Peter Swanson 40th Anniversary Exhibition at Leach Pottery
The Leach Pottery St Ives presents an exhibition of more than 80 pots by West Cornwall based potter Peter Swanson. An independent studio potter for the last four decades, Swanson is entirely self-taught and his distinctive and highly accomplished works have established him as one of the UK’s most respected contemporary potters. This exhibition marks 40 years since he moved from Hampshire to Cornwall to open a family run pottery at Penbeagle, St Ives in 1974.
Swanson works in stoneware and porcelain using locally sourced clays and produces his own ash glazes from various natural materials such as oak, beech, lavender and granite dust. With a style inspired by Leach and set very much in the Anglo-Oriental tradition, he has travelled extensively in Japan and Korea, absorbing ideas that have greatly enriched his working practice, and has most recently visited wood-firing potters working in Australia’s NSW.
In this brand new collection of work Swanson has explored new shapes and forms in the creation of both his domestic and stand-alone ceramic pieces. Working from his studio near Cornwall’s beautiful Prussia Cove, he uses a gas-fired reduction kiln in the making of his work and also a Japanese wood-fired Anagama kiln which he built at his home in 2004.
“Extracting the best from my kilns and materials, whilst constantly seeking perfection is paramount. To attain a level that approaches the best of history’s pots is a very demanding target and keeps one’s mind focused.”
7 June to 19 July 2014
For further information contact Julia Twomlow at Leach Pottery, Higher Stennack, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2HE / 01736 799703
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