David Leach (potter)
Encyclopedia
David Andrew Leach was an English
studio potter
and the eldest son of Bernard Leach
and Muriel Hoyle Leach, Bernard's first wife.
David Leach was born in Tokyo
, Japan
, where his father met Shoji Hamada
, and came to England
in 1920. He began an apprenticeship
with his father at St Ives
, Cornwall
, in 1930 and trained as a pottery manager at the North Staffordshire Technical College
, 1935-37. He subsequently managed the Leach Pottery
, changing over from a wood-burning to an oil-burning kiln and modernising the workshop.
In 1955 Leach left St Ives to set up the Lowerdown Pottery at Bovey Tracey
, Devon
, where he became known for his porcelain
. Rice and Gowing describe his work as follows: "The style was very close to that of his father, but the difference in their nature made for very different pots. A fluted, celadon
bowl by David Leach looks nothing like the same thing made by his father. The Bernard Leach bowl would be thick, bold, rough, opaque with wide fluting and little difference in colour between body and glaze
. David Leach's would be thin, smooth, translucent, and with precise, narrow fluting and a wide range of colour - from jade
green to 'ying ch'ing' blue - on a white body.”
He was chairman of the Craft Potters’ Association
of Great Britain in 1967 and exhibited widely in the UK as well as New York, Washington, Tokyo, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf, Heidelberg and Munich.
In 1987 he was appointed OBEfor his work in studio pottery and his services to education.
His three sons, John, Jeremy, and Simon, are all potters.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
studio potter
Studio potter
A studio potter is one who is a modern artist, who either works alone or in a small group, producing unique items of pottery in small quantities, typically with all stages of manufacture carried out by themselves. Studio pottery includes functional wares such as tableware or cookware, and...
and the eldest son of Bernard Leach
Bernard Leach
Bernard Howell Leach, CBE, CH , was a British studio potter and art teacher. He is regarded as the "Father of British studio pottery"-Biography:...
and Muriel Hoyle Leach, Bernard's first wife.
David Leach was born in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where his father met Shoji Hamada
Shoji Hamada
was a Japanese potter. He was a significant influence on studio pottery of the twentieth century, and a major figure of the mingei folk-art movement, establishing the town of Mashiko as a world-renowned pottery centre.- Biography :...
, and came to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1920. He began an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
with his father at St Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, in 1930 and trained as a pottery manager at the North Staffordshire Technical College
Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :...
, 1935-37. He subsequently managed the Leach Pottery
Leach Pottery
The Leach Pottery was founded in 1920 by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada in St Ives, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.The buildings have grown from an old cow / tin-ore shed in the 19th century to a pottery in the 1920s when Hamada and Leach first attempted to construct a climbing kiln, this was the...
, changing over from a wood-burning to an oil-burning kiln and modernising the workshop.
In 1955 Leach left St Ives to set up the Lowerdown Pottery at Bovey Tracey
Bovey Tracey
Bovey Tracey is a small town in Devon, England, on the edge of Dartmoor, its proximity to which gives rise to the "slogan" used on the town's boundary signs, "The Gateway to the Moor". The locals just call the town "Bovey" ....
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, where he became known for his porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
. Rice and Gowing describe his work as follows: "The style was very close to that of his father, but the difference in their nature made for very different pots. A fluted, celadon
Celadon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
bowl by David Leach looks nothing like the same thing made by his father. The Bernard Leach bowl would be thick, bold, rough, opaque with wide fluting and little difference in colour between body and glaze
Ceramic glaze
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
. David Leach's would be thin, smooth, translucent, and with precise, narrow fluting and a wide range of colour - from jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
green to 'ying ch'ing' blue - on a white body.”
He was chairman of the Craft Potters’ Association
Craft Potters’ Association
The Craft Potters Association was formed in 1958 to promote the work of its members and to increase public awareness of contemporary studio pottery...
of Great Britain in 1967 and exhibited widely in the UK as well as New York, Washington, Tokyo, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf, Heidelberg and Munich.
In 1987 he was appointed OBEfor his work in studio pottery and his services to education.
His three sons, John, Jeremy, and Simon, are all potters.