Designer Desire: John Ward

Montage of John Ward ceramic pots

 

Born in Islington in London, John Ward (b. 1938) embarked on his career by attending a part-time course in ceramics at East Ham Technical College whilst he worked as a BBC cameraman. He then went on to attend Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts from 1966 to 1970.

During the 1970s he had two workshops in South East London, one in Anerley and the other in Charlton. In 1979, he moved to Dyfed in Wales, living at the foot of the Preseli Hills, just a few miles from the coast.

Being near to the sea has had an effect on the decoration I use reflecting the movement of water and the dips and folds of the strata revealed on the cliff faces. This in turn affects the development of the form, they evolve together.

John Ward was inspired by ancient pre-glaze pottery found in China, Egypt, Persia and the Cyclades. To create his signature matt finish, Ward’s pieces are scrapped and burnished with a pebble. Finally, Ward only uses matt glazes, with most of his pots twice-fired in an electric kiln. Ward’s hand-built pots have earned him a place as one of Britain’s foremost potters.

…the apparently contrasting qualities of drama and quiet reflection, is one of the most engaging aspects of his work. This sense of balance, of the tension between pushing and pulling, light and shade, movement and rest, makes Ward’s work distinctive, distinguished and intriguing. Emmanuel Cooper

Examples of his works can be found in the permanent collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and MoMA in New York. His wok can be purchased at auction or  1stDibs and Oxford Ceramics.

The Pottery of John Ward written by Emma Crichton-Miller and published in late 2022 is available via Amazon, Waterstones and WHSmith.

Portrait of John Ward, ceramicistcredit

Additional image credits:
Barnebys | Maac London

Designer Desire: Marianne Starck

Selection of Marianne Starck ceramic designs

Marianne Starck (1938-2007) was a German-born ceramic designer best known for her work for Michael Andersen & Son (MA&S) which was located in Rønne on the island of Bornholm, Denmark. She was the the company’s art director from 1955 to 1993 at which point the business was sold to Solveig Ussing who had worked for the company since the age of fourteen.

Starck served her apprenticeship at Thoms Keramik in Brunsbüttel, Germany, and later studied graphic design in Germany at Landeskunstschule (University of Fine Arts, Hamburg).

She had many different styles during her long and productive career. My favourites are her designs with folk art type figures and the black & white (and sometimes red) Tribal range which she designed in the 1950s.

You can find many examples of her designs available for sale on eBay and Etsy.

Image credits:
1st Dibs | Lot Art

Designer Desire: Sarah Partridge

Montage of Sarah Partridge ceramic pieces

Sarah Partridge is a ceramic artist who moved to West Wales in 2017. She makes wonderful, organic pots and pieces. I especially love her lifelike conkers.

Sarah explains on her own website:

My work is sculptural and explores natural forms, where I am inspired by patterns and textures found in nature and landscapes.

Unfortunately, she hasn’t updated her website or social media accounts in a long time, so we don’t have any images of her recent work or news about the pottery workshops she runs.

Portrait of ceramic artist, Sarah Partridgecredit

All images © Sarah Partridge

Designer Desire: Peter Guggenbühler

Selection of Peter Guggenbühler ceramic designs for Altenstadt

Sometimes, it’s when you’re researching something completely unrelated that a titbit of information comes your way!

That was the case when I discovered that it was Peter Guggenbühler (1928-2007) who was responsible for the series of porcelain decanters for Altenkunstadt that we sold in the past (shown at the top of our montage above).

As well as the decanters, he designed the Das Variabile range of stylised animal figures. They each have detachable stained wood and ceramic eyes and each was given a name:

  • AJAX & BEJAX
  • Lion – “Zottl”
  • Alligator – “Fafnir”
  • Rabbit – “Guggi”
  • Owl – “Huhu”
  • Snail – Schlurf”
  • Frog – “Herr Q”
  • Cat – “Killer”
  • Hippo – “Hippo”
  • Crow – Krah”

In addition he has created vases, wall plaques and small-scale sculptures.

In 2014, there was a posthumous exhibition of his work at Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe, Germany. It was entitled “Vom Umgang mit Porzellan, Elefanten und anderen Kreaturen – der Keramiker Peter Guggenbühler” which roughly translates as “The handling of porcelain, elephants and other creatures – the ceramist Peter Guggenbühler”. Here’s how the marketing material described it:

In its spring exhibition, the Staufen Ceramics Museum commemorates Peter Guggenbühler (1928-2008), who, after initial successes in Saarbrücken, returned to his hometown of Karlsruhe in 1961 and was one of the most respected representatives of his field in Baden-Württemberg in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Of course he didn’t behave like the proverbial elephant in a china shop, he loved the material too much for that. But he has thoroughly confused the expectations associated with porcelain. Instead of pleasing figures, he has all sorts of bizarre creatures that are clearly descended from elephants, crocodiles, rats and various horned and antlered animals, but which clearly show human traits and behaviour.
In addition to small sculptures, Guggenbühler created reliefs and tiles in which he opened up other venues for human comedy, such as theatres and pulpits. An artist with exuberant imagination who is worth rediscovering!

Check Etsy for items occasionally popping up for sale.