John Lewis Partnership

The John Lewis Partnership has been financing their staff (‘partners’) to go on art courses for over seven decades, but sadly this sponsorship came to an end late in 2007. For the last six years, I had been privileged to run a ceramics class for this group, and a little of their work is illustrated here.   The handsome head below left (the one being held that is) I am told is a ‘woodwose’ (Anglo-Saxon wudowosa, Wikipedia), a kind of hairy ‘wild man of the woods’. It was made by Barry Denman (holding it), who also made the other items on this row; the large fish bowl centre left, the translucent pod-shaped bowl centre right, and the tribal head pot on the right.
The lazy group of terracotta seals below left was made by Alan Reynolds, shown before firing and glazing. He was and is very prolific both in ceramics and jewellery. Centre-left is a fox and cub, fired stoneware clay, finished in a bronze glaze. The large panda below right, complete with bamboo shoots, is also one of Alan’s, shown sitting in the kiln waiting for firing.
Below we have Jan Andrews, an absolute whiz at artistry, holding one of her deeply-fissured and colour-stained pots, together with a close-up of the pot.  Right of that is her ‘Sea Mist’ pot (from the name of the glaze).
Bridget Pavitt has always been a very prolific artist, and very active and adventurous in her personal life.  Below from the left is a bowl with a highly-textured volcanic exterior and a smooth glazed interior; then a small shoal of terracotta fish, followed by another of blue-spotted ones; and finally a ‘herbacous border’ of ceramic convolvulus.