Rupert Spira
Encyclopedia
Rupert Spira is an English
studio potter
. Born in 1960 he first studied pottery
with Henry Hammond and later with Michael Cardew
at Wenford Bridge Pottery from 1980 to 1982. His early work was reminiscent of these early influences being in a very traditional Bernard Leach
style. This work is mostly practical in nature taking the form of teapot
s, functional vases and other culinary ware.
He later moved to set up his own pottery in Shropshire
where his style changed from a functional to a more minimalistic style. While he continues to make and sell functional pottery he is now known for his more recent studio pottery
. His best and most recognizable work contains poems, both self written and by Kathleen Raine
the celebrated British poet. The poems are either scratched into the glaze in the sgraffito
style or written as embossed letters either in a square block or in a single line across the surface of the vessel. These works vary in size from prayer bowls only a few centimetres across through to huge open bowls 50 cm or more in diameter. He is also known for his cylinders which are often made as part of a series and while beautiful in their own right were made to be exhibited as a group. These also vary in scale from a few centimetres in height through to the largest being a meter or more high. He works mainly in simple white, off white and black minimalistic colors but he does also occasionally make deep redly glazed bowls and very distinguishable yellow tea sets.
Rupert's work can be found in many galleries throughout Britain including the V&A and Sainsbury collection as well as in many private collections worldwide.
Spira is also a spiritual writer and teacher in the branch of Non Duality (Advaita, in Sanskrit
), exploring the nature of experience in his essays and texts. He has published a book (The Transparency of Things, Non Duality Press, 2008), and a few DVDs with interviews. He holds regular meetings and retreats in the UK, Europe and the US.
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...
. Born in 1960 he first studied pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
with Henry Hammond and later with 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...
at Wenford Bridge Pottery from 1980 to 1982. His early work was reminiscent of these early influences being in a very traditional 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:...
style. This work is mostly practical in nature taking the form of teapot
Teapot
A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in near-boiling water. Tea may be either in a tea bag or loose, in which case a tea strainer will be needed, either to hold the leaves as they steep or to catch the leaves inside the teapot when the tea is poured...
s, functional vases and other culinary ware.
He later moved to set up his own pottery in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
where his style changed from a functional to a more minimalistic style. While he continues to make and sell functional pottery he is now known for his more recent studio pottery
Studio pottery
Studio pottery is made by modern artists working alone or in small groups, producing unique items of pottery in small quantities, typically with all stages of manufacture carried out by one individual. Much studio pottery is tableware or cookware but an increasing number of studio potters produce...
. His best and most recognizable work contains poems, both self written and by Kathleen Raine
Kathleen Raine
Kathleen Jessie Raine was a British poet, critic, and scholar writing in particular on William Blake, W. B. Yeats and Thomas Taylor. Known for her interest in various forms of spirituality, most prominently Platonism and Neoplatonism, she was a founder member of the Temenos Academy.-Life:Raine was...
the celebrated British poet. The poems are either scratched into the glaze in the sgraffito
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...
style or written as embossed letters either in a square block or in a single line across the surface of the vessel. These works vary in size from prayer bowls only a few centimetres across through to huge open bowls 50 cm or more in diameter. He is also known for his cylinders which are often made as part of a series and while beautiful in their own right were made to be exhibited as a group. These also vary in scale from a few centimetres in height through to the largest being a meter or more high. He works mainly in simple white, off white and black minimalistic colors but he does also occasionally make deep redly glazed bowls and very distinguishable yellow tea sets.
Rupert's work can be found in many galleries throughout Britain including the V&A and Sainsbury collection as well as in many private collections worldwide.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
), exploring the nature of experience in his essays and texts. He has published a book (The Transparency of Things, Non Duality Press, 2008), and a few DVDs with interviews. He holds regular meetings and retreats in the UK, Europe and the US.
Selected Public Collections
- Victoria and Albert museumVictoria and Albert MuseumThe Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
- Sainsbury Centre for Visual ArtsSainsbury Centre for Visual ArtsThe Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts is an art gallery and museum located on the campus of the University of East Anglia, Norwich in the United Kingdom...