Introduction
John Leach has established an international reputation for his hand-thrown, wood-fired oven-to-table stoneware. Eldest grandson of Bernard Leach and son of David Leach, he continues the family tradition at Muchelney, the pottery he set up in the heart of the Somerset Levels near Langport in 1965.
Trained in the discipline of repeat functional pottery production, it was not until 1983 that he felt able to free himself from the limitation of this work ethic to produce individual signed pieces exploring a wide range of shapes and creative impulses, in particular his saggar-fired “black mood” designs.
John considers it “a great privilege in this over-standardised, plastic, push-button age, to work with something as therapeutic as clay. As potters we are so fortunate to be able to take a raw material as humble as clay from the ground and fashion it into something beautiful and functional.”
“The challenge is to hold on to one’s integrity. One cannot do better than make things by hand – its one of those deep-down instinctive feelings of humankind.”
Contact details
Work tel: 01458 250324
Website: http://www.johnleachpottery.com
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Image Gallery
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Title: Cross-handled bottle & Small squashed bottle
Dimensions: 24cm & 12cm
Media: Wood fired stoneware
Description: Handthrown, ash-glazed bottles
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Title: Sack Pot
Dimensions: 13cm High
Media: Wood-fired stoneware
Description: Handthrown pierced pot
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Title: Charger
Dimensions: 40cm diameter
Media: Wood-fired stoneware
Description: Handthrown, with wax-resist decoration
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Title: Faceted Bottle
Dimensions: 21cm high
Media: Wood-fired stoneware
Description:
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Title: Indented rim vase
Dimensions: 12cm high
Media: Saggar-fired stoneware
Description: From the John Leach 'Black mood' collection