I recently exhibited at the Art Fair Tokyo at the invitation of Gallery St Ives, Tokyo.

The Art Fair takes place at the impressive Tokyo International Forum building in the centre of Tokyo and features over 140 galleries showing art from all genres and periods making it Japan’s most prestigious art event.

Ceramics has a higher status in Japanese culture and the amount and diversity of ceramic art represented at the Art Fair Tokyo bears testimony to this.

I was obviously honoured to be invited to take part and also to be working with Gallery St Ives which is a highly regarded gallery specialising in British Studio Ceramics in Tokyo.

Koichiro Isaka, Gallery Director, said “When I saw Tony Laverick’s work for the first time a couple of years ago, I was confident that Japanese people would like his pieces. His works were very well received at the Art Fair. I am very pleased and enjoyed working with him”.

I will be taking part in another event in Japan later in 2013. The Hankyu Department Store in Osaka is having an event to introduce British ceramics from 9-15^th October. The event will include an exhibition of work by Bernard Leach alongside a selling exhibition of work by myself and 4 other potters from the UK.

I  also  exhibited at Ceramic Art London and will be shown at Collect this weekend (10-13 May)with Contemporary Ceramics.

www.artfairtokyo.com

www.gallery-st-ives.co.jp

www.tonylaverick.co.uk

“Troika 63-83 was inspired by the sudden realisation three years ago that it would be fifty years since Troika first opened its doors in 1963. This deserved commemorating. Ben Harris was already a collector and had known Lawrence Illsley since they were teenagers in Penzance. Lawrence is the son of Leslie illsley one of the founding partners of Troika. Together they decided to find out as much information as possible and piece together a definitive history of Troika. The only was to do this was to interview the people who were involved and to tell their story.

Their journey took them from the east to the west coast of England and into the homes of nearly twenty casters, fettlers and decorators. It was always a deeply personal journey for Lawrence who never got to know his father but the interviews yielded much more than that. they told of an inspiring and dedicated group who stayed true to their vision and produced highly original and distinctive ceramics. The book is the inside story of how they did this for twenty years and includes never before seen photos and reveals unknown details about the studio.”

From Left to right: Kristen Roth, Benny Sirota, Stella Benjamin, Lesley Illsley

Troika began as a commercial pottery in March 1963. It was set up by potter Benny Sirota, sculptor Leslie Illsley and architect Jan Thompson. Over time Troika’s work changed from functional craft objects to conceptual stand-alone pieces of sculpture, extending the ideas and practise of sculpture into the medium of clay. The use of clay at Troika meant they, as artists, had access to a medium of creation. Through mass production they were able to allow more people access to the ownership of art objects. A process now known as ‘the democratisation of art.’

Troika 63-83 sets out to capture a unique period in the artistic and cultural history of St Ives and Penwith, Cornwall. A time of great hope, freedom and endeavour for the multitude of now highly regarded artists who were working on the peninsula at that time. The book tells the personal journey of three young opinionated men who set out to challenge the establishment and who succeeded on their own terms. It also highlights and discusses new interpretations of Troika’s work, which the authors argue should been seen primarily as sculpture rather than functional objects.

  

Short Review Comments: For anyone with an interest in ceramics from the 1960′s and 70′s and in the St. Ives ethos in that period – or indeed wanting to understand just how far Health and Safety have come in the last few decades, should read this book. Clearly it is a remarkable and “Must have” book for anyone interested in Troika, but although I have no particular interest in this work, I still found the book very readable and enjoyable – a compelling read. Well done to Ben and Lawrence for capturing this remarkable story and slice of history before those with firsat hand knowledge were no longer able to contribute. Stephen Dee, Editor

To purchase a copy of the book: 

Enhanced with 20 pages of colour illustrations, Troika 63-83, 21cm x 21cm paperback (177 pages) is on general release from 21/01/13. RRP £25.00. For further information or to purchase a copy of the book please contact the publishers info@troikapedia.co.uk (Mentioning studiopottery.co.uk may result in a small discount!)

 

For more information look at the News Page on www.studiopottery.co.uk or Troika’s website is http://www.troikapedia.co.uk/

29 Apr 2013

London catering company “rhubarb” has commissioned potter Linda Bloomfield to design and make tableware for their new café in the Royal Albert Hall, opening in May 2013.  The pieces will be a mixture of hand thrown and manufactured plates, bowls, cappuccino cups and saucers, teapots, mugs, milk jugs and sugar bowls. Linda Bloomfield will be throwing over 300 pieces in her studio in west London and also designing some new pieces for manufacture in the UK.

Studio potter Linda Bloomfield has designed a range of tableware to look and feel like her hand-thrown pieces. They have colour on the inside and a tactile satin matt glaze on the outside. The colours are inspired by midcentury modern design: turquoise, green and grey. The range includes mugs, bowls, plates, jugs and teapots. The mugs have hand-knitted cosies by knitwear designer Ruth Cross.

Since January 2011, “rhubarb” at the Royal Albert Hall have been providing all the food and drink at one of the UK’s most prestigious venues. They are planning to open the new café in May 2013.

www.lindabloomfield.co.uk

examples of Linda’s previous work

Welcome to the show! and new work from Matthew Blakely

This was an excellent show, the quality and variety of work may even have exceeded last years first class show. I show a few images that I took at the show:

Thomas Bohle and Tim Andrews

Margaret Curtis and Eddie Curtis

For me the show was both an opportunity to see new work from makers I had not seen before, to see the very best work from makers i already new and liked as well as seeing how individual work had progressed since i last saw it.

Apart from that it was delightful to renew old friendships and start one or two new ones. I recommend the show to any one who can get to London at this time of year. Over now, but put a marker in your diary for this time next year – and check around the end of the year for details of the 2014 show on www.studiopottery.co.uk

Virginia Scotchie, ceramic artist and Area Head of Ceramics at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, has received numerous awards for her ceramics, exhibits worldwide and has work in many private and public collections.  This summer she will be making a visit to the UK as part of a joint collaboration with West Dean College, near Chichester. First off she’ll be at the International Ceramics Festival (28 – 30 June) in Wales, then onto West Dean where she’ll be teaching a new four day course, ‘Parts and pieces – throwing sculptural forms on the wheel’, 1 – 4 July.

Virginia says, “As an artist and educator I find it to be a great honour to visit other parts of the world and experience the culture, the landscape and to get to know the people.  I am looking forward to visiting Wales where I’ll be demonstrating wheel thrown, altered and assembled sculptural objects and speaking about my creative research in ceramic art and about my programme at the University of South Carolina.”

Speaking of her collaboration with West Dean Viriginia comments, “I first met Alison Baxter, Head of Creative Enterprise at West Dean when she was a guest speaker at USC last Autumn for a metalsmithing conference.  She gave a wonderful presentation on West Dean and on her exquisite work in jewellery.  I’m excited to be teaching at West Dean for the first time as the College has such a strong history in the arts and,  although I’ve never visited before, I believe this will be the beginning of many future visits and connections between our two colleges.”

Display at Fortnum’s kitchen and china area 9.04.2013

Following some complaints about a company that i can’t name for obvious reasons, I thought it might be helpful to offer some general guidance notes for makers when applying to fairs and other events:

It is important when applying to Art Fairs where artists/makers are providing money up front to take reasonable precautions:

-  Is the Art Fair/Event well known with a reputation and good track record?   If well known there is probably no need to enquire further, unless the event is unknown to you.  In such instances reputable event promotors will have no problem answering the following questions and providing references from previous exhibitors if requested.

- If unknown to you, even if with a good reputation it is useful to consider some of the following questions before ‘signing up’ and paying out money. If not well known, it is suggested essential to get some answers

1. Search internet for write ups of previous shows by the same group and promoters

2. Ask promoters for estimates of footfall and sales for the show, and for details of footfall and sales at their last show

3. Ask promoters for the types of work being shown, names of other exhibitors and the ‘price points’ the show is aimed at. Consider the ‘selection’ process – or can anyone who will pay be accepted? (A warning sign sometimes, but not always)

4. If a new show ask for details of the promoters track record and contact details of a few well known artists/makers you can contact to get a feel of the type of show

5. If one of a series of shows, contact a few artists/makers who exhibited at a recent previous show for their feedback.

6. If not clearly specified, request in writing, precise details of the promotional and other support which will be provided by the organiser. (most reputable promoters are clear on this anyway)

I cannot comment on specific fairs/events, but clearly in these tough economic times artists/makers are especially vulnerable to accepting ‘invitations to show their work’ and may be tempted to overlook the normal rules when parting with money up front.

- Don’t unless you are sure you will get what you paid for! 

- If in doubt and alarm bells ring, you are probably right – Don’t do it!

I hope this is helpful and may avoid some of our members/makers getting caught out by bad deals/unscrupulous promoters who rely on the many excellent fairs/event promoters to give them a false credibility.

Stephen Dee, Editor, Studiopottery.co.uk Ltd

Handmade in Britain supports and promotes designer-makers who create their work in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We provide a platform of support and promotion for design and craft talent through fairs, events and popups alongside workshops and mentoring. We Increase accessibility, create market opportunities and maintain high standards in the craft sector whilst providing a comprehensive support programme for new graduates and up-coming design talent.

For more information and to apply, please download their application pack.:

Website: www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk/chelsea-2012-apply-now/

2012 Highlights

 In November 2012, we returned to Chelsea Old Town Hall for our 6^th year for Handmade in Britain 12: The Contemporary Crafts & Design Fair, which took place on 15^th-18^th November.

Supported by The Resident and Homes & Gardens, the fair was our biggest yet, with almost 100 designer makers beginning the Christmas Season in a stunning showcase of British craft & Design in the glorious surroundings of Chelsea Old Town Hall.

Feedback from our exhibitors was very positive and highly encouraging, particularly with regard to organisation, publicity and venue, and exhibitors and visitors alike were impressed with the high standard of work at the fair.

Overall, the total sales made in 2012 were an increase from sales made in 2011, which is excellent news and a positive indicator of the public interest in craft and design.

Over 85% of our exhibitors have possible or confirmed commission opportunities through Handmade in Britain 12, including interest from collectors and galleries, and over 65% have possible or confirmed trade opportunities, including opportunities with large, established retail brands.

Our visitor numbers for 2012 were a 32% increase on visitor numbers for 2011, and the feedback from visitors was overwhelmingly positive, particularly with regard to the standard of work and the variety of exhibitors.