Bernard Leach was born January 1887 in Hong Kong, where he stayed until he was 10, at the age of 16 he went to study drawing, and in 1909 he went back to Japan as an etcher. He attended a “Raku” party in 1911, and from then pottery remained a big part of his life.
In 1920 Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada set up the Leach Pottery in St Ives in Cornwall. Throughout Bernard Leach’s life he had inspired many with the books which held all his learning’s, such as The Potters Book first published in 1940, which was regarded as the potters bible, and The Potters Challenge 1976.
He wanted to bring to Britain a Harmony in pottery which he had learned in the Far East, due to craftsmanship being in decline at the time in Britain. He travelled to Japan many times throughout his life and he gained a reputation as a potter around the world, this is when his talents as a writer and a draughtsman were overlooked “No one who knew him could remain unaffected by his enthusiasm as an artist and a communicator”.
Bernard had two sons, David and Michael who later became potters and now continue their father’s legacy.
Great Stuff! I have just finished reading two different biographies on BL. Do you have any Bernard Leach pots? I have two made by Janet
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