Beschreibung:

λ JOHN WARD (BRITISH 1938-2023) A LARGE 'TULIP' VASE Stoneware, covered in streaked white and pale blue glazes, impressed with JW seal Height: 30cm (11 7/8 in.) Provenance: Private Collection At the age of 28 John Ward applied to Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts. He was initially drawn to this particular college as he knew that Lucie Rie and Hans Coper were visiting tutors and after having seen their works at pottery exhibitions in London he was keen to learn more. Ward said 'Lucie Rie's work, which I first saw in a sunlit exhibition room, glowed with its light, life and colour.' John Ward ' Emma Crichton -Miller, The Pottery of John Ward p. 33 Ward's life in metropolitan London certainly paved the way for his career in ceramics but it was his move to Pembrokeshire with his family in 1979 which allowed him to take up a slower pace of life, surrounded by serenity and nature. Ward was inspired by the sudden change in colours he witnessed from the city to the coast. The monumental rock formations teetering on the edge of cliffs reiterated the energy and power of nature. His fascination with light and the way in which it fell through the trees making shapes and patterns on the woodland floor were certainly all influential in the development of both his design and form. He hand-built his pots using strips of clay to build vessels of design over function. Cutting and re-joining sections of clay resulted in beautiful unique forms, experimenting also with textured surfaces. The works he created drew inspiration from architectural design, nature's elements found on the shoreline and historic roman vessels. Ward was fascinated by the self-containment of a single vessel combined with the dynamism of design which created an object full of energy and yet 'a still point of the turning world.' John Ward ' Emma Crichton -Miller, The Pottery of John Ward p. 12 In 1982 John Ward had his first one-man show at the Peter Dingley Gallery. This exhilarating body of work showcased his wide variety of new forms, including gourd-shaped vessels, double-grooved bowls, square necks and flanged bowls. Ward set himself off on a journey to find 'rightness' which to him was the perfect balance between form, achieved through quality of clay, and decoration, through the experimentation of glazes. Included in this private collection of works by John Ward we are able to identify examples of many of his favourite glazes including three green and white pots with geometric glazes, striking black, tantalising blue and innocent white, like porcelain. Important examples of Ward's ceramics can be found in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Condition Report: In good original condition. No evidence of damage, repair or restoration. Condition Report Disclaimer