Shoji hamada pottery biography of william

During the last two decades, William Plumptre has built up a reputation as one of the outstanding English potters working in the distinguished Anglo-Japanese tradition, founded in the early twentieth century by the great friends and potters Shoji Hamada and Bernard Leach.

 

After leaving Chelsea School of Art in 1983 he spent two years working in Mashiko in Japan, which included the unique opportunity of one year in the workshop of Tatsuzo Shimaoka, a pupil of Shoji Hamada and a National Treasure of Japan.

Plumptre was one of only 12 students who worked for the distinguished potter during his lifetime. Plumptre's study with Shimaoka had a pivotal influence on his future work, as he returned to England with a heightened knowledge and experience of the processes and possibilities of working with clay, glazes and firing with wood.

 

Plumptre creates classical but powerful forms, with a strong commitment to the centuries-o