Jack Welboune, Lead Associate Artist
Jack is a potter living and working in Cardiff, Wales. Jack studied ceramics at Plymouth College of Art, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Design and Craft Gothenburg. During his studies he also apprenticed with Jeremy Steward of Wobage Workshops. After studying Jack worked for a year in a production pottery in the Rhondda valley before setting up his current studio One Wall, in 2015.
Alongside Jack, Jeremy Steward and Micki Schloessingk, two long-established and highly regarded vapour glazing potters, will be mentoring associates through workshops, group feedback, and visits to their potteries.
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Mae Jack yn grochenydd sy’n byw a gweithio yng Nghaerdydd. Fe astudiodd Jack gerameg yn Plymouth College of Art, Prifysgol Metropolitan Caerdydd a University of Design and Craft Gothenburg. Yn ystod ei gyfnod astudio bu hefyd yn prentisio gyda Jeremy Steward o Wobage Workshops. Ar ôl astudio, fe weithiodd Jack am flwyddyn mewn crochendy cynhyrchu yng Nghwm Rhondda cyn sefydlu ei stiwdio bresennol One Wall yn 2015.
Ochr yn ochr â Jack, bydd Jeremy Steward a Micki Schloessingk, dau grochenydd anwedd hir sefydlog ac uchel eu parch yn mentora’r cymdeithion drwy weithdai, adborth grŵp, ac ymweliadau i’w crochendai.
Jeremy Steward / Associate Mentor
Jeremy has made wood-fired salt-glaze at Wobage Workshops in rural Herefordshire, since the summer of 1995. He and his wife Petra Reynolds, also a potter, live with their two young sons, on the edge of the Royal Forest of Dean. They were invited to join the Wobage studios as part-time apprentices to Mick and Sheila Casson, a role they maintained until Mick’s death in 2003.
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Mae Jeremy wedi bod yn creu gwydredd halen wedi ei grasu a choed tân yn Wobage Workshops yng nghefn gwlad yn swydd Henffordd ers haf 1995. Mae e a’i wraig Petra Reynolds, sydd hefyd yn grochenydd, yn byw gyda’u meibion ifanc, ar gyrion Fforest Y Ddena. Cawsant wahoddiad i ymuno a Wobage Studios fel prentisiaid rhan amser i Mick a Sheila Casson, rôl y buont yn ei chynnal tan farwolaeth Mick yn 2003.
Micki Schloesslingk / Associate Mentor
After travelling and exploring pottery in India in 1968 Micki returned to the UK and joined the studio pottery course at Harrow College of Art. Micki spent time working with traditional potters in France and Spain before moving to Yorkshire in 1975 to set up her pottery, making wood fired salt glaze tableware. Since 1987 she has been making pots on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales.
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Ar ôl bod yn teithio ac yn archwilio crochenwaith yn India yn 1968, dychwelodd Micki i’r DU ac ymunodd y cwrs crochenwaith stiwdio yn Harrow College of Art. Ar ôl y cwrs fe dreuliodd Micki amser yn gweithio gyda chrochenwyr traddodiadol yn Ffrainc a Sbaen cyn symud i Bentham, yng ngogledd swydd Efrog yn 1975 a sefydlodd ei hymarferiad crochenwaith. Ers 1987 mae hi wedi bod yn creu potiau ym Mhenrhyn Gwyr yn Ne Cymru.
Evan Jones
"In my current work I use my experience as a potter in conjunction with gathered materials to explore the distinction between ‘natural’ and ‘crafted’.
By using raw materials gathered during expeditions into the landscape together with refined materials, the way we view ‘natural’ and ‘crafted’ can become more about the ecosystems they interact with and less anthropocentric.
I specifically make use of slate as it behaves quite unexpectedly in the kiln, expanding and semi-melting, in conjunction with porcelain. My work is based in the traditions of pottery, but I aim to expand and explore more than regular pots and into sculpture as well."
Hamish Symonds
I make functional ceramics inspired by British folk pottery traditions with a focus on gestural mark making, using thin slips to create dynamic surface texture.
Working from a base of traditional knowledge using recognizable familiar forms bridges a gap between artist and viewer allowing them to appreciate smaller details otherwise left unnoticed.
The intimate and unpretentious setting of the home is what draws me to create functional pottery, allowing the viewer to find new details in the work through daily use.
George Akerman
My creative process revolves around collaborating with natural materials and a gas kiln. With meticulous precision, I shape each piece, but then surrender it to the natural world, allowing its materiality to express itself.
Each kiln firing becomes an experiment, resulting in unique surfaces that bear the story of the journey each piece has embarked upon. Since my first gas firing I have been captivated by this wild and unpredictable alchemy of reduction firing.
The opportunity to engage in vapour firing during this residency holds tremendous appeal to me. It presents a chance to explore new territories and unlock previously untapped potential within my practice.
