Janet Kaiser on tue 21 mar 00
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I do not know Warren MacKenzie or his work, but he sounds rather like David
Frith in the UK. David's work has always been accessible. That means most =
people
can afford to buy it if they like what they see. He is also a prodigious =
maker
and enjoys what he does. He makes a great many pots and sells them if not
exactly =22like hot cakes=22 certainly well enough to keep a studio and home=
going,
put his children through university and pay for his travel to countries like
India and Japan. Margaret Frith - a very skilled potter in her own right - =
has
combined a potter's working life with being a wife and mother, running a =
gallery
and home, being a business woman, hostess to visiting students and =
co-teacher at
the courses held annually in the studio.
Ask any serious collector of contemporary studio ceramics in the UK who made=
the
first pot they bought, and I can guarantee that nine out of ten will mention=
the
Friths. If not the first pot, then the second or third pot will have been =
from
their studio. Now, to my mind, not only have they been started on the road =
to
becoming serious collectors by being able to afford a Frith pot, but have =
been
shown that a pot of beauty and vitality need not break the bank. They are
hooked. They may go on to other work by other potters, but that first
acquisition remains very special and close to their hearts. Without that one
Frith pot, their luxury art budget would have probably been confined to =
mediocre
antiques.
In the meantime, the poor potter: Slaving away churning out the work for =
little
monetary return? I do not think that is how David sees his lot in life. From
simple beginnings fighting to establish the studio he has blossomed into a
by-word for good pots and a fine reputation as one of the leading studio =
potters
in the UK. He has enough to live moderately on and enjoys what he is doing.
If, on the other hand, he doubled the price of those pots to what would =
still be
a reasonable price in places like London, New York or Paris he would not =
sell so
many. He would have to depend on shipping and exporting to galleries around =
the
world. He would have to spend time and money on promotion. Less time making
pots. More time travelling and less time teaching. No time at all for =
passing on
his knowledge to students and fellow potters. Certainly no time to travel to
India to help improve firing methods in a village workshop. No energy, no
vitality. None of the spark of creativity needed to make workaday pots into
special, magical ones.
Yes, following in the tradition of the great Michael Cardew is a labour of =
love.
Yes, times can be lean and uncertain. Yes, it may be a rise to stardom only =
to
suffer a fall into comparative obscurity. Sure fashions and fancies affect =
every
artist. But what about the pleasures? The rewards? Are they only to be =
counted
in terms of cash? How much money is in the bank?
Obviously the Friths and MacKenzie's of this world have =22arrived=22. Their=
work is
admired and much sought-after. Fairy tale ending to a hard slog which every
potter knows intimately. From rags to riches? Certainly. But thankfully not =
all
riches lie in a bank vault.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art, Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales
Home of The International Potters Path
TEL: (01766) 523570
WEB: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
EMAIL: postbox=40the-coa.org.uk
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