NIC COLLINS
GOLDMARK
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This is a magnificent collection of work of the highest quality, created by the heart and hands of a phenomenally skilled and intensely dedicated master. Doug Fitch
front cover Pot number 124
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NIC COLLINS
NIC COLLINS
Essay by Doug Fitch
GOLDMARK 2011
Nic Collins
Nic Collins and I share a friendship that spans more than twenty five years. It is an honour to have been asked by him to write these words. This is not a deeply philosophical text, but a simple recollection by a close friend, of the stepping stones in Nic’s career that have ultimately led to the creation of the breathtaking body of work that is presented in this exhibition. We studied ceramics together at Derby College of Higher Education in the early eighties. I recall vividly my first sight of this man when he entered the college ceramics studio. He was a few years my senior, with a heavy moustache and a thick plait that ran the length of his back. He carried with him a reserved presence - in truth, the first time I saw him I was a bit scared of him. This initial impression of him had overlooked the generosity, the sensitivity, the honesty and the humour of his temperament that very soon became apparent as I got to know him. Similarly, the awe-inspiring pots that fill these pages represent each of these characteristics and challenge the viewer to look longer and deeper at the rugged forms, to see the spirit within. I doubt that Nic could bring himself to make pots by any other means. Before going to college, he had already discovered the alchemic enchantment of the process. He had dug clay from his local river bank, taught himself to throw on a kickwheel and fired the resulting pots in a simple wood-fuelled kiln that he had built at his home in Stratford. These early experiments with earth and fire initiated an elementary attitude to the manner in
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which he has always approached the process, the use of locally sourced clay, transformed into hard-fired ceramic, by the application of naked flames. He was a motivated student. College days were invested in building and firing kilns, fuelled with wood or oil – always real fire, the challenges encountered during the journey of the process of firing as important an element as the finished results. His kilns were filled with stoneware pots - mugs, jugs, jars and bowls, the influence of English medieval pottery, clearly evident in their forms, as it is to this day. After graduating, he developed his skills, working in potteries in Italy and then Germany, before returning to England in 1988, to establish Powdermills Pottery in Devon. Powdermills Pottery is situated along a track, leading from one of the sparsely populated, but busy tourist routes that traverse Dartmoor. It is a beautiful and remote location, situated at the foot of a rugged, granite-strewn tor, midst barren moorland, punctuated with trees that are stunted and stretched sideways by the prevailing wind. Dartmoor is a place where one might feel intimately allied to nature and this relationship with the natural world has always been evident in Nic’s pots, which emanate the tones and textures of his rural environment. Initially, his Powdermills pots were predominantly domestic wares, which included large jugs, their scale limited only by the size of his 30 ft³ kiln chamber.
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In 1991, it was the impact of a visit to England by the Japanese potter, Shiro Tsajumira that was to determine a sudden development in the direction of Nic’s work. Shiro had not descended from any great potting dynasty; he was the son of a dairy farmer, a first generation potter. I was talking with Nic recently about Shiro. He related how, at their first meeting, he had watched him firing a kiln that had been assembled in just four hours. Flames were bursting from the numerous holes in its apparently haphazard structure. It was a kiln that challenged the rules - it leaked flames through gaps in the roughly piled brickwork and it appeared that because of its slapdash construction it would be liable to cool too fast, with the risk of destroying its precious cargo. Upon returning the next day to witness the kiln opening and expecting to see the contents ruined, Nic experienced an extraordinary epiphany. When the first pot was withdrawn from the chamber, he recalled how he was emotionally stirred by the qualities of the work. The pots bore nothing of the gentle subtleties of conventional wood firing to which he was accustomed, where a pot’s exterior might be lightly toasted by the flame. Instead, they were coated with thick, runny glazes, in tones of green, brown and yellow, where Shiro had poured buckets of ash on to the hot pots during the firing. The ash deposited on the surfaces of the pots had melted in the intense heat and had subsequently frozen upon cooling, to form glaze.
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Uninhibited, Shiro made things by his own unique methods, inventing techniques in order to realise his work and although the forms he made alluded to traditional pots, he was unrestricted by any rules or expectations that a tradition might perhaps impose, in terms of either technical approach, or philosophy. This appealed to Nic, who until this time, had felt as though he had no master to look up to and thus none of the security that having roots might provide. He realised however, upon meeting Shiro, that he also was free from the restrictions or values that working within a particular set of traditional ethics might encompass. It was a life-changing revelation that led to the construction of the first of Nic’s huge anagama kilns in 1991. Stifled at Powdermills and with the constant interruptions from passing tourists to whom his work had become increasingly difficult to understand, he grew ever more aware that he required seclusion and solitude to enable him to focus on his life’s work. Nic has never been a man to allow the honesty of his creative practice to be compromised or influenced by market forces and in 1998, he left Powdermills. It was a brave and perceptive decision to sacrifice a workshop on a major tourist route, in favour of the secluded and at that time, derelict barn on the
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outskirts of Moretonhampstead, that has been his home and workplace ever since. These were difficult times that somehow, against the odds, strengthened his resolve and without losing his focus, he channelled his energy into converting the barn into a home and workshop with dogged determination, using the vast array of practical skills that have always come readily to his hands. He began to design and construct large kilns that would have the capacity to hold his monumental pots, rebuilding and adapting them to achieve different effects. Firings have grown longer, continuing over a number of days, rising to temperatures in excess of 1300Âşc, allowing the combination of ash, flame and gasses to do their work on the surface. Some pots are returned to the kiln time and again for multiple firings. It is a precarious method; there are many successes and many inevitable failures. Only through the culmination of many years of knowledge, acquired by trial and error, may accomplished pots such as the examples in this exhibition be produced. Over the past three years, Nic and his partner Sabine, also a potter, have built, entirely by hand, a beautiful new workshop on the site. Appropriately, it is made from ‘cob’, essentially clay walls rendered with lime. On the first floor is a room in which Nic is able to store and contemplate his finest pots. Recently I was privileged to spend some time there, looking at the pieces
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to be included in this exhibition. It is an amazing selection of the very best pots, taken from the firings of the last two years. I was quite overwhelmed at the astonishing variety of tones, textures forms and scale that stood before me. This is a magnificent collection of work of the highest quality, created by the heart and hands of a phenomenally skilled and intensely dedicated master. Doug Fitch potter and writer
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141
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32
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21, 11, 23
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136
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125, 120, 123
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157
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113
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4
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37, 63
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76
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51
32
27
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130
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140
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104
116
126
133
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135
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25
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78
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Biography
Recent Exhibitions
1958
Born in Leamington Spa
Amalgam Gallery
London
1983-1985 Stratford College
Harlequin Gallery
London
1985-1987 Derby Art School: HND Studio 1987
Besson Gallery
London
Ceramics
Ombersley Gallery
Kidderminster
Workshop experience in Italy and
Cothele Gallery
Cornwall (National
Germany
Trust)
1988-2000 Powdermills Pottery, Postbridge, 2000
Roundhouse Gallery
Tudbury, Derby
Dartmoor, founder and owner
Gnarly Dudes Exhibition Devon (Dartmoor)
Personal workshop in
International Anagama
Moretonhampstead, Devon
Exhibition
Fellow member of the Craftsmen Potters Association Full Member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen Winner of the “Art in Clay” Peers Award 1999, Hatfield Best potter in show award Krefeld 2002 Awarded research grant from South West Arts 2002 Winner of the “Art in Clay” Peers Award 2004, Hatfield Honorable Mention in Vasefinder International 2011
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Munich
48
56
49
57
105
58
182, 177, 179, 171
163, 176, 168, 167
Illustrated Pots
All sizes in cm
1. Very Large Jar. Natural ash glaze & blue glass runs
80.0 x 57.0
3. Large Jar. Green/grey ash glaze & purple/blue reduction colours
64.0 x 48.5
4. Large Jar. Meeth red clay, shino type glaze, natural green/grey ash glaze
55.0 x 41.0
5. Jar. Yellow/green ash glaze over Shino, shell scars, blue ember reduction
46.5 x 33.5
6. Vase. Meeth clay with applied texture, natural ash glaze
49.0 x 44.5
7. Jar. Meeth clay with shino and natural ash glazes. Jade green ash & iron reds
55.5 x 43.0
8. Jar. Fire flash colours & natural ash glaze
46.5 x 39.5
9. Jar. Celadon glaze & natural wood ash
39.5 x 33.0
10. Tall Bottle. Shino with molten ash glaze and shell detail
85.5 x 20.5
11. Majestic Tall Bottle. Green/grey natural ash runs over blue/grey reduction colours
79.5 x 79.5
13. Tall Bottle. Shino with natural ash glaze
101.0 x 19.0
15. Bellarmine Bottle. Natural ash glaze & blue/grey ember reduction colours
54.0 x 37.0
17. Bellarmine Bottle. Shino with natural ash glaze, carbon trapping & shell scars
55.0 x 35.5
19. Bottle. Celadon & natural ash glazes with shell scar and kissing mark
50.0 x 18.5
21. Very Tall Jug. Natural ash glaze & ember reduction colours
71.5 x 18.5
22. Tall Jug. Natural green ash glaze with shell & wadding scar
58.0 x 17.5
23. Tall Jug. Blue/grey/green natural ash glaze
59.0 x 17.5
25. Tall Jug. White Shino with light green natural ash glaze & orange clay body colour
58.5 x 17.5
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119, 134, 100
27. Tall Jug. Natural ash glaze & ember reduction colours
60.0 x 18.5
32. Lidded Jar with Lugs. Natural ash glazed & raw clay colour with iron spots
35.0 x 25.0
33. North Devon Type Jug. Natural ash glaze & flame flashing colours. Celadon inside
40.0 x 25.0
37. North Devon Type Jug. Natural ash glaze & blue/grey ember reduction
40.0 x 24.0
43. Jug. Light ash glaze & natural clay body. Shino glazed interior & rim
34.5 x 21.5
47. Large Thrown Porcelain Dish. Bright orange flame flashing & shell scars
11.0 x 55.0
48. Large Thrown Dish. Shino & fine natural ash glazes with Feldspar & iron spots
14.5 x 59.0
49. Large Thrown Dish. Fresh Celadon glaze with hazel leaf impression
11.5 x 55.0
51. Bottle. Ash runs over Shino glaze
34.5 x 23.5
63. Small Devon Jug. Natural ash glaze
25.0 x 17.0
67. Round Bottomed Dish. Textured pattern, grey/green ash glaze & blue/grey reduction15.0 x 31.0 68. Round Bottomed Dish. Textured pattern & cool green/grey Celadon glaze
10.0 x 26.0
70. Round Bottomed Dish. Thrown and slab built. Textured pattern & Shino type glaze
10.0 x 25.0
72. Porcelain Flower Vase/Fruit Bowl. Slab built. Natural ash glaze
8.0 x 27.0
73. Small Jug. Natural ash glaze & flame flash colouring
14.0 x 11.5
74. Small Jug. Natural ash glaze & flame flash colouring
14.0 x 11.5
76. Bottle. Shino & heavy natural ash glaze. Grey/green ash & lilac/mauve reduction
32.0 x 16.5
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63, 102, 166, 73, 74
78. Bottle. Natural ash glaze & flame colouring
24.0 x 18.5
100. Bottle. Shino glaze with ash runs & clay wadding scar
100.0 x 12.5
102. Teapot. Natural fly ash glaze & flame flashing colours
14.5 x 14.0
104. Bottle. Purple/mauve reduction colours & light green ash glaze
16.0 x 11.5
105. Bottle. Fresh green Celadon & natural fly ash glazes 109. Flower Vase. Natural ash glaze & wadding marks
14.0 x 9.0 20.0 x 11.5
113. Bottle. Ash runs and shell scars
20.5 x 10.5
116. Bottle. Ash runs & blue/purple reduction colours
23.5 x 11.0
119. Bottle. Shino & natural ash glazes. Blue/grey reduction colours
16.0 x 11.0
120. Bottle. Shino & natural ash glazes with wadding marks
22.0 x 8.0
123. Bottle. Shino glaze with ash runs & wadding marks
17.0 x 11.0
124. Bottle. Shino glaze with ash runs & wadding marks
17.0 x 11.0
125. Bottle. Orange Shino & ash glazes
22.0 x 11.5
126. Bottle. Ash runs & blue/grey reduction colours
21.0 x 12.0
130. Bottle. Red Shino with ash runs
17.0 x 8.5
133. Bottle. Shino glaze with ash runs
21.5 x 11.5
134. Bottle. Shino with flame flashing & cool grey reduction colours
20.0 x 11.0
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72
159, 153, 162
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135. Bottle. Grey/blue & purple/mauve reduction colours
19.0 x 12.5
136. Small Lidded Jar. Celadon glaze
11.0 x 11.5
140. Bottle. Natural ash glaze runs & iron spots from the clay
25.5 x 11.5
141. Teabowl. Natural ash glaze runs, blue/grey reduction colours
8.5 x 13.5
153. Teabowl. Porcelain
7.5 x 13.0
157. Guinomi. Porcelain
5.5 x 7.5
159. Guinomi. Porcelain. Pinched
5.5 x 8.5
162. Guinomi. Porcelain. Pinched
5.5 x 8.5
163. Guinomi. Celadon glazed inside
6.0 x 8.0
166. Guinomi. Shino glazed inside with ashing
6.5 x 8.0
167. Guinomi. Ash runs, pooling inside
6.5 x 7.5
168. Guinomi. Flame flash, ash runs, heavy ashing inside
5.5 x 7.5
171. Guinomi. Ash runs, shino glazed inside
6.5 x 8.5
176. Guinomi. Ash runs
6.0 x 9.0
177. Guinomi. Ash runs, heavy ashing inside
6.0 x 9.5
179. Guinomi. Ashing
6.5 x 10.0
182. Guinomi. Ashing
6.5 x 10.0
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www.modernpots.com Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham, Rutland, LE15 9SQ 01572 821424
Text © Doug Fitch 2011 Photographs © Jay Goldmark Design Porter / Goldmark
ISBN
978-1-870507-82-0 2011
GOLDMARK CERAMICS MONOGRAPHS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Phil Rogers New Pots 2005 Clive Bowen New Pots 2006 Lisa Hammond New Pots 2006 Mike Dodd Recent Pots 2007 Ken Matsuzaki (2007) Thirty Years of a Living Tradition Svend Bayer (2007) New Pots Jim Malone (2008) The Pursuit of Beauty
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Phil Rogers (2008) A Potter of our Time Lisa Hammond (2009) Unconscious Revelation Ken Matsuzaki New Pots 2009 Mike Dodd New Pots 2009 Clive Bowen New Pots 2009 Svend Bayer New Pots 2010 Nic Collinsr New Pots 2011
GOLDMARK CERAMICS FILMS 1 3
Phil Rogers A Passion For Pots Svend Bayer
2 4
Ken Matsuzaki Elemental Nic Collins
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www.modernpots.com Goldmark Uppingham Rutland LE15 9SQ England