The world of ceramics feels a little less vibrant, a little less daring, today. We mourn the passing of Gordon Baldwin, a true visionary whose groundbreaking approach to clay redefined the boundaries of the medium and left an indelible mark on generations of artists.

Gordon Baldwin (1932-2025) died peacefully at home yesterday, 18th May 2025.

A Sculptor in Clay: Beyond Functionality

Baldwin wasn’t just a potter; he was a sculptor who chose clay as his language. His work, often abstract and monumental in its quiet way, possessed a profound sense of presence. Their surfaces, often textured and subtly coloured, whispered stories of process and time, hinting at the earth from which they were born.

He was a huge inspiration to me and images of his work have been ever present in my studio, my sketchbooks as a constant reminder how the limits of the form and the surface can be pushed.

An Unconventional Path: From Painting to Pottery

Baldwin wasn’t just a potter; he was a sculptor who chose clay as his language. His work, often abstract and monumental in its quiet way, possessed a profound sense of presence. These weren’t pieces meant for mere functionality; they were objects of contemplation, demanding a slow, considered gaze. Their surfaces, often textured and subtly coloured, whispered stories of process and time, hinting at the earth from which they were born.

Born in 1932, Baldwin’s journey into ceramics was unconventional. After studying painting at the Slade School of Fine Art, he found himself drawn to the tactile nature of clay. This painterly sensibility never truly left him. His vessels, while rooted in the tradition of the form, often felt like three-dimensional canvases, bearing the marks of his hands and the alchemy of the kiln.

What set Baldwin apart was his fearless experimentation. He pushed the limits of form, often creating asymmetrical, almost precarious structures that defied conventional notions of balance. Yet, there was always an underlying harmony, a carefully considered tension that held his pieces together, both physically and conceptually. His use of slips and oxides was equally distinctive. As a result, creating nuanced surfaces that ranged from earthy and raw to delicately luminous.

A Lasting Legacy: Shaping Generations of Artists

His influence on the ceramic landscape is undeniable. He challenged the prevailing emphasis on functionality, paving the way for a more sculptural and expressive approach to clay. His teaching at various institutions, including the Royal College of Art, nurtured countless artists who were inspired by his uncompromising vision and his dedication to the material.

Beyond his artistic achievements, Gordon Baldwin was known for his quiet intensity and his unwavering commitment to his craft. He was a thoughtful and articulate voice within the art world. His words often as insightful as his creations.

The silence he left behind is significant. We have lost a true innovator, an artist who consistently challenged our perceptions and expanded our understanding of what clay could be. His powerful and enigmatic forms will continue to inspire and provoke. A lasting testament to a life dedicated to the profound possibilities of a humble material.

While the physical presence of Gordon Baldwin is gone, his spirit lives on in the countless pieces he created. Each one a quiet giant standing as a testament to his unique and enduring vision. He will be deeply missed.

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She used to carry her unfired work across Vienna on the tram, to the nearest kiln. To limit the danger of damage she’d only want to do this once, so this was the reason why she raw-glazed her pots. It is very interesting how this logistic limitation had a significant importance on her technique and creating a recognisable style. 

the making process

Similarly “not quite centering” her pots resulted in beautifully natural unlevel rims that copyists would struggle to achieve. The outside profile is never a simple curve but the moment frozen just before the pot would collapse:

“Centering the clay is the first process a thrower undertakes on the wheel, and Lucie wasted as little time on this as possible. After so many years she knew exactly how much a tall bowl can be allowed to wobble before it faces collapse, and was not much concerned at whether or not a pot was running true in the engineering sense. For this reason many of her pots have unlevel rims, they dip down to one side, or stand slightly at an angle.” (Birks T. “Lucie Rie”) 

The image I most associate with Lucie Rie is from an interview with David Attenborough, her tiny figure, reaching into her kiln, with Attenborough holding her by her legs, preventing her from falling inside. 

becoming a potter in Britain

She grew up and studied in Vienna, surrounded by the style and elegance of Viennese Modernism. In 1937 she arrived in Britain as an Austrian refugee escaping the rise of Nazism. The ceramic scene in Britain however, was very different. It was dominated by Bernard Leach, who wrote in 1940 that “very few people in this country think of the making of pottery as an art”. 

To survive the war, she turned to making ceramic buttons and was in fact referred to by Leach as “the button maker from Vienna”. It wasn’t until much later in her life that she had great success and was showered with honours. 

Despite meeting Bernard Leach and other influential friends, Rie struggled to get through with her own ideas in the world dominated by Leach’s historic craft tradition. Her distinctive style stood apart too much. Under Leach’s influence, her work became thicker and clumsy and according to Birks, probably the worst pottery in her career. It knocked her off course. (Birks T. “Lucie Rie” ) 

Lucie Rie’s style

It was also in her “Bernard Leach period” when she was persuaded to leave the foot of her work as it came off the wheel, as Leach disapproved of spending too much time tidying the base of the pot. But for Rie it was very important that the base of the pot was as well finished as the top. She would often include detailed sgraffito designs inside the foot of her pots. Her deep decorated footrings became her signature mark and for many collectors they are a real pleasure to experience.   

She tried to distance herself from her Modernist ideas which she learnt on the continent, but in the end it was those ideas that today make her pots so desirable and timeless. I find that particularly interesting that Lucie Rie’s style developed despite and almost in contrast to dominance of Leach’s robust peasant-ware aesthetics. 

Her legacy includes not only duo with Hans Coper but generations of makers after that.

Other inspiring studio potters

Cover photo Sothebys.com

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A recent exhibition of works by Paul Philp has just finished at the Contemporary Ceramics in London. This was Philp’s third solo show there, showing a beautiful selection of modern forms and rich textures.

Paul Philp was born in 1941. He studied ceramics at Cardiff College of Arts. In the 1970’s he was a lecturer at Central School of Arts in London and Bath School of Arts in Corsham. He has been making pottery for some forty years now.

working method

Working from his studio in Bath, Philp does not use coils or throwing. Each piece is build by hand, therefore allowing for natural evolution. He often combines clay and sand because of their different shrinkage rates. Subsequently this will create unique surface, slight cracks and fissures.

Philp is very restraint when it comes to using colours. He experiments with oxides, for instance iron and tin. As a result he is able to achieve extrordinary deep reds.

Finally all pieces are fired multiple times, not less than four or five. The firing temperature is usually 1260 but is the length and number of firings is what gives each piece it’s unique character. In addition, slips and dry glazes are also applied in between firings.

inspiration

Ancient artefacts and geological forms and textures are the main source of inspiration. He says: “I have in mind rugged eroded surfaces, megaliths, fossils, ancient encrusted marbles and something of the quality of early Japanese ceramics – Shigaraki and Iga ware”

Philp’s pieces constantly evolve but what connects them all are classic forms and highly tactile surfaces.

Most of Philp’s work is white, off-white or creamy. With the simplicity of colour, the viewer can focus of form and texture. Light also plays it parts, changing the piece through shadows.

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Line & Form – Emily Myers, Anna Silverton and Ali Tomlin

The latest show at the Contemporary Ceramics Centre in London features three women ceramists who explore the integration of form and surface.

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It was the first solo presentation of Lee’s work in a UK public institution since 1994. The show included 40 pieces made from different periods of Lee’s entire career. There were also pots which she made especially for the exhibition at Kettle’s Yard.

Scottish born potter, Jennifer Lee studied ceramics and tapestry at Edinburgh College of Arts.⁣ She then spent eight months travelling on scholarship to the USA where she researched South-West Indian prehistoric ceramics and visited contemporary West Coast potters. From 1980 she worked in ceramics at the Royal College of Arts London. ⁣

working method

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Jennifer Lee is most famous for her handbuilt pots, made with coloured clay. She starts by pinching the base of the pot, which is one of the earliest form of clay making. She’ll then add coils to build and shape the pot. Jennifer uses metallic oxides, which she adds to the clay and leaves them unglazed, creating smooth colour reach surface.⁣
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Jennifer Lee has been exhibiting her work internationally since 1970’s and is represented in major public collections worldwide.⁣ Her ceramics exhibitions were held at Victoria and Albert Museum London, Sokyo Gallery Kyoto, Frank Lloyd Gallery Los Angeles, Graham Gallery New York, just to name a few.
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In 2018 she was awarded a prestigious Loewe Craft Prize. 

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David Roberts has been by many described as one of the most significant ceramic artists working in Europe today. The origins of his work go back to sixteenth century Japan and the Tea Ceremony. He’s the one being acknowledged to be responsible for introducing and promoting large scale raku ceramics in Europe.

Roberts first builds all his work using clay coils. This is one of the oldest pottery making technique. After that he burnishes the surfaces using various slips. Finally he fires the pieces in raku kiln. He completes the process by prolonged smoking and cooling.

Roberts was born in Sheffield in 1947. He was first introduced to ceramics during education degree at Bretton Hall in West Yorkshire. He moved to raku in mid 1970s.

Over the years his ceramics evolved from two elemental forms – a closed containing shape derived from vessels for storage and an open bowl shape derived from vessels for presentation. There is a clear influence and reference to landscape and nature in many if his pieces.

He is not concerned with colour but with the way richness of tonal variation enhances and defines form. These surfaces are derived from two phenomena; the control of crackle patterns and spotting; resulting from the chemical and physical changes to materials that occur during the rapid firing and cooling of the Raku process.

Roberts has been exhibiting in UK and internationally for number of years now. His ceramics is in collection at V&A Museum London, Scottish Museum Edinburgh, Ulster Museum Belfast, Museum of Wales, Bolton Art Gallery, Aberdeen Art Gallery, World Ceramics Centre Itcheon South Korea and many others.

For other ceramic events in UK click here.

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John Ward is regarded as one of Britain’s most important modern potters. He is also one of my personal favourites. There isn’t probably a contemporary pottery and ceramics book that doesn’t mention his name.

He was born in 1938 in London. He studied at the Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts under Hans Coper and Lucie Rie. In 1971 he set up his London workshop, whilst still teaching pottery. Finally, in 1979 he moved to Wales and focuses solely on making pots.

working method

John handbuilds most of his pieces. He starts with pinching out a base and and then adds coils of clay to shape a hollow vessel. He alters and shapes them at leatherhard stage, creating ridges or grooves between curved surfaces. To finish them off, he scrapes and partly burnishes them with a stone.

Ward uses mainly matt glazes, which he applies either by pouring, spraying or painting. He fires his work twice, in an electric kiln.

Ward’s ceramics is widely exhibited, including the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, National Museum of Wales, Fitzwilliam Museum.

What particularly appeals to me about John Ward’s style is the simplicity of both form and decoration, playfulness and texture. His pottery has this particular quiet but yet powerful elegance and subtlety. You can see clear reference to ancient Chinese and Egyptian pottery, as well as work of more contemporary studio ceramicists such as Hans Coper, Lucie Rie and Ian Godfrey.

John Ward sculptural stoneware vessels are distinguished for their simple yet sometimes complex structures. Similarly for their minimalist abstract and geometric decoration. There is a beautiful balance between dynamic form and a sense of stillness.

In his own words, it is not surprising that the colours he’s using (white, green, blue) are reflection of the surface colours and textures of where he’s living. Rocks, sea.

My favourite pieces are certainly his black and white vessels, as this is actually how I first became to know his work. But I also love all the shades of organic and subtle greens, off white and orche.

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