Pottery in Australia Vol 17 No 1 Autumn 1978

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statement, even the repetition of one form is a series of fresh possibilities no matter how subtle or minute the difference. His attitude shows his self-awareness and it is comparable to that of the fine artist. His statements reflect with equal right that of the painter and sculptor. His work is seen and becoming known; and the world is being enriched again by a consciousness of the special qualities of handmade objects. But how many people involved in craft making fit this image? Certainly there are some very beautiful, exciting and imaginative craft objects being made that are unique to this period; and they are executed by the dedicated few who are artists as well as craftsmen. How many such craftsmen are in Australia? How much handmade pottery in Australia has a special quality that justifies its existence? The truth is that craft shops everywhere are filled with crafty junk. Most is designless and crudely made and even domestic pottery is non-functional-plates that are too heavy, casseroles with awkward handles, jars with ill-fitting .1 ids, glazes that are overfired or underfired, shapes ugly, colours depressing, touch horrid, originality nil. Even the attempted traditional, for which one has guidelines, is bad but the contrived efforts from those trying to find novelty is much worse. No doubt the creator enjoyed the making or did he? Was it merely the result of a hurried routine, not reviewed by any kind of critical eye in order to supply quickly something to the local craft shop? After all someone might buy it. The Craft Revival of the nineteenth century was not just a rejection of the machine made, it was an objection to the banality and poor design of mass produced products. Many accepted the cballenge. The Great Arts and Crafts Exhibition of 1888 in London saw works of the craftsmen acclaimed. Each decade since has produced new masters as the interest in the crafts continued. But only since the last World War has craft consciousness escalated into the explosion of craft activity today with millions of people in the Western world, and thousands in Australia finding pleasure in making. Why then is there so much tbat is bad? Realising that very few people have the natural ability to relate the elements of a work to each other so that a unified design results and that most people practising crafts have had very little design training, if any, it is not surprising. However, tbe pleasure of making is open to all of us and should not be denied. But just how many of the results that will become permanent is what we need to worry about. And this is of the greatest importance to pottery, an almost indestructible medium which will allow the bad and the good to survive time, both becoming a record of their day. This Conference through its social contact and dialogue, I hope, will help the potters of Australia: 1. understand their significance in society in human and aesthetic terms; 2. realise that it is the responsibility of each potter to advance his manual technique, his technical knowledge and his aesthetic awareness in order to execute his ideas with excellence; 3. to become more self-critical of his work and be able to reject what is inferior before and not just after firing makes it permanent; 4. to hold on to the joy of making and never lose it to the joy of selling. The future of the potter's craft lies not in the depth of his creativity, since the biggest volume of potters will be makers not innovators, but in the integrity of each potter to attempt honestly to make each object as best he can. PETER TRAVIS is a well-known ceramic artist who toured for the Crafts Council in 1977. He has just returned from being guest lecturer in ceramics at Banff School of Fine Arts, Canada. He is a past president of the Potters' Society and chairman of the National Ceramic Conference for Potters. 4
HARUO SHIMADA, MASTER POTTER Janet Mansfield Photographs: Andrew Halford Haruo Shimada, master potter, is one of the few remaining Japanese potters still making the large jars used for storage of water and grain. As the demand for these jars is no longer sufficient for economic viability, Shimada san has developed an extended range of ware to keep the pottery in full production. Today it is very busy with twelve people employed and a constant demand for all the workshop output. Andrew Halford, an Australian potter, has been apprenticed to Shimada san for some time and together they will visit Australia later this year, giving demonstrations and workshops. The Shimada Pottery is just outside Gotsu city in Shimane prefecture on the side of a mountain which overlooks the Sea of Japan. Clay for the pottery is dug 5
Page 2 and 3: EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Editor Janet Ma
Page 4 and 5: EDITORIAL The publication date of t
Page 8 and 9: 6
Page 10: FAENZA 1977 The 35th International
Page 13 and 14: CERAMIC FIBRE KILNS THE DAWN OF
Page 15 and 16: A NEW ENERGY - SAVING KILN FOR POTT
Page 17 and 18: efractory fire-brick structure of t
Page 19 and 20: I UO:::!*- I , 70
Page 21 and 22: should enable potters to be more im
Page 23 and 24: CHERYL SMALL: "Peter the hot bread
Page 25 and 26: L YREBIRD RIDGE POTTERY A BEGINNI
Page 27 and 28: Martin Kelly was the first trainee
Page 29 and 30: AN AIRING ABOUT DE-AIRING PUGMILLS
Page 31 and 32: other minor innovations on the Venc
Page 33 and 34: ---------------- A CLAY MIXER Leona
Page 35 and 36: WARREN PALMER : Shino glaze, cone 1
Page 37 and 38: RECENT WORK (continued) FREDERIC CH
Page 39 and 40: RECENT WORK (continued) IAN WfNTER:
Page 41 and 42: RECENT WORK (continued) GREG DALY :
Page 43 and 44: The material that worked beautifull
Page 45 and 46: POTTERY IN CRETE Penny Riley In Apr
Page 47 and 48: "'"eT c.. L4P ~"'T F I"-'-' TO fJ.
Page 49 and 50: SOME THOUGHTS ON CRACKS AND TEXTURE
Page 51: College Courses Col h~lIe Coursels)
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ticles act as constant irritants to
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glaze mixing, should be isolated as
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serving as an excellent guide to po
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on view in state galleries. It also
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EXHIBITION REVIEWS H1ROESWEN Pastor
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Copacabana beach (near Gosford), is
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DULCE HERD At Potters' Cottage, War
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Adele Hollywood, Prahran College of
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section of some of the ceramic scul
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MEMBERSHIP : There are three catego
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SA Studio Potters' Club Jolanta Jan
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NEWCASTLE CERAMIC GROUP continues t
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"... a true museum-piece, too good
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HEAVY WEIGHTS OR BANTAMS WHEN IT
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RUSSELL COWAN's for RUSSELL COWAN,
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KRAUS R. C. ELECTRIC WH EEL MOTOR:
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WALKER CERAMICS Factory and Showroo
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POTTERS EQUIPMENT by DOALL THE "DOA
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DIAMOND CIRAMIC SUPPLIES IN.S.WJ Pl
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TALISMAN POTIERS' EQUIPMENT Manufac
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POTTERS EQUIPMENT 14 PITT STREET RI
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DESIGNED & BUILT IN AUSTRALIA FOR A
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POTTERS' EQUIPMENT 74 WILSON STREET
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terrapotta stoneware by anne alexan
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VENCD ELECTRIC POTTERS WHEELS, PUG
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VENCO ELECTRIC POTTERS WHEELS, PUG
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KI LNS. FURNACES. POTTERY WHE ELS.
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12A George Street, Blackburn, 3130
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KILN SERVICES STATEWIDE REPAIRS Re-
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Pottery in Australia Vol 17 No 1 Autumn 1978

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