the former "Bauhaus", becoming a certified designer in 1952. Following their marriage, Helga worked as a designer for ceramic decoration in several pottery studios and factories in West Germany and with Jan in their studio in Lubeck. 1960 saw the Groves transplanted to Turkey where Jan was head of the ceramics department of the school for Applied Fine Arts in Istanbul. “Everyone involved with the arts should go at some time to Turkey, this crossroads of humanity, where for centuries cultures have met and mingled and left their mark". Apart from acquiring another language and another child, these 5 years had a marked influence on their work. For Jan this showed in the development of different pot shapes while Helga's glaze decoration reflected the Asian surroundings. It was also a time for learning about and adjusting to the use of new materials, ideas and standards - a rich experience. However, the Groves were not settled and moved to Canada in 1965. Here in the new world they have found yet another whole approach to their work and the past 5 years are making their mark. No longer is their work precisely European or strongly Asian but rather Canadian while still being distinctly Grove. Jan and Helga are among the few serious potters in this part of the world who devote full time to their art and their finished pieces are, to a large extent, an harmonious joint effort, Jan producing the thrown pleces while Helga contributes the often intricate glaze design. It is usually only for show purposes that Helga throws her own pots, preferring, instead, to produce the sculptural hand build pieces. They share, too, some definitely and unfortunately true observations on the attitude of Canadians as a whole to the arts. "Here art tends to be looked upon as a hobby rather than a way of life", "In Europe the guild system ensures that art will not be mistaught. " "You cannot sell work until you are a master. Unfortunately here anyone with the slightest knowledge or experience may not only sell but teach, spreading poor technique and bad taste," Since 1958 much of Jan and Helga's work has been displayed in major shows throughout Europe, Canada and Mexico, while several pieces have found their way into private permanent collections 29.