John Crawford (New Zealand) ceramics

John Crawford (1951-2012) was a New Zealand potter. He was born in Runanga, West Coast, New Zealand, and grew up in a coal-mining community. He attended Greymouth High School, where he met Yvonne Rust, who was the art teacher at that time. She encouraged him to train under Jack Laird at Waimea Craft Pottery in Nelson.

Crawford trained at Waimea Craft Pottery from 1969 to 1974. In this studio workshop, run in the style of Bernard Leach, he learned to use a wheel, glazing, and firing. In 1974 he set up a studio in Ngakawau, a small settlement 30 km north of Westport. Hector Pottery was operated collaboratively by John and his wife Anne, who had also done her training at Waimea Craft Pottery.

Crawford's work encompassed a wide range of forms, from functional ware to sculptural objects. He was known for his use of simple, organic more... shapes and his experimentation with different glazes and firing techniques. His work was often inspired by the natural world, and he often used local materials in his work.

Crawford exhibited his work extensively in New Zealand and overseas. He won numerous awards for his work, including the New Zealand Ceramics Award in 1984 and 1994. In 1986 he was the New Zealand guest potter at the first National Australian Ceramics Symposium in Canberra. He was a committee member of the New Zealand Society of Potters, and president from 1985 to 1988.

Crawford's work is held in public collections in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. He died in 2012 at the age of 61. less...