1993 – 2003
1993
WPA news sheet No.1, printed in black and white on both sides of an A4 sheet, was launched in February 1993, stating:
`The Westcountry Potters Association was formally launched at an Open Meeting at the East Devon College, Tiverton, on January 30th. 68 potters were present and 55 `signed on’ on the day! A splendid beginning. It is now up to us all to maintain the momentum. ‘
… the audience who included John Leach, debated the meeting’s agenda.
On Saturday 27th February, John Pollex gave a slideshow and demonstration to WPA Members at East Devon College. Admission was £2 for Members and £5 for non members.
From April 1993 came the revised title of `Newsletter’ for WPA news to Members. Our second Newsletter ran to 3 sheets of A4. An editorial team worked on these early newsletters, namely Doreen Gardner, Joanne Richards, Heather Strong and her husband Pete. We had 76 members by this time and it was decided that we needed a logo by which we could be recognised to use on the Newsletter, stationery and membership cards.
The original Steering Committee (profiled in Newsletter No. 3) included Chairman Michael Gaitskell, Vice Chair Patrick Jennings, Secretary Doreen Gardner, Treasurer Eileen Jones, Exhibitions Officer Martin Pettinger, Minutes Secretary Tony Smither, Membership Secretary Frank Jones, Newsletter Editor John Jeffs, Assistant Newsletter Editor Joanne Richards and Activities Officer Elizabeth Smith. These became the Committee. As there were no other nominations, there was no need to have an election.
Tim Andrews took over as Exhibitions Officer from Martin Pettinger
The Westcountry Potters Association was formally constituted on the 15th May 1993 at the Inaugural General Meeting at East Devon College, with guest speaker Roger Cockram
5th June: workshop visit to Jennie Hale
26th June: Stephen Brayne gave a talk on photographing ceramics
19th June: John Pollex gave a second WPA demonstration, this time at Pool School near Redruth, at the request of Cornish Potters who had not been able to get to his February day at Tiverton.
13th August: visit to Brannams Pottery at Barnstaple (now Petroc)
By October 1993, the newsletter moved to being produced bi-monthly and featured a new header based on Novarese typeface, being a contemporary sans serif typeface. This had a calligraphic feel which seemed appropriate for a craft association. It is a hybrid between sans serif and serif. It is unusual because it was designed with upright capitals and italic lower case so has not been italicised. The logo is the flaming kiln with Westcountry Potters Association ranged left and set down the right side, not just the kiln. Both the header and logo were designed by Doreen Gardner.
11th September: visit to Michael Gaitskell’s Mill Pottery
November: visit to the Eeles Pottery, Dorset
1994
11th February: Potters Film night at Pool School, Cornwall led by Chris Gronow
24th February: tour of Dartington Pottery workshop
26th March: visit to Tate Gallery St. Ives
23rd April: Potters’ Day at Bridgwater, with Elizabeth Fritch, Tim Andrews and Morgen Hall
22nd May: visit to Potters’ Fair at Lamballe, Brittany
14th May: AGM at East Devon College with guest speaker Ian Gregory
18th June: visit to Holborne Museum and Craft Study Centre, Bath
July: WPA exhibition, `Pots and Potters’ at The County Museum, Taunton
8th October: Jon Middlemiss slide talk and discussion at Plymouth College of Art
5th November: exhibition by Members of the CPA at the V&A Museum. WPA members selected were : Tim Andrews, Felicity Aylieff, David Brown, Ian Gregory, Eileen Jones, Michael Skipwith, Peter Smith and Takeshi Yasuda.
November: `Potters at Home’ visit to Clive Bowen and Svend Bayer
7th December: Christmas Supper at East Devon College
1995
4th March: Masterclass event with Felicity Aylieff and Takeshi Yasuda at the University of West of England, Bristol
13th May: AGM at East Devon College with guest speaker Chris Speyer
3rd June: demonstration by Robin Welch and Daphne Carnegy at Bridgwater College
WPA Summer exhibition at Saltram House, Plymouth
September/October: WPA exhibition at Dartington Cider Press Centre
23rd September: visit to Doreen Gardner and Tony Smither at Orchard Pottery
1996
1996: advertising began in the WPA newsletter
17th February: workshop visit to Tom Fisher
9th March: Masterclass event with Phil Rogers and David Brown, University of West England, Bristol
4th May: workshop visit to Bruce Chivers
19th May: AGM at East Devon College
May/June: exhibition at Trelowarren Gallery, Cornwall, at the invitation of the Cornwall Ceramics Association
1st June: workshop visit to Roger Harris
June 1996: Doreen Gardner became the new Chair of the WPA Committee
29-30th June: Potters’ Fair at Bickleigh, with Sandy Brown demonstrating and Heather Strong firing raku kiln
18th December: Christmas Social at Old Coaching Inn. Chudleigh, Devon
1997
March: workshop visit to Mark Donaldson
April: workshop visit to Richard Wilson
April 1997: Newsletter Issue 27 notes that Joanne Richards had been the Newsletter Editor for three and a half years, and oversaw the introduction of Regional Editors Tony Smither, Pauline Ivimey-Cook, Frances Mansfield, Julia Hamilton, Jean Craven and Mignon Korn. Treston Holmes was the Minuting Secretary
May: workshop visit to Ian Gregory
31st May: AGM at East Devon College with guest speaker Douglas Phillips
21st-22nd June: Potters’ Fair at Bickleigh with Gabrielle Koch
July: workshop visit to Rowena Kinsman
August: workshop visit to Fran and Frank Benatt
September: workshop visit to Tom Fisher
1998
7th February: workshop visit to Paul Jackson
7Th March: workshop visit to Chris Speyer
15th March: Photographic Day with Keith Markham
11th April: workshop visit to David Winkley
17th May – 4th June: WPA exhibition at Otterton Mill, Devon
25th April: AGM at East Devon College with guest speaker Bruce Chivers
June: newsletter no. 34 comprised 25 sides of A4, including 6 pages of AGM Minutes
20th June: Potters’ Fair at Bickleigh including demonstrations by Peter Lane, Anna Lambert, Nic Harrison, Tom Fisher and raku firings by Heather Strong
18th July: workshop visit to Mark Donaldson
August 4 – 22nd: WPA exhibition at The Meeting House, Ilminster, Somerset
22nd August: workshop visit to Roger Cockram
18th October 1998 – January 1999: exhibition at Atelier 18, Nottingham by 19 Members including Bruce Chivers and Ian Gregory
24th October: workshop visit to Richard Godfrey
1999
Potters’ Tips and hand drawn illustrations began appearing in the newsletter around this time
20th February: studio visit to Helen Ridehalgh
13th March: Potters’ Day at Bridgwater College, with David and Margaret Frith
13th March – 20th April: WPA selected exhibition, Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury, Somerset
15th May: AGM at East Devon College, with videos of thrower Isaac Button, plus Raku English Style
1st – 9th May: Svend Bayer, WPA, held an Open Studio event to celebrate 30 years of making pots
31st May: workshop visit to Roger Harris
19th-20th June: Bickleigh Potters’ Festival with Roger Cockram and Billy Adams
3rd July: workshop visit to Debbie Prosser
3rd July: talk by Richard Coleman-Smith
5th July – 5th August: exhibition at Art Benattar, Crewkerne
2000
January 22nd: Social Lunch at Broomhill Art Hotel, near Barnstaple
19th March: workshop visit to Doreen Gardner and Tony Smither
20th May: AGM at Kenton, near Exeter with guest demonstrator Tim Andrews. In 2000 the AGM now became an all day event, combining it with a demonstration, plus an opportunity for Members to have a chance to talk with each other in a pleasant and friendly venue. Potters were encouraged to bring along a pot for afternoon discussion
17th-18th June: Bickleigh Pottery Festival with Laurel Keeley, Joe Finch and Steve Woodhead
29th July: workshop visit to John Leach
1st – 21st July: `West meets East’ exhibition, All Saints Church, Cambridge
19th August: workshop visit to Nic Collins
8th September: workshop visit to Kate Mellors
21st-30th September, exhibition at Kingfisher Gallery, Sidbury Mill, Sidmouth
7th October: workshop visit to Seth Cardew
18th November: demonstration by Elizabeth Hadley, Brixham School, Devon
2nd – 28th November: WPA exhibition at The Meeting House, Ilminster
November: Michael Gaitskell became WPA Honorary President
2001
20th January: Social Lunch at Dartington Hall
January: Marian and Roger Harris introduced a North Somerset/North Devon/Cornwall Pottery Trail in Newsletter Issue 50. This showed a map of the area with a number key relating to the names and contact details of fifteen potters whose workshops or showrooms were open to the public
16th February: visit to High Cross House, Dartington
March: Richard Wilson became WPA Chairman
4th – 31st March: `East meets West’, East Anglian Potters and WPA, exhibition at Burton Art Gallery, Bideford
10th March: Clive Bowen, Masterclass, Burton Art Gallery, Bideford
21st April: workshop visit to Ross Emerson
12th May: Raku firing day with Heather Strong
19th May: AGM at Kenton Village Hall, guest demonstrator Ian Gregory
15th-16th June: Bickleigh Festival cancelled due to the national outbreak of Foot and Mouth
16th June: first Potters’ Market on the Quay at Exeter, found as an alternative selling venue due to Bickleigh being cancelled this summer. Market organised by Frances Mansfield
17th June: Sunday social at Bickleigh with Nic Harrison and Kati Vamos
22nd July: workshop visit to Richard Champion
22nd July: workshop visit to Roger Harris
19th August: workshop visit to Nicola Werner
30th September: Raku Social Event at Peter and Vera Stride’s home
6th -7th October: paperclay weekend workshop with Ian Gregory
17th November: visit to Taunton Castle Museum, with David Dawson and Oliver Kent
2002
26th January: Social Dinner at the Merriemeade Hotel, Sampford Peverell, Tiverton
20th February: visit to Pangolin Foundry, Chalford, Stroud
6th April: workshop visit to Jonathan Garrett
8th May: visit to Gardens and Sculpture of Bridget McCrum, Dittisham
18th May: AGM at Kenton Village Hall with guest demonstrator John Maltby
15th – 16th June: Bickleigh Pottery Festival including smoke and raku firings, kiln building and demonstrations by Richard Wilson (throwing and decorating), Doreen Gardner (handbuilding with coils), Rod Hare (mould making) and Jim Robison (large sculptural pieces)
13th July: Exeter Potters’ Market on the Quay, organised by Frances Mansfield
27th July: visit to the Bill of Portland and Carenza Hayhoe’s workshop
1st August: visit to Bickley Ceramic Project, near Bristol, making pots for kiln firing experiments, led by Oliver Kent and David Dawson
8th September: workshop visit to Richard Godfrey
19th – 20th October: sculpture weekend Masterclass with Elisabeth Hadley, Brixham
16th November: workshop visit to John Maltby
2003
25th January: Social Lunch at Dartington Hall
15th February: Escorted Tour of Exeter Museum by John Allen
15th March: AGM at Kenton Village Hall celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the WPA with guest demonstrator John Pollex
6th April – 24th May: WPA exhibition at Blue Iris gallery, Tiverton
26th April: workshop visit to Christine-Ann Richards
By May 2003, (Issue 64) Tony and Doreen took over the editorship of the newsletter and decided to redesign it. After much experimenting with A4 and A5 formats, A4 was chosen which allowed for increased photographic opportunities. The new WPA magazine was produced electronically by a printer and Issue 64 featured articles about the work of Christine Anne Richards and John Pollex. New features included Potters’ Tips, Letters from Members and technical articles. The newsletter was by then regularly being sent to other Associations, the Devon Guild, and to Ceramic Review, being the magazine of the Craftsman Potters’ Association of Great Britain. Ceramic Review sometimes featured WPA Potters’ Tips for their national and international readership.
21st June: Bickleigh Festival demonstration by Ruthanne Tudball, soda firing with Anita Peach, raku firings by Beverley Green plus Rod Hare
12th July: Exeter Potters’ Market on the Quay, organised by Eric Saxby
16th July to 11th August: WPA exhibition at Wellbeloved Gallery, Portland, Dorset
19th July: workshop visit to Laurel Keeley
13th September: workshop visit to Dartington Pottery
14th September: Raku Social Event with Vera and Peter Stride, Paignton
25th October: Life drawing/Modelling, Somerset College of Arts
15th November: visit to Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
December: the WPA’s website address www.westcountrypotters.co.uk was first added to the front cover of newsletter Issue 67
Acknowledgements are due to those Members of the WPA past and present, who have helped to compile this timeline and congratulations to all those who made it happen
1993 to the present day: The Westcountry Potters Timeline
Commencing in 1993, members of the Westcountry Potters Association have been meeting, making and firing for over two decades. Acknowledgements and thanks are due to everyone who has contributed to this ongoing history of the Association.