The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 53 No 2 July 2014

Above: Bob Connery, bowl and box; Sen Shoshitsu, 15th generation descendant of Sen Rikiyu, founder of the Tea ceremony,
awarded Bob's teabowls with 'box-signing'. This means that the work is formally accepted for use in the Tea ceremony.
Below: Stokers Siding Pottery; photos: Jimmy Malecki
and Julie's creative life. Bob resigned from teaching and devoted himself solely to the produdion of
ceramics and, in partnership with Julie, the development of a gallery that provided a retail outlet for his
and others' work.
Bob's passion for ceramics developed early when he learnt raku pottery from Shiga Shigeo in the
1960s. His interest in ceramics was further developed through working with Roswitha Wulff, and later at
Stokers Siding he collaborated with Laine Langridge and then Andrew Stewart. His early work at Stokers
was woodfired until he installed a gas kiln. The first firing of the woodfired kiln proved to be a very
drawn-out affair involving the consumption of a few too many glasses of red . Burnt and blistered Bob
and Laine ruefully decided to limit drinking during future firings.
With his background in science Bob was well placed to experiment with various glazes, some of
which were made from local clays. His expertise in reduced-lustre glazes, developed in the 1990s,
owed much to his science training. And it was his
mastery of lustre ware, an ancient Persian style,
which cemented his reputation both nationally and
internationally.
Whether throwing pots, playing music or
cooking for friends, Bob was a passionate
perfectionist. Sometimes a hard taskmaster. he
was a loyal and generous friend, a devoted family
man and a respeded community elder. He will be
greatly missed by countless friends, colleagues and
admirers.
This text by David Cross is an edited version of an article
which first appeared in The Tweed Valley Weekly and the
onhne Echonet Daily in December 2013 .
6 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS JULY 2014