Day 7: Disabled Soldier Pottery

Photo Caption: Day 7: Today’s piece may not look it but it is pretty special. Started around the end of the first world war the Disabled Soldiers Pottery was an initiative of the Red Cross in Redfern NSW to provide work for returned soldiers suffering from severe war related injuries (usually amputations that would have made them unsuitable for other work). Circa 1920.

#AustralianPottery #AustralianArtPottery #NSWPottery #DisabledSoldiersPottery #DisabledSoldiers #WWI #WorldWarOne #instapottery #Pottery #Ceramics #AustralianDesign #Art #Design #365DaysofAustralianPottery

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Day 6: Peter Harris

Photo Caption: Day 6: Today’s piece is by self taught South Australian potter and painter Peter Harris. This is one of only a handful of SA pieces I have acquired over the years in fact it may well be the only one in the house.

#AustralianPottery #AustralianArtPottery #Pottery #Ceramics #instapottery #SAPottery #AustralianArt #AustralianDesign #PeterHarris #365DaysofAustralianPottery

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Day 5: Les Blakebrough

Photo Caption: Day 5: Today’s piece is by Master Australian potter Les Blakebrough from Tasmania. Circa 1986.

#AustralianPottery #instapottery #Australianpotteryartist #AustralianArtPottery #AustralianArt #TasmanianPottery #LesBlakebrough #Pottery #Ceramics #AustralianDesign #1980s #1980sDesign #365DaysofAustralianPottery

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Day 4: Sylvia Halpern

Photo Caption: Day 4: Todays piece is by Japanese born ceramic artist Sylvia Halpern. Wife of Artur Halpern. This piece featuring a tree filled landscape would have been made durring her years at the potters cottage at Warrandyte, Victoria. #AustralianPottery #AustralianArtPottery #VICPottery #SylviaHalpern #instapottery #Pottery #Ceramics #365DaysofAustralianPottery

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Day 3: Vladimir Tichy.

Photo Caption: Day 3: In my opinion one of the best architectural potters working in Australia in the 1970’s had to be Vladimir Tichy. Working in Parramatta, NSW in partnership with Rudolph Dybka studio Dybka Tichy produced some absolutely monumental works right around the country. Sady due to the relentless march of progress most of these big installations are long gone and most of what we are left with is little gems like this piece. Signed V Tichy 1973.

#AustralianPottery #NSWPottery #VladimirTichy #StudioDybkaTichy #ArchitecturalPottery #AustralianArt #AustralianArtPottery #Ceramics #Pottery #instapottery #AustralianDesign #365DaysofAustralianPottery

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Day 2: Rynne Tanton

Photo Caption: Day 2: Today’s piece is by one of my favourite Tasmanian potters, Rynne Tanton circa 2008.

#AustralianPottery #TasmanianPottery #AustralianArt #Art #australianpotteryartist #AustralianCeramics #Pottery #Ceramics #AustralianDesign #AustralianArtPottery #rynnetanton #365DaysofAustralianPottery #instapottery

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Day 1: McHugh Vase

Photo Caption: Day 1: Let’s see if i can keep this up. One day, one piece Australian made pottery from my collection (past or present). I have more than enough pieces to get through the year so lets begin.
Made by McHugh Bros, Launceston Tasmania. This is shape 41 from their range and is dated to the base 1935. Not a rare shape but shows an exceptional glaze combination.
#AustralianPottery #TasmanianPottery #Pottery #Ceramics #AustralianCeramics #AustralianArt #ArtDeco #AustralianArtPottery #365DaysofAustralianPottery #instapottery

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Recommended Reading #2 – Artware to Utility – The story of Modern Ceramic Products and Mingay by Ted Impey

Artware to Utility – The story of Modern Ceramic Products and Mingay by Ted Impey

When it comes to Australian pottery books there is a steadily increasing (although still small amount) quantity of publications entering the market place which is great to see. But all too often because these books are privately published they aren’t stocked on any of the large book retailers like Amazon. This means if you don’t know what to look for and where you might not know they exist.

Ted Impey’s stunning monograph Artware to Utility, the story of Modern Ceramic Products (MCP) and Mingay is certainly one of those hidden treasures.

Published in 2012 this 176 page tome is in my opinion the most comprehensive book on the life, times and most importantly for the collector the products of a single commercial pottery in Australia.

Comprehensively researched and illustrated throughout with colour photos of more than 800 pieces from the MCP, Mingay and PGH periods of operation and accompanied by over 100 black and white photos, original price lists, catalogues, advertisements, newspaper clippings, potter’s marks, and foil labels.

It simply cannot be overstated how valuable a reference guide this is for collectors of not only the wares of MCP but also for those with an interest in post war Australian pottery. For me the extensive and well photographed section on the wares produced Orpheus Arfaras alone is worth the price of admission. I confess to doing some serious drooling over those pages!

The book is a limited edition of only 500 and amazingly there is still copies available directly from Ted himself at www.mcpmingay.com for $75 plus $10 postage anywhere inside Australia.

In short this book is credit to Ted Impey and his tireless dedication to MCP and it’s story.

This book takes pride of place on my book shelf and is easily on my recommended reading list.

Tim

Finds #4 – Alice Mylie Peppin Bowl

Alice Mylie Peppin Bowl

In what turned out to be a nice little purple patch for my treasure hunting I turned up this little Tasmanian gem in a local op shop while on the way to the post office.

Made by Alice Mylie Peppin (know as Mylie Peppin) in 1953 and hand painted with what looks to me to be a Fuchsia type floral design. I have a 10 pieces of Mylie’s works and although this is the oldest piece of hers that I own her body of works go back to the 1930’s and extend right through to the early 1990s.

In that time she achieved so much. She went from being a student Tasmanian pottery icon Maude Poynter to runnning a small commercial pottery from her back yard. She traveled overseas and spend time working and studying in England. She ran the Killiney potters group and managed to fit in a few pottery classes too. To say she kept herself busy was probably an understatement.

Forever the great experimenter it would have been sometimes hard to know who was learning more in her classes, the teacher or the student.

This willingness to experiment combined with a career lasting some 60 years means there is an interesting range or works to collect if you can find them. Perhaps unfairly, this mish-mash of styles has lead to a common phrase being used in conversation about Mylie’s works around dealers and collectors in Hobart and that is “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”.

I do fear however that a large portion of “The Ugly” out there may be either poor imitations of her works or student potters who by coincidence have the same initials. I do know of at least one working potter with the same initials A.M. Penprase who was producing pottery towards the end of Mylie’s career. Thats not to say it’s ugly. It just must be noted that there are other AMPs out there.

This confusion with initials was a problem early on for a young Mylie Peppin who shared the same initials with her teacher Maude Poynter. This prompted Mylie to adopt a distinguishing mark of her own. To differentiate her works from her teachers she inscribed her works with a picture of a small hat with a feather stuck in it.

It’s not certain when Mylie stopped using her hat cypher but my pot from 1953 is pretty late for this mark.

Maybe you have to be Tasmanian to appreciate Mylie’s works. All I know is since moving from Sydney 5 years ago I have certainly developed a real affection for her style.

Tim

Mylie Peppin Base Marks

Finds #2 – Diana Waltzing Matilda Jug (UPDATE)

Just a quick update to to my May 1st 2011 post Finds #2 – Diana Waltzing Matilda Jug where I asked if anyone had a spare musical mechanism from a busted jug to replace the one mine was missing.

Well you wouldn’t believe it but I went to a local auction and what did I see but a box lot containing a badly broken Waltzing Matilda jug with it’s mechanism still in place. The replacement is not perfect but it works. The original plywood backing board has suffered an attack by some wood worm but it’s still holding together just nicely.

Not only did I get the mechanism for a price I was more than happy to pay but also thrown in with the lot were 2 Marutomo ware Don Bradman mugs one in perfect condition and another one in a broken but repairable state.

See! All good things come to those who wait.

On that subject I’ve been waiting a long time for a piece of Maude Poynter to turn up. Just sayin…….

Tim

Original Diana Musical Movement

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