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Harlequin Gallery |
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Joanna
Howells
Joanna, who I regard as the best porcelain potter working in the
UK today, will be expanded her repertoire for this exhibition with the
inclusion of stoneware for the very first time. Examples of work in
the exhibition are shown below. Please note that dimensions, prices and more
images will follow :- |
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Like a number of important potters, Joanna
did not initially embark on a pottery career but went to Cambridge University
to read Natural Sciences. Following a switch, she graduated in Medicine, but
she had studied pottery at school and the kilns that she built in her
parents’ garden during school holidays and university vacations hinted at her
future path. After Cambridge she came to Sir John Cass School of Art here in
London in 1984 on the advice of the potter, Colin Pearson, who she had been
introduced to by the collector and gallery owner, Henry Rothschild. After
completing a foundation course there she switched to Harrow College from
where she graduated in Ceramics with distinction in 1987. It was during her
time at Harrow that she became fascinated with throwing rings and their
orientation so it was perhaps logical for her to work in porcelain in order
to explore this. As she says, “I work in porcelain for its innate beauty and
because its smoothness allows the use of subtle textures. The pieces are
altered to both exploit and escape the soft cylinders and circles imposed by
the wheel.” Always wishing to explore the limit of what
is possible Joanna has started to work on and alter the edges of her
porcelain during the throwing process, giving the finished items a soft,
almost weathered look. The resultant work is significantly different in form
from that shown by Joanna here in 2003 but it is undoubtedly the use of
stoneware, which is the biggest change in direction. Joanna has always had a
patient, scientific approach to the development of glazes and it is her
fascination with this aspect of her art that has instigated this exploration
as she describes below: - “Having developed a
particularly good Chun glaze, I’ve been exploring its properties for a while
now. This is a glaze I’ve coveted
since first seeing 8th century Chinese ceramics in the Fitzwilliam Museum in
Cambridge. In ancient China, Chun pieces were reserved exclusively for the
Emperor’s court, partly because of its rarity but also for the symbolism of
the sky blue colour, which was associated with the highest level of
spirituality. In classical China, however, the pieces were usually made in
stoneware, rather than porcelain.
Porcelain gives a clean and vibrant blue, and breaks through the
glaze, like the edge of a cloud in the sky. But a darker body gives the
opportunity to draw darker lines through the Chun, by way of corners formed
or edges made when the clay is cut. So for this exhibition I decided to extend my palette by using a
different body under the glaze – much like drawing or painting on a grey or
tinted paper, rather than white. I
particularly like the way the body can develop a rich toasted tint, to
provide as satisfying a contrast for me as between a Chun glaze and a
porcelain body. An Australian potter I very much admire, Sandy Lockwood,
works in both Stoneware and Porcelain. I met her several years ago and, ever
since, I’ve had it in mind to experiment in stoneware. This is pretty much
par for the course - it usually takes a long time for my new ideas to come to
fruition. A more minor consideration is that I’ve noticed a trend recently
of potters known for their stoneware starting to make some work in porcelain –
and this prompted me to make the effort to migrate the other way. I’ve hardly
touched stoneware since college over twenty years ago, but have enjoyed
rediscovering the freedom it allows in making.” |
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