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.