Peter Stichbury (New Zealand) ceramics

Peter Stichbury was born in Auckland in 1924. In 1946 he enrolled at Auckland Teachers College and in 1948 was introduced to the potters’ wheel during a craft course with Hilary Clark. His first pieces were fired in a salt kiln at Crum, Brick, Tile and Pottery Company in New Lynn.

From 1949 – 1951 he was an Art & Craft specialist for primary schools while he continued learning from R N Field at Avondale College evening classes. He also became aware of Bernard Leach’s A Potter’s Book. In 1957, he was the first recipient of a fellowship from the Association of New Zealand Art Societies, which is now Creative New Zealand, and went with his wife Diane to St Ives, Cornwall, England to study with Bernard Leach. From there, he went to Africa and was Michael Cardew’s first western student in Abuja, Nigeria at his Pottery Training more... Centre where a new national industry was being established.  

They returned to New Zealand in 1959 and in 1960 Peter became a full-time lecturer at Ardmore Teachers College. It was at this time that he began using iron sand from Karekare Beach to make what would become iconic designs on his platters.

By the end of the 1960s he had become a full-time potter making functional ware and his pottery was given to Queen Elizabeth II during her 1974 royal tour to New Zealand. He worked as a full time potter between 1978 and 1981

Peter Stichbury was president of the Auckland Studio Potters, the New Zealand Society of Potters and was accorded honorary life membership of both societies. He was a tutor at the Auckland Studio Potters for many years and in 2002 he was made a Member of the New Zealand of Merit. He died in 2015. less...