David Leach-A Potter's Life

摘要

A book and a major retrospective exhibition are events for any artist-potter but for David Leach this is an opportunity to fully assess and celebrate his long and distinguished career. The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, David, and myself as curator, have put together a comprehensive retrospective exhibition, supported by a thoroughly researched biography by Emmanuel Copper, in this David's ninety-second year, his seventy-third as a potter. David Leach is a warm and generous man. He has lived by Christian principles which become evident as one considers his life. When deciding to work at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives in 1930 he placed personal ambition in the background, believing that he could offer something useful to his father. This proved to be the case. Constant losses at the Pottery since it was set up by his father in 1920, together with lack of technical skill and economic recession, brought the Pottery close to bankruptcy, but expertise learned by David in Stoke-on-Trent literally saved the day. To ensure 'cash flow' David devised the Leach Standard Ware range of table and useful ware which was sold through London stores, directly from the Pottery and by mail order. The initial ideas for items came from both Bernard and David. Bernard often sketched the shapes and David made the first models and ensured their successful development. Generally he has taken little credit for this input and speaks of it modestly when pressed hard to explain the post-war development of the Leach Pottery.