WHY EARTHENWARE?

Today as Stephen was floating through the office, as he sometimes does (not often as he hates computers), I asked him a question which I have sometimes wondered about.

“Why Earthenware? Why did you choose, and continue to make earthenware?”

Without hesitation he replied, “Because I like it.”

“Yes, but why do you like it?”

“It would be easy to say ‘Because my daddy made it’ but that’s only part of the story.”, he said.

“The real reason I like earthenware is because of its softness. It lends itself very well to the sorts of gentle shapes that I like to do. What I enjoy most about being a potter is shape, and subtlety.

“The truth is that earthenware is the tradition of most of the world, from Greece to Mexico, and apart from China, Japan, Korea where stoneware and porcelain were made for many thousands of years, and in Europe a few German beer steins, earthenware was the staple pottery. Before technology, the only way to tell the temperature inside a kiln was to look through a little peep-hole to check the colour of the flames (which I learned to do in Japan – it’s surprising how quickly one can become accurate at this). These early kilns were very crude clay boxes. Often in the East the potter would make a large wickerwork archway and weave a basket, over which he would pat clay. Then when it was dry he would light a fire inside, burning away the basket and hey presto! A simple kiln.

“The Africans on the other hand often piled the pots in a circular dome, threw leaves and sticks on top and just lit the fire. All of this was possible because the temperature at which we fire earthenware is very low and so it lent itself to simple, primitive methods. I don’t know but I suppose the reason that the Chinese were able to get into stoneware and porcelain which goes up to more than 1300C/2300F (as opposed to early earthenware at 900C/1600F) is because they were way ahead of us in getting their heads around things like gunpowder, writing their names and all sorts of other things.

“Back in the 1960s in England most potters turned from earthenware to stoneware because it was meant to be stronger – and in a sense this may be true, however we are lucky to have our own field of local earthenware clay which just happens to be as chip-resistant as earthenware can get. And so, I have been lucky enough to do what I really love doing without getting into trouble.”

That’s what the maker has to say, now over to you… We are equally interested to know why you all like earthenware.