Bernard Leach

Bernard Leach was born in Hong Kong in 1887.  He was a British studio potter and teacher, he is famously known as the "Father of British studio Pottery".  Leach began his study of the arts when he attended the Slade School of Fine Art it was not until 1911 when he first learned about ceramics.  After ten years of living in the East, he and his wife came back to England to set up Leach Pottery at St. Ives in 1920.  While setting up Leach Pottery, Bernard spent a lot of time rebuilding the kilns, experimenting with different materials, and traveling.  Leach did not become famous overnight.  It was not until after he had written his first book, "A Potters' Book" that he became famous.  The style of pottery that Leach created was based on traditional Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and English slipware.  The Korean, Japanese, and Chinese styles are what are seen mostly in the pottery that he has created.  Below is an image of one of Leach's' pieces.  It is a spherical vase that was created around the 1920s.