A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes

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1 A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes

4 A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes 5 Foreword by Shizuko Hughes aspects of making pots, starting with preparing clay, throwing, Equally valuable was that it confirmed for Edward that

3 4 A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes 5 Foreword by Shizuko Hughes aspects of making pots, starting with preparing clay, throwing, Equally valuable was that it confirmed for Edward that decorating, firing the kiln and finishing by cleaning the tableware must be beautiful as well as useful. When asked bottom of each and every pot. This is what he went on what his ambition was for his pottery, Edward just said, doing on most days of his life and occasionally during the I want to make a good pot. He did not explain precisely night - he got up abruptly in the middle of the night to what he meant by good ; he might simply have seen before check how the pots were drying - with almost obsessive care him beautiful cups and saucers with a teapot that could all and attention. With time, he was increasingly rewarded by serve well in daily use. results that delighted him and he would say, Oh, oooh, did I make this? It has been a great privilege to have this opportunity to present Edward had already set out on his course by the time I met him. His work in his final college exhibition at Corsham was all tableware: piles of plates large and small, many bowls, beakers and mugs, most of which were in black and brown, some in pale grey. There may have been goblets and casseroles as well. They were many, but they had a peculiar look of not being attended to: certainly they were not being talked about. A sense of uneasy distance was noticeable around his pots. I do not remember if there was any tableware by other students. Having chosen his path and goal, he did not have the means to achieve them. He wanted to make pots good enough and durable enough to be used every day; but how and where? Then came the news that he had been accepted for a Japanese government scholarship. He was very fortunate and knew he was, as he acknowledges in the interview with Alex. He worked hard in the college studio in Kyoto; from nine to five every day except on Sundays. As he got used to handling clay and throwing pots, better, more natural forms began to take the place of a novice s clumsiness. Then one day, one of the professors, who was famous for his artistic talent and incisive tongue, told Edward that he had reached the stage where he now needed to relax when making rather than try harder to improve his throwing skill. How he took those words is not clear. Edward said nothing, and continued to put his energy into learning all Edward Hughes, 2002 It was not only his pottery that benefited from living in and near Kyoto, a city with a distinctive artistic and cultural tradition after being the capital of the country for a thousand years. At weekends we were busy learning the arts, culture and tradition of Kyoto and its neighbour, Nara. To understand the aesthetics and practicalities in the life of those historical regions was an essential part of the education of an artist craftsman, and we continued with our pilgrimage after we settled in Shiga, trying to see as many museums, potteries and temples as possible. Gradually over the years the essence of what we felt and liked trickled into what Edward made. Although I am bound to be biased, I see the flowing lines of ancient temple roofs and the striking presence of those beautifully crafted pots reflected in his own pots. Edward s work pots, words and photographs in this book, which is based on the 2010 exhibition at Manchester Metropolitan University. I have had the same wonderful team to work with as for the exhibition: Alex McErlain, Stephanie Boydell, Jo Phillips and Stephen Yates and others at Manchester Metropolitan University and the MMU Special Collections. Without their expertise and understanding, neither the exhibition nor this book would have been possible. I am infinitely grateful for their invaluable help. I would also like to thank David Binch, Barry Gregson, Tony Richards, Christopher Powell, Melanie Gardner and Tullie House and Art Gallery Trust, and in particular, Ken and Rose Hughes. september 2011

4 12 A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes 13 Beginnings I was shown a new world, it was a world I knew nothing about. It was a source of pride for Barry that he had realised the importance of having pots to handle in the school collection which includes a Michael Cardew cider jar and a Lucie Rie bowl. A fundamental essence of clay is its tactile nature and it is so important to be able to handle pots. (Edward Hughes) left: Slab built box made at Corsham (Bath Academy of Art) cm overleaf: above: Slab built boxes, made at Corsham (Bath Academy of Art) largest box: cm below: Slipware dish made at Lancaster Royal Grammar School, cm Edward Hughes discovered pottery making whilst at school at the Lancaster Royal Grammar School. His teacher Barry Gregson was a committed potter who regularly made and exhibited work himself. The work he made during these early years shows a range of interests. Many items were slab built, with great precision. My first pots were slipware pots. Not consciously but intuitively I was responding to the bounty of Nature. I had fallen in love with clay and slipware. I became obsessed with pottery both modern and ancient. For my birthdays I asked my parents for books on pottery: The Art of the Modern Potter, The World of Ceramics, Pioneer Pottery (Michael Cardew) and A Potter s Book (Bernard Leach). At the age of 15, I took myself off on a day trip to Manchester s City Museum and Art Gallery to see The Incomparable Art Exhibition of Thomas Greg s Collection of pre-industrial English Slipware that spoke so clearly and directly of naturalness, generosity and humanity. My life had been changed, and I somehow knew I would spend the rest of my life with clay.

20 A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes 21 Pots in the making I entrust my pots into the hands of the customer for use in their everyday lives, where the act of use is every bit as

5 20 A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes 21 Pots in the making I entrust my pots into the hands of the customer for use in their everyday lives, where the act of use is every bit as creative and important as that of the maker. The maker, the pot and the user become one in the beauty of use. (Edward Hughes) opposite page: The dining table at Isel, 2002 Hughes made a wide range of pots in both stoneware and porcelain. His making methods included throwing, slab building and press moulding. Whilst the majority of his production comprised tableware, he did make some extraordinary individual pieces perhaps the most notable of which were large thrown chargers. The Like many potters using reduction firing, Hughes was fascinated by wood-ash glazes. The ash residue from a wood fire can be used in glaze making to produce subtle, organic chargers were perfect vehicles for showing his command colours. He commonly used ash from the trees silver birch, In his use of press moulding Hughes was following a long established 18th century English slipware tradition which enabled the production of small runs of identical forms providing a surface for decorative exploration. Perhaps more importantly the tradition was also associated with everyday, useful pottery; items used in a domestic setting, for cooking of glaze and decorative effect. The wide expanse of surface allowed for a thick application of glaze to develop in intensity, and the detail of particle movement within the glaze produced effects sometimes akin to painted landscapes. In fact he gave some of these spectacular pieces titles, such as Storm Cloud of Lakeland. elm, ash, and hawthorn in his glaze compositions, sometimes naming his glazes from their place of origin, for example Dalemain, Lorton and Robin Hood (the name of his local sawmill). In later years he became interested in making glazes using and serving food. These works fitted perfectly his passion for copper as a colorant which could produce both pinks, reds glaze and surface effects together with his strongly held belief For the most part he used just three glazes; tenmoku, celadon and a slightly iridescent copper-green. in creative use. and an opaque ash glaze. He varied the blends using six different wood ashes, which in combination with the slips produced a great variety of colour and texture.

22 A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes 23 I entrust to my materials and processes of making. By listening to and learning the nature of the clay, I learn how to form my shapes.

I then learn from the nature of the slip how I should decorate my pots, and from the nature of the feldspar and woodash how I should make my glazes.

6 22 A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes 23 I entrust to my materials and processes of making. By listening to and learning the nature of the clay, I learn how to form my shapes. Just as the tree s needs and Nature guide the shape and position of each leaf on a tree, the needs of daily life and the nature of my clay guide my hands on the wheel. I then learn from the nature of the slip how I should decorate my pots, and from the nature of the feldspar and woodash how I should make my glazes. Then I must entrust to the kiln, and the nature of wind and fire to transform clay, slip and glaze into the permanence of pot. Finally I entrust my pots into the hands of the customer for use in their everyday lives, where the act of use is every bit as creative and important as that of the maker. previous page: Throwing in the studio at Isel, 2002 this page: Edward Hughes pottery seal. The seal is also the kanji for earth and fire The kiln at Isel was big enough to hold about 150 pots, which he usually fired four times a year. Although Hughes was inspired heavily by English slipware he principally worked in stoneware, sometimes adapting slipware techniques to use with high temperature materials. The layer of slip, which appears on many of his pots, is designed to interact with the glaze. There is a physical reaction within the molten materials at high temperatures. Glaze is particularly affected by iron slip which in the case of celadon changes not only its colour to rust red and black but additionally the surface melt is affected sometimes rendering it semi-matt. The slab-built works are unusual to find in the repertoire of a modern studio potter. Usefulness is still a concern; the caskets are containers and the stacking boxes make reference to Japanese Jubako boxes, but principally the slabbed forms display his fondness of the making technique, begun when he was still a student, and which is extremely demanding and must be executed with precision. The pottery mark stamped on all his work incorporates, in addition to his initials, the Japanese characters Earth and Fire, signifying the basic elements of the potter s craft.

The Pottery of Edward Hughes previous page:

54cm overleaf: left: Pressed dish, ash glaze over

7 The Pottery of Edward Hughes previous page: Charger, ash glaze over slips. Diam. 52.5cm this page: above: Charger, tenmoku glaze. Diam. 54cm below: Charger, Nuka glaze. Diam. 54cm overleaf: left: Pressed dish, ash glaze over slip. Diam. 44cm right: Pressed dish, ash glaze over slip. Diam. 43.5cm 29

8 32 A Japanese Passion Pressed dish, tenmoku & Nuka glaze. w37.5 d37.5cm The Pottery of Edward Hughes Square pressed dish with trailed glaze. w37.5 d37.5cm 33

9 48 A Japanese Passion The Pottery of Edward Hughes 49 this page above left: Teabowl, copper glaze. h9 diam.12cm above right: Fluted bowl,nuka glaze. h11 diam.16cm bottom left: Copper glazed sake cup. h5 diam.6cm bottom right: Copper glazed bowl. diam.15cm Five plates. Diameter of largest 24cm

10 104 A Japanese Passion Teapot Making Sequence Images courtesy of Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust. Photography by Guy Pawle. The Pottery of Edward Hughes 105

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