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Editor's Notes

--***] ust got off dhe phone with thar well-

known critic of raku, Sam Kwan, who I
asked to provide me with a “why ] hate
Raku” article (I also asked Gordon
Hutchens to provide the “why [ love raku*
side of the story). After reassuring Sam chat
he probably won't be lanched by outraged
aficionados of raku, we started talking
about the John Leach workshop. We borh
agreed it was inspiring to hear a man who
has, quite simply, led a happy life full of
aratitude that he makes his living doing
what he loves to du. This is not to say that
John doesn't have to work hard and pay
attention to the business side of his poctery.

A short discussion on John’s pricing policy,
at the end of che workshop, had caused
heated discussion amongst a group of Sam's
students. They had a difficult time
reconciling the idea chat John made pots for
everybody, considering the prices that his
work commands, Sam and [ calked about
this paradox. There is a pitcher of John's in
the Gallery thar 1 would love to own,
unfortunately [ don’c have the $350 it cosrs.
Or at lease ] don't perceive myself as having
that money. If | decided to give up movies,
catlee and the Globe & Mail for the next 3
or 4 months [ could probably afford to get it.
It has become, for me, a question of which
desires get priority.

Paul Mathieu towched racher brilliandly on
this point in the interview he gave in the

January 97 issue of the Newsletcer.

John has a wholesale price to which he
adds an additional 60% in his cen store.
As far as he is concerned, once a retailer
buys his work they can marl it up as much
as they want. The plate he sells for about
$55 in his store may go for $400 in Japan,
He acknowledges that a gallery has greacer
expenses than his own workshop store.

But back to affordabiliry, For abour $200
you can get a complete John Leach place
setting for ome. With thar $200 you
purchase over 30 years of skill belonging
to a third generation potter. Your place
setting will probably survive decades of
regular use, melding beaury snd function.
You will nor, however, be buying
preciousness.

Walk into any china shop and you will
find chat $200 fora place setting is mid-
price range, With chat $200 purchase you
will be buying a factory-made, slip-
moulded, transfer-decorated set of
porcelain, A brush stroke or two of oxide
may have been applied by the hand of the
factory worker who does only thar
particular task all day! That's what hand-
painted generally means on commercial
china.

When, in my mind's eye, | compare these
two imaginary sets of dinnerware, I know
that the porcelain set will look fragile and

precious, seemingly unable to
withstandthe hazards of daily use. John's
plates and bowls give the impression they
would survive a rictous feast. It says
something about our cultural values that
most people find ic much easier to justify
spending their money on the factory-made
object.

The porcelain setting is benefitting from
an out-mexded hierarchy of materials.
There is a cultura! memory of the cime
when factory porcelain was rare and rich,
and every village had a production potser
making ware for daily use. Today, that
situation is reversed. Most people's
kitchen cupboards are filled with the
production of factories. For some reason,
the value of hand-made pots has not
undergone the polar reversal that would
reflect the actual proportion of potter:
made ware to factory-made goods.

I suppose thar | am trying to convince
these students that John's work is very
affordable for the “common” person.

The porcelain setting might get taker out
of the china cabinet 10 times a year, or
$20 per use for che first year. John's set
will be used at least 200 times, at about $1
per use. And [ think that most of the
people reading this article would much
prefer the stoneware set anyway!

Have a great summer, see you in the fall.

Karen Opas

ee ee

: Potter’s Guild of B.C. Newsletter Website: https|'www.cwin.com/chome/redhen/Peuild

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