Davies, John and Jennifer
Item
Maker Name
Davies, John and Jennifer
Studio name
Bottle and Jug Works
Marks
Biography
John studied art and ceramics at Newton Abbot, UK, in the 1950s and met Jennifer at teacher training at Matlock Training College, Derbyshire. They immigrated to Port Clemens, Haida Gwaii, BC in 1965. They first worked as teachers but by 1970 they had started a full-time production pottery, influenced by the West Country potters - Bernard and David Leach, Ray Finch and Michael Cardew.
They built their ocean-side home and big studio - Bottle and Jug Works - in Tlell, Haida Gwaii. They successfully lived the Leach/Mingei lifestyle, and through their production they raised their family. 2010 was the …“fortieth uninterrupted year of production of fine utilitarian ware in the English Country Tradition.” At the time of this note (2022) pottery production has ceased but shelves of pottery are still in the studio.
John and Jennifer have been true ‘Village’ potters (Like; Lari Robson, Heinz Laffin, Gerhard Kozel, Meg Buckley, Gary Chereff, and Darrell Hancock.) During the 1970s/ 80s/and 90s and perhaps even the early 2000s, they may have been the only potters on Haida Gwaii.
John and Jennifer did become members of the Potters Guild of BC for a short while, but the distance was too great a barrier. Their work will be found in the cupboards of the local population, as they did not have to sell off island.
They built their ocean-side home and big studio - Bottle and Jug Works - in Tlell, Haida Gwaii. They successfully lived the Leach/Mingei lifestyle, and through their production they raised their family. 2010 was the …“fortieth uninterrupted year of production of fine utilitarian ware in the English Country Tradition.” At the time of this note (2022) pottery production has ceased but shelves of pottery are still in the studio.
John and Jennifer have been true ‘Village’ potters (Like; Lari Robson, Heinz Laffin, Gerhard Kozel, Meg Buckley, Gary Chereff, and Darrell Hancock.) During the 1970s/ 80s/and 90s and perhaps even the early 2000s, they may have been the only potters on Haida Gwaii.
John and Jennifer did become members of the Potters Guild of BC for a short while, but the distance was too great a barrier. Their work will be found in the cupboards of the local population, as they did not have to sell off island.
First name
John and Jennifer
Last name
Davies
Career dates (start and end)
1970
Place of Birth
UK
Studio location
Formal Education
Affiliated organizations
Links to Further Resources
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-davies-9b336310b/?originalSubdomain=ca
Source
Debra Sloan
Item sets
Linked resources
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 Davies, John and Jennifer mark |
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