Felicity Potter

Felicity Potter
The making of pottery is a timeless occupation and the best of pots through the ages have a quality of timelessness about them that transcends chronological and cultural boundaries. The Egyptians are credited with the first use of the potter's wheel in about 3,000 BC. The most of contemporary thrown work thus relies on a primitive form of technology that has been in continuous use for five thousand years. Makers of pottery are part of a continuum from man's earliest experiences with fired clay. To perfect the form of the work, on the journey for truth and beauty. The challenge Felicity Potter came across while throwing was: to meet practical requirements for domestic use. A discipline for some 35 years is what has helped Felicity to arrive at the stage she is at. It remains vitally important for her to keep disciplined (to make sure she uses the right instruments and to go about making ceramics the right way). To this discipline is added the aesthetic challenge of making objects with a balance and proportion of form that allow them to take their place in an art collection as happily as on a dinner table. Her teacher, Tim Morris, instructed Felicity in the art of throwing. Pottery is one of the most primitive and universal expressions of human industry and, at the same time, a highly advanced and scientifically based art form. "It is in our material - we transform malleable clay into a hard ceramic." Felicity Potter

Egyptian urn 2005

Felicity has learned that, for a pot to become an Egyptian urn it must be narrow at the base, widen around midway up and then narrow into a fairly thin neck.

The Egyptians used urns like this one keep ashes in or to carry water in. Felicity has acknowledged this by the use of the aesthetic symbols around the neck of the urn. They resemble the hieroglyphics used by the ancient Egyptians.

This urn was fired at 1000C. As it was not glazed it was not fired a second time (1320C). The kilns used have been upgraded to use paraffin, instead of wood or electric. Felicity must have been influenced by the Greek potters of old. The Greeks painted stories on to their vases.

Felicity uses the same wheel used to create this huge (1.2m high & 90kg) urn; as to make small refined pieces of porcelain.

Felicity is a part owner in a ceramics company. Her partner, David, is working on an urn. Felicity and David use the same throwing wheel to make giant urns as small refined porcelain pieces.

This urn was not glazed because it is a re-make of an ancient Egyptian urn. Felicity tried to make This look raw and like it it seemingly light piece is been made might have 1.2m tall and 5,000 years ago. weighs 90kg.

African sunset
This piece was fired once and without glaze. It was fired at 1000C. After that an unfired glaze was added. Different unfired glazes can contain iron oxide, cobalt oxide, rutile and copper oxide as well as a range of other glazes. This piece bears resemblance to early European potters, as hi-fired porcelain glazes were first used in the 18th century. Even then it only became available to studio potters like Felicity. This piece shows that people were creative and made the pot. Bernard Leach used this technique in the 20th century. Felicity comes from a background of watercolour painting and fabric design, which she was involved in even when she was back in school. Felicity applies her skills she acquired while working with watercolour paint.

At the present this pot is not functioning, however if and when felicity wants to sell this pot it can be functional as a pot for plants.

Influences

Felicity's throwing was originally influenced by her teacher, Tim Morris, who was trained in the Anglo-Oriental tradition. He taught her about the fact that the Egyptians were the ones responsible for inventing throwing.

However his influences include Mediterranean oil jugs, oil and olive jugs from the Classical period, Oriental high-fired pottery, 20th century studio pottery and traditional African coil pots.

The Egyptians are credited with the first use of the potter's wheel in about 3,000 BC. The most of contemporary thrown work thus relies on a form of technology that has been in continuous use for five thousand years. Felicity also was influenced by the ancient Greek potters and their artists who painted stories on the vases. They used black and red.