John Ward

(http://www.courcoux.co.uk/ceramics/ward_foreword.htm 4-11-08)

John Ward is regarded as one of Britain's great potters. There is no reference book on contemporary ceramics which does not feature his work.

Ward's handbuilt pots are shown on both sides of the Atlantic. A base is pinched out and flattened coils of clay are added to produce hollow forms. These are sometimes altered, at the leather-hard stage, by cutting and rejoining to create ridges and grooves between curving surfaces. Finally, they are scraped and partly burnished with a pebble.

John only uses matt glazes amd most pots are twice-fired in an electric kiln. The main influences on his work are simple forms of ancient pre-glaze pottery from China and Egypt, early Cypriot pottery and early Persian bowls. More recent influences have been the legendary potters, the late Hans Coper and the late Dame Lucie Rie.

Born in London in 1938, he has lived in Pembrokeshire since 1979 and has exhibited extensively in Europe and America. His work is in too many public collections to list here but include: Museum of Modern Art, New York, Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Pennsylvania State Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, Cardiff Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum.