LEACH, David

David Leach (1911-2005) was born in Tokyo when his father, Bernard Leach, was working there. From 1930 to 1956 he worked as a student, manager and finally partner at the Leach Pottery in St Ives. From 1934 to 1936 he trained in pottery management at Stoke-on-Trent and these skills were crucial to the survival of the St Ives Pottery, as he developed new lines and methods of working. In 1956 he set up his own pottery at Lowerdown, near Bovey Tracey, where he worked for the rest of his life. Working in the ‘Leach Tradition’, he made hand thrown individual pots in stoneware and porcelain. His work combines function with aesthetically pleasing shapes. The leather hard clay is fluted and carved to produce surface effects. Leach decorated with wax resist and textured glazes. David Leach was chairman of the Craft Potters Association and a member of the Crafts Council and he lectured and gave demonstrations and workshops in the USA, Canada and Europe.

In 2005 he was posthumously awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Ceramic Festival in Aberystwyth.

Artworks:

Porcelain ‘Egg’ Vase SOLD

Porcelain, thrown and blown, matt white dolomite glaze, crackle in stained glazed pink. 13cm high. Stamped ‘DL’ to base. David Leach was much more experimental