Harry Davis (potter)
Encyclopedia
Harry Davis was an English potter, the only child of a Swiss mother and English father. He was educated in Switzerland and England, and was fluent in German. After school he was sent to the Bournemouth School of Art where the pottery class was oversubscribed. Undaunted, he worked in the pottery room after hours, turning out large numbers of enormous pots which drew the attention of the headmaster. He was sent to Broadstone Potters, near Poole
, responsible for the "Joyous Pottery" range, where he was employed as a decorator, but soon showed interest in all aspects of the craft. He came under the tutelage of a certain Mr. Bean who instructed him in the skills needed at a potter's wheel.
In 1933 he applied for a job with the studio potter, Bernard Leach
, and ended up working for Bernard and David Leach
at the Leach Pottery
in St Ives, Cornwall
. Davis acknowledged the invaluable experience he gained from Bernard Leach, especially for the honing of his aesthetic appreciation of ceramics. During this period he spent long hours in London museums, making copious notes and drawings of pots he found interesting.
He left St Ives in 1937 to become Head of the Art School at Achimota College on the Gold Coast
which is the present-day Ghana
. Here he examined the feasibility of manufacturing tiles, bricks and pots. In 1938 he married May, whom he had met at Leach Pottery, and she accompanied him on his return to Africa. The outbreak of World War II
found May stuck in England and Harry in Africa. He remained until 1942, managing to find local sources of clay and glazes. Davis recommended that Michael Cardew
succeed him.
In the interim May had joined the "Hutterian Society of Brothers" aka the Bruderhof Communities
and moved to Paraguay
, the only country willing to harbour a pacifist community such as theirs. Harry eventually joined her there towards the end of WWII, but had trouble in accepting the group's way of life. Harry and May found themselves in nearby Asuncion
where Harry obtained work in a pipe and tile factory. Not long after they moved to Patagonia
, and he found work with a china
clay company.
Returning to England in 1946, they started up "Crowan Pottery", near Praze
in Cornwall, producing domestic ware. The fine appearance and strength of Crowan pots became legendary. Despite having managed the flourishing pottery for 16 years, the couple became restless. With the Cold War
becoming ever more threatening, they chose to emigrate to New Zealand
in 1962, arriving with four children and their apprentice, Stephen Carter. They founded the "Crewenna Pottery" near Nelson
.
Wanderlust once more gripped them. Harry set off to Peru
in 1972, with May following a year later. Here they spent eight years of their life building a pottery at Izcuchaca, 9,500 feet high in the Andes
. In 1979 May returned to New Zealand and Harry, in poor health, shortly after. He died at "Crewenna" in 1986.
In the years following he travelled widely, lecturing on pottery, and writing "The Potters Alternative" as well as an unpublished autobiography.
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
, responsible for the "Joyous Pottery" range, where he was employed as a decorator, but soon showed interest in all aspects of the craft. He came under the tutelage of a certain Mr. Bean who instructed him in the skills needed at a potter's wheel.
In 1933 he applied for a job with the studio potter, 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 ended up working for Bernard and David Leach
David Leach (potter)
David Andrew Leach was an English studio potter and the eldest son of Bernard Leach and Muriel Hoyle Leach, Bernard's first wife....
at 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...
in St Ives, Cornwall
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...
. Davis acknowledged the invaluable experience he gained from Bernard Leach, especially for the honing of his aesthetic appreciation of ceramics. During this period he spent long hours in London museums, making copious notes and drawings of pots he found interesting.
He left St Ives in 1937 to become Head of the Art School at Achimota College on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
which is the present-day Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. Here he examined the feasibility of manufacturing tiles, bricks and pots. In 1938 he married May, whom he had met at Leach Pottery, and she accompanied him on his return to Africa. The outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
found May stuck in England and Harry in Africa. He remained until 1942, managing to find local sources of clay and glazes. Davis recommended that Michael Cardew
Michael Cardew
Michael Cardew, OBE, was an English studio potter who worked in West Africa for twenty years.Cardew was the fourth child of Arthur Cardew, a civil servant, and Alexandra Kitchin, the eldest daughter of G.W.Kitchin, the first Chancellor of Durham University...
succeed him.
In the interim May had joined the "Hutterian Society of Brothers" aka the Bruderhof Communities
Bruderhof Communities
The Bruderhof Communities are Christian religious communities with branches in New York, Florida and Pennsylvania in the US, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. They have previously been called The Society of Brothers and were loosely affiliated with the Hutterian Brethren...
and moved to Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, the only country willing to harbour a pacifist community such as theirs. Harry eventually joined her there towards the end of WWII, but had trouble in accepting the group's way of life. Harry and May found themselves in nearby Asuncion
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
where Harry obtained work in a pipe and tile factory. Not long after they moved to Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
, and he found work with a china
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...
clay company.
Returning to England in 1946, they started up "Crowan Pottery", near Praze
Praze-An-Beeble
Praze-An-Beeble , sometimes shortened to Praze, is a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is located between the nearby towns of Camborne and Helston in the civil parish of Crowan....
in Cornwall, producing domestic ware. The fine appearance and strength of Crowan pots became legendary. Despite having managed the flourishing pottery for 16 years, the couple became restless. With the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
becoming ever more threatening, they chose to emigrate to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1962, arriving with four children and their apprentice, Stephen Carter. They founded the "Crewenna Pottery" near Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
.
Wanderlust once more gripped them. Harry set off to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in 1972, with May following a year later. Here they spent eight years of their life building a pottery at Izcuchaca, 9,500 feet high in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. In 1979 May returned to New Zealand and Harry, in poor health, shortly after. He died at "Crewenna" in 1986.
In the years following he travelled widely, lecturing on pottery, and writing "The Potters Alternative" as well as an unpublished autobiography.