Jack Doherty: Maker in Focus

30 April to 11 June 2022

Jack Doherty: Maker in Focus

Jack Doherty's work is concerned with function but not necessarily utility. He is intrigued and inspired by the potency of archetypal vessel forms. Anonymous and uncomplicated pots from pre-history used for storing, cooking and keeping people safe through winters and giving protection in the everyday world can also function in other ways. Jack sees them as figurative objects. As guardians of emotion and connectors with the spiritual, he wants his work to inhabit our domestic spaces in the light, shadow and darkness with qualities that neither painting or abstract sculpture can.

Jack uses one clay, one colouring mineral and a single firing with soda. Over time, the techniques have become simpler but more refined, in the belief that stripping away what is unnecessary can produce work with complexity and depth. His palette of colour is achieved through the versatility of copper. The kiln is a vital creative element in his making process. The long firing alternates between oxidisation and reduction atmospheres, the surface texture is produced by blasting the forms with a sodium solution at high temperature.

Jack was Chair of the Ceramics Potters Association for 10 years, a founder and current Chair of Ceramic Art London and from 2008 - 2013, the first Lead Potter and Creative Director of the Leach Pottery.

Jack Doherty

Conical vessel

Porcelain

Ref: 116881

13 x 17 cms

£480.00

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Jack Doherty

Jack Doherty is a household name of the ceramic world. Jack is concerned with function but not necessarily utility in his work. He finds inspiration in the potency of archetypal vessel forms, such as the anonymous and uncomplicated pots used for storage, cooking, and safety throughout history. Jack views his vessels as guardians of emotion and conduits to the spiritual realm, desiring for his creations to inhabit our domestic spaces in a way that neither painting nor abstract sculpture can, with qualities that include light, shadow, and darkness.

Jack employs clay, colouring mineral, and a firing technique with soda. Over time, he has simplified his techniques while refining them, believing that getting rid of unnecessary elements can result in work that possesses complexity and depth. He achieves a varied palette of colours through the versatility of copper. In Jack's creative process, the kiln plays a vital role. It undergoes a lengthy firing process that alternates between oxidisation and reduction atmospheres, and the surface texture of the forms is achieved by subjecting them to a sodium solution blast at high temperature.

For a decade, Jack served as the Chair of the Ceramics Potters Association. He was also one of the founders and the current Chair of Ceramic Art London. Furthermore, he held the esteemed position of the first Lead Potter and Creative Director at the Leach Pottery.