it had very high ceilings and arched doorways. They own many paintings, pots and sculptures. After we arrived there we went to visit a raku potter named Tim Andrews. Tim used to work at the Leach Pottery when he was first starting out. He brought out several pots and tiles which were somehow connected to the Leach Pottery. The village he lived in had a few houses with thatched roofs. One building had a bricked up spot where a window once existed. Lynne said there used to be a window tax so people would block their windows so they would get charged less. No wonder the colonists moved to America!
The next day I went into St. Ives with Lynne and Phil. On the drive there we saw entire fields of blooming rapeseed and daffodils. Also, since Cornwall used to be a tin mining county, there are these tall brick chimneys that were used to melt the tin. Cornwall's landscape is very rocky and craggy. Instead of hedges they have really beautiful stone walls. I saw so many lambs in the fields jumping about. When they are feeding their tails wiggle involuntarily. I'm still waiting for the lambs in Phil's fields to be born.
The Leach Pottery was re-opening into a museum. Without going into too much detail, Bernard Leach was arguably one of the most important figures in the craft movement. He was a great potter and philosopher. His Japanese friend Shoji Hamada was also very instrumental in the studio pottery movement. Together, they connected pottery from the east and west aesthetically and philosophically. In 1920, they opened a pottery in St. Ives (the Leach Pottery) that became a learning center for artists from all over the world.The Roger's had an invitation to go to the official opening. While they were there, I walked around town and on the beach. There are many galleries and shops in St. Ives. Many parts of the narrow streets are still cobblestone.The sea in St. Ives is a beautiful greenish color much different from the New England coast. The rooftops on the houses are covered with an ochre colored lichen. St. Ives is a picturesque seaside village with colorful boats and screaming seagulls. I walked on the rocks and found some lovely limpet shells and seaglass. I even found some broken pottery shards.
I caught up with Nigel and Eileen and we met Phil and Lynne at a pub called the Tinner's Arms. When the three of us walked in Nigel and Eileen saw a potter they know named Clive Bowen. He is the artist who made all the tiles for the Rogers' new kitchen. He was talking to an elderly woman near the fireplace. She was introduced to me as Jessamin Leach, Bernard's only surviving daughter. We sat down with Lynne and Phil and ordered some lunch. As we were waiting, a whole bunch of Leaches walked in. I met Jeremy, Simon and John (all sons of David Leach). There were also a few cousins and spouses there; it was like a big reunion. Simon Leach who now lives in Spain, sat and ate lunch with us. He was very friendly and excited to meet Phil for the first time.
After lunch the five of us checked into the Gurnard's Head. It is named after a piece of land that juts out into the ocean. It was a big bed and breakfast with a lot of local art on the walls. I had a cozy room with the softest, most comfy bed. There was even a little painting on the wall of a man making pots at a wheel. From there we went back into the downtown for a special ceremony at the Guild Hall. While walking to the hall Lynne saw her friend Emmanuel Cooper. She introduced us and I told him that my ceramic art history class used his book Ten Thousand Years of Pottery as our main text. He also wrote a biography on Bernard Leach. The ceremony was in honor of the re-opening of the Leach pottery. There were pictures of Bernard everywhere and a video playing. Phil talked to a woman who used to work in the pottery's shop. Emmanuel Cooper made a speech, so did John Leach. In John's speech he read a letter Bernard's stepmother had written him when he was 17. He had just told his folks that he wanted to be a potter and they were not very happy about it. It was pretty funny considering how successful Bernard became. In contrast to that, John also read a letter Bernard had written him. John had asked to be an apprentice at the Leach Pottery; Bernard encouragingly welcomed him on board. After a few more speeches, Tomoo Hamada (the grandson of Shoji Hamada) got up and made a little speech. He said he wanted to build bridges between the east and west just as his grandfather and John's grandfather had done. I felt really overwhelmed and honored to experience such a historic event. I felt a bit like an outsider since I'm not British but at the same time, I am part of the pottery community that touches every part of the globe. That night I was so exhausted! I was nearly asleep as my head hit the pillow.
The next morning at breakfast I discovered one of the most revolting British foods. Phil ordered a full English breakfast with black and white puddings. Usually, pudding means a dessert or sweet. When I asked Phil what black pudding was he told me it was a sausage made from pig's blood and fat. No thanks, I'll stick to some toast and tea!
On Friday, I went into the Leach Pottery. They had restored the old part and built a new addition. Jack Doherty is the new head potter. They will take on several students to work making a production line of pots designed by Jack. The old part had Bernard's kickwheel and many tools/equipment. There was a damp cupboard to keep clay wet and a heated cupboard to dry pots out. There was a fireplace where Bernard used to sit and discuss his philosophies with all the potters. The old anagama kiln had been restored. It was interesting that the earthy colors of the building and rooms at the pottery were mirrored in the pots themselves. After touring the pottery, we spent the day visiting galleries and shops. We drove out to a place selling prints by an Irish man named Breon O'Casey. The Rogers and the Dutts have some of his work already. That evening there was an opening for John Leach. He makes functional wood fired pots.
On Saturday, Phil had his opening at St. Ives Ceramics. There were about eighty pieces in the show ranging from large bottles to very small cups. It was a really beautiful display of pots. Each of Phil's pots are so individual. You could spend a long time with a single piece, absorbing all its nuances yet there is still a thread running through them that makes them distinctly Phil's. Phil said its all about exploring each idea until there is nothing more you can do with it, squeeze out every last possibility. He did skip out briefly to check the score of the big rugby match. Wales was playing and they won! Despite very poor weather Phil's show was well attended.
On Sunday, we stopped by John Leach's home in Somerset. His house has a thatched roof on it; it was the first time I had been in a house like that. John is very animated and loves to tell stories. At lunch, he had us all roaring with laughter.He gave us a tour of his pottery. I think his three chambered wood kiln is the biggest I have ever seen. It takes him 36 hours to fire it and he fires it every two months! He has been to the states many times. He got out a Stetson hat from Texas and told us a funny story about it. When we left he shook my hand and said, "Potters of the world ignite!" He is a really fun person. The place where he lives is known for apples that are made into juice and cider. After finally coming home, I was completely knackered. I was able to meet so many people and I got plenty of fresh sea air.
I apologize to the non-potters who are reading this as its filled with a lot of nerdy pottery stuff. I hope you are all doing well and staying warm. I've been having some technical difficulties with my computer but once I get it sorted I will post my pictures from St. Ives. Until next week....
Take care,
Kari
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