|
For the
final solo exhibition of the year it is welcome to Jack Doherty, another
potter that hasn’t exhibited at the Harlequin Gallery before despite his impressive
exhibition record over the last 30 years. In essence Jack makes functional
porcelain but, as he states when explaining his work, it is porcelain that
“explores and extends the qualities associated with this beautiful material”.
The forms are either thrown or slab-built with surfaces that are
pierced, stretched and manipulated using a variety of tools, including found
objects such as dismantled pens and broken hacksaw blades. They are made
using a combination of different coloured clays with no glaze applied to the
exterior and then fired once in a gas kiln. When the kiln reaches “white
heat” a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and water is sprayed in. The resulting
vapour is drawn through the kiln chamber where it reacts with the alumina and
silica present in the clay. This added risk and unpredictability has become
an important part of the making process to Jack. As he says, “I enjoy the way
in which the soda glaze marks and articulates the surface of the forms with
the trace of flame and vapour. It is dramatic and exciting procedure
which is the final creative act in the making process.”
Jack was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland in 1948 and studied ceramics at
the Ulster College of Art and Design. Upon graduating he gained some
extremely useful experience at The Kilkenny Design Workshops where he was
employed as a studio potter. The Workshops were sponsored by the Irish
Government to promote good industrial design so, besides producing his own work, Jack was also involved in the production of
prototypes and development of glazes for industry. The Workshops also
encouraged the participation in International ceramics competitions,
resulting in him gaining gold medals at the International Ceramics Exhibition
in Faenza, Italy and two years later at the International Ceramics Biennial
in Vallauris in France. These must have given Jack considerable confidence as
here was a young potter whose work was being compared favourably with that
being produced around the world.
In 1977 Jack moved back to Northern Ireland to start his first workshop with
his wife and stayed there until they came to Herefordshire in 1983, where
they have remained ever since.
Shortly after settling in England he was elected as a member of the
Craft Potters’ Association and two years later became a Fellow. He is
currently Chair of the organisation, which must take up a considerable amount
of his time and energy. Despite this he has lectured and given workshops not
only in this country but as far a field as Israel, South Africa, the
Netherlands and the United States and is the author of the book “Porcelain”
published by A&C Black.
His work is to be found in public collections at the Museum of Ceramics
Faenza, Princesshof Ceramic Museum in Holland, Arts
Council of Northern Ireland, Crafts Council of Ireland and the City Museum in
Stoke-on-Trent amongst others.
|
