Finding inspiration by the sea
- Jack makes soda-fired porcelain vessels
- He is inspired by the work of ceramicist Lucie Rie
- His work is influenced by trips to Japan, China and Taiwan
Born in Northern Ireland, Jack Doherty discovered ceramics on an art foundation year at college. He worked as a potter in Ireland for many years and then opened his own studio back in Northern Ireland. But it was a difficult time for the region, politically and economically, so Jack and his family decided to relocate to England. “My daughter was six months old at the time, we took the cat and dog, literally everything! We found a house in Herefordshire that was interesting, and we started again,” he says. It was a fruitful move, allowing Jack the freedom to explore ceramics in the way he wanted. “Had I stayed in Ireland I think I would have been still making a very basic type of work, rather than making what I wanted to make.”
Interview
- Why did you choose Herefordshire as your first home in England?
- Because it’s lovely. I loved the countryside, the open, flowing, beautiful hills and the forest nearby. It’s always been important for me to be somewhere that inspires me, because I can somehow absorb colours, textures, sounds and shapes from around me.
- Now you live in Cornwall, do you find it inspiring to be by the sea?
- I was born by the sea and coming here has brought me full circle, back to seeing the sea every day. I see the sea from where I work, where I eat, and it becomes a part of your day. The light changes by the minute here almost, you can see colours changing. All of that is important.
- What do you try to do with your ceramics?
- The things I make have got to have some real connection to people. As well as function it could be emotional or physical in the way that you can handle, hold, feel, explore an object through touch. I love looking at really old pots and trying to figure out how these things have been used.
- What has kept you making for more than 40 years?
- Truthfully, it’s the excitement and the anticipation of opening the next kiln. There will always be things in there that will be slightly different, there’ll be things that have worked, things that haven’t worked. Always something fresh and new.
Jack Doherty is a master artisan: he began his career in 1971 and he started teaching in 1984
Where
Jack Doherty
