Made to Measure

摘要

In the summer of 1995 Petra Reynolds was invited to join the seven makers at Wobage Farm, the Herefordshire home and well-established craft workshops and gallery owned by Mick and Sheila Casson. With a degree of financial security from a part-time apprenticeship to the Cassons, the last eight years have provided a firm grounding in workshop practice. Alongside the new challenges of clay making, kiln building and wood-firing, this time has brought Petra a freedom to experiment and the opportunity to consolidate and build upon the work of her college degree. Leaving grammar school at sixteen, uninspired by an academic education, Petra worked for a few months for the Royal Bank of Scotland before studying ceramics and photography at South-East Essex College of Art and Technology All of us owe something to the enthusiasm and imagination of at least one or more tutors Petra acknowledges several within a short space of time The late Bennett Cooper and his wife Liz-who then ran the ceramics department at what was Southend Tech-lit the first spark Visits to Bennett's pottery in Mistley Manningtree and wood-fire raku workshops were also inspirational On the ceramics course at UWIC Cardiff(1992-1995) tutors Pete Starkey and Mick Casson were encouraging while Alan Barratt-Danes led an inspired first year foundation where Peta developed a slab-building technique the root of which she sill uses today