Deiniol is another potter who has been most generous with his time for us motley students. He gave us a zoom talk illustrated with powerpoint, leading us through his journey as a potter from boyhood in Wales, through college in Cardiff, University in Manchester, time in the Peak District and now a larger studio in West Yorkshire, where he can also teach - though not in lockdown!. He has made functional tableware, plain and printed tiles, and now is increasingly interested in artwork with cracks and holes - "letting the light come through" . Again, we watched a video of him preparing the clay and then throwing a piece, and then had the opportunity to ask questions. For Deiniol, place is very important. It finds its way into his work both through materials and inspiration -often unconscious. For instance he said that after his move to Yorkshire he felt compelled to make the tall bottle shapes shown in the middle picture. He only became aware of the underlying motivational drive when in conversation with a customer he remarked on now being surrounded by industrial chimneys -and suddenly understood. More deliberately he has always been interested in using local materials to make the clays and glazes and now wedges into the clay stone inclusions that come from places that have personal meaning to him.
Deiniol described himself as 'happy to be a hermit'. He seems to manifest other characteristics of an enclosed life; he has chosen a mode of work which does not come easily to him and then made it more difficult by adding stone inclusions. He is in a "discourse with the clay" sometimes "battling with it". He commented that he was "wandering around with a half dead torch" and "in a shady boundary between art and craft". He is aware of his own tendency to obsessionaly test and to try and control, and explained that adding clay inclusions had forced him to loosen up his style and to adapt. Coversely he also enjoys and celebrates the "happy accidents" and is prepared to tolerate the large losses, even at greenware, that these methods entail. We had an interesting discussion with Deiniol about the merits of naming pieces or provinding a commentary. He compulsively numbers and catalogues but says he has moved away from giving titles (" they can get in the way"), though seems to feel under pressure to provide them. This not work I would wish to buy, but I now appreciate it much better and certainly empathise with the comments about his relationship with clay -and even doing battle with it!
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AuthorI am indulging my passion for ceramics by undertaking studies for an MA at UCLAN Archives
August 2021
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