POTTERS
GUILD
of BRITISH
COLUMBIA
ase

1359 Cartwright Street
Granville Island
Vancouver BC VOH 4K?
Fax: (604) 669-5627
Tel: (4) 669-5045

Newsletter

September 1997

Submitting Myself To Clav - A Chat With John Leach

On a baby evening in May | wets forturuite
enough to spend a few hecers with Join Leach,
het follows ave afew excerpts from our

conversation. Karen Copas

hly first memory of clay is che time when,
at about four or five years old, ic would be
a Sunday treat to walk across the fields,

aver the stiles to the Leach Pottery at 5c.
Ives, My brothers and | would watch Dax

finish off some pots and then we would
have a licle go on che wheel ourselves,

[twas just a wonderful experience to be
given a lump at clay and a teal. It was t

we

ultimate, we thauche we'd almose reached

adulthood. Father, of course, had to kick
the wheel for us. And that is my first
memory of clay, [still have some of my
first pots, little hand-built pinch pats.

That inperest stuck with me, ac least as

vese things de from age seven
to eight. But when it came time co think
abour wha | was going to do to earn my

much as t

living, | Rept homing back co wanting oo

He al PX IE Der.

Ar severteen | searted my

OPPTe noes

tip, the first few years with
my grandfather, finished that at twenty-
three and then got married. My
srandfather gave me critiques when |
really me-edec
were momentanily disastrous for me, He

them, even though they

really put me in my place when I was
younger and arrogant. He got me
thinking afresh, tald me to get rid of my
self co clay. I have
tried to do so, tried to make work that
comes from the heart.

' ‘
Ro afd SuDIMmME ti}

Continued page 9...

John Leach and Pots |