newzealdndpotter vol 90/? spring 1978 Contents Potting in Auckland Lindsay Bedogni, Grant Campbell Waybe Farm Pottery John and Diane Anderson Nicholas Stather Andrew and Gennie Van der Puten ©OOO\>$>UJI\J Sally Vinson 10 Glenn Beattie 12 Beverley Luxton 13 Olive Jones, pioneer potter 14 Native Gardens 15 Glazes —— improving predictability 16 In pursuit of a glaze 18 Levi Borgstrom — wood carver 19 Cry your eyes out Betty Crocker 20 Fear not the flame 26 Pottery in Australia 28 Kiln — keeping a low profile 30 Refractories for potters’ kilns 33 Kiln for fast firing stoneware 34 New Zealand Potter is a non-pro fit making magazine published twice annually. Circulation is 6,500. The annual subscription is $NZ4.00, for Australia $A4.70, Canada and the United States, $U.S.5.40, Britain £2.70 postage included. New Subscriptions should include name and address ofsubscriber and the issues required. Please mark correspondence ”Subscriptions". Receipts will not be sent unless asked for. A renewal form is included in the second issue each year. This should be used without delay. It is the only indication that the magazine is still required. Advertising rates Full page 180mm wide X 250mm high $126 Half page 180mm x 122mm high S75 Quarter page 88mm wide x 122mm high $45 Spot 88mm wide x 58mm high $27 Offset printing. Unless finished art work ready for camera is supplied by advertiser, then 10% will be added to the above rates. Correspondence marked ”Advertising”, to editor. Two young Auckland potters whose work shows different ap— a proaches to their craft. Right, Rick Rudd with his Raku bottle which 3i editor: Margaret Harris took first lace in this year’s Fletcher Brownbuilt Pottery Award, 35-: layout and design: Nigel Harris makes in ividual pieces as art forms. Cam bell Hegan, left, won a editorial committee: John Stackhouse, Nigel Harris, Audrey Brodie Auckland correspondent John Parker, Christchurch correspondent Ann Davie merit award for his set of Shino bowls ma e in the tradition of fine editorial‘subscription.advertising pots designed for use but with a liveliness which excites the spirit. PO. Box 12-162 Wellington North, New Zealand a printed by Deslandes Ltd, Wellington New Zealand Potter Page 2 New Zealand Potter Page 3 Some newer Auckland potters vents prices increasing in pace with the extra cost of production. Potters are not making the income they did, and are having to look at ways of hold— ing costs and improving management. Over the last few years there has been new life in Auckland’s potting. Auckland Studio Potters provide excel— . .. .7! lent tuition at their centre at ggtcenh‘ilic‘ Onehunga, (open to non—members), a Mon-nu: group of North Shore potters have a . , ' “r7 » . i » .0 m: bu“ flourishing retail co-operative at Al- I , ,t. .»,.m\. , .- bany, additional opportunities for no! exhibiting have been provided with "7'5" AUCKLANQ I ’ I characteristic zest by Peter Sinclair at 0. Ire-cs \ his Alicat Gallery in town, and Coun— .5: .- a x Rm’ii‘a '3' ' k -— \ p try Arts at Muriwai Beach. LEMW '. a All this activity - I '9' . 0'5" '\ has encouraged pot- \ . i i’ d E. ./\ ters to experiment with handbuilt porcelain, traditional Shino Glaze, I s J :3: ceramic sculptural forms — far re- moved from the original New Zealand grey/green stoneware pot. The work of long established potters have been recorded in earlier issues, ‘MAIQUKMJ , so the purpose of our recent visit to Mfgmmé o; Auckland was to report on some of the many who might be called a newer generation. Margaret Harris When Lindsay Bedogni exchanged ing porcelain and the demands of this his family to Australia where he is AUCKLAND STUDIO POTTERS his life in the country (Potter Vol 17/1), medium has given him his most going to work for a time. v, Meam m2) CENTRE, Captain Springs Road, for that of a semi—urban potter at compelling challenge. He fires a 12 Onehunga. For information about Whenuapai, he was able to extend the cubic foot two chamber modified classes, (not restricted to members), range of his work. Working with Cowan type kiln operating with a Loft: porcelain bowls incised decoration, ccln- write to Box 13-195, Onehunga, Auck— Doris Dutch in Auckland gave him a cross draught with one pot burner and don glam’d. Rig/it: liiggcdstonvware, darkgrci/ Potting in Auckland land. chance to develop techniques for mak- two jets. Lindsay has recently taken fulspalliir glaze. AUCKLAND WAR MEMORIAL As the largest centre of population ter, usually at night school classes, MUSEUM, Parnell, has the most in New Zealand, Auckland has expec- making a new generation every few extensive ceramics collection in the tedly the largest number of potters. years. Now there are so many full— country including the work of con- This situation has been reinforced by time professionals, part-time profes— temporary New Zealand potters. The Grant Campbell the early availability of tuition. R.N. sionals, and serious hobby potters museum shop sells books Field conducted classes in potting at that the Auckland Studio Potters and local and 1 Handbuilding in porcelain attracts Pacific Island crafts. 3' . Avondale College from 1954, at which Group has five hundred active mem— Grant Campbell because of the fine- ness of the a number of now prominent Auckland bers, and not all potters belong to a GALLERIES AND CRAFT SHOPS material and the suitability of the method potters first gained some capability‘in group. With the output from all these WITH GOOD POTTERY STOCKS: for showing organic forms. He started the craft. At around this time Tina kilns being bought by an eager public, *Alicat Gallery, 52 Jervois Road, potting in Christ— church with Margaret Higgs and her Hos, sympathetic to the awakening the pottery scene over this past ten Ponsonby interest in crafts, opened a shop and years could be called a bonanza. There *Topfers Gallery, Melanesia Road, belief that it is important initially to work clay with gallery — New Vision — providing are ordinary householders who now Kohimarama the hands before using the necessary outlet for exhibiting and use craft pottery exclusively and regu— *lan Firth’s Pottery Shop, Hinemoa the wheel, generated his interest in thrown and hand work. selling larly buy their replacements at the Street, Birkenhead He makes simple, So from the beginning Auckland local craft shop. To keep up their sup— New Vision, His Majesty’s Arcade, useful domestic ware, but finds he can gain a more was a centre of potting with most plies, shop owners have been driving Queen Street spontaneous expression outside people producing domestic stoneware their station wagons up country to the *Albany Village Pottery, Albany (over the over—riding limits imposed by wheel throwing by of the Leach school, but with well kilnside to buy a complete firing on the bridge, up the motorway) using pinched ware techniques. He grogged clay bodies and brown or spec. *Country Arts, Muriwai Beach has been living in the Waitakere Hills green earth coloured glazes which There are signs however that the Carls, 3 St Heliers Bay Road firing a 70 cubic foot catenary arch gave the pottery recognizable New halcyon days of the seller’s market are *Twelve Potters’ Shop, Mt Albert Road oil—fired kiln (on a shared basis with Zealand character. Only a few potters over for the time being. In the present The Kiln, Parnell Road Campbell Hegan), but has a wood worked outside this school. economic climate competition for The Mill, Durham Lane fired salt kiln near completion. He is a Successive waves of newcomers sales among Auckland potters — Some of these shops are open on member of Auckland Studio Potters. have joined the Auckland band. It is where prices have always been lower Saturday and Sunday. noticeable how potter has taught pot» than in the rest of the country — pre— *Sell pottery exclusively. New Zealand Potter Page 4 New Zealand Potter Page 5 4’ J" " .l Waybe Farm . L, "1 l. Pottery A return to the country workshop is the objective of Ann Ambler and Nigel Woodroffe who have established a pot— tery near Wellsford 80 kms north of Auckland. Ann had built andfired several kilns previously but Nigel designed and built their woodfired kiln with two cham— bers and a total of 85 cubic feet stacking space. Ann makes mainly domestic ware — some saltglazed, Nigel press moulded and handbuilt pots. Twelve years ago while looking in a country library for something interesting to read Ann discovered the works of Ber- nard Leach, and her path to a potting Salt glazed stoneware. Ann Ambler career was set. With a book in one hand photos: N. Harris and clay in the other, with little formal tuition but a day here and there she ac— ous lot is depleted. Wood is cheap and to think that we country potters don’t quired the techniques. A most important readily available but it is labour in- need very much money because the period of development was spent work— tensive and many hours go into cut— life style compensates, but we need to ing for Ian Firth in his workshop, throw— ting, stacking and moving stacks and make an average living, otherwise we ing a range of domestic ware to his re— re—stacking again. We must allow for might as well go on the dole and keep quirements. He showed her that there maintenance of an efficient chain saw. it all as a hobby. The rising costs of was more to being a potter than a ”skilled It is ecologically sound to fire with raw materials combined with cartage manipulator of clay”.