Jack Doherty (born 1948,

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...

) is a Northern Irish

studio potter Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur artists or artisans working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs. Typically, all stages of manufacture are carried out by the artists themselves.Emmanuel Cooper, ...

and author. He is perhaps best known for his vessels made of soda-fired

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

. He has been featured in a number of books, and his work has been exhibited widely in both Europe and North America. Articles of his have appeared in various

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

journals and he has been

Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of the

Craft Potters Association The Craft Potters Association (CPA) is an association of potters formed in 1958 in London. It has two wholly owned operating companies: Craftsmen Potters Trading Company Ltd and Ceramic Review Publishing Ltd. It owns a shop and gallery, the Con ...

Biography

Upon graduating from the Ulster College of Art and Design in 1971, Jack Doherty began working as a studio potter at

Kilkenny Design Workshops The Kilkenny Design Workshops (KDW) were a government-funded research and development centre of excellence for design (and design advocacy, research and promotion) which was established in Ireland in 1963. It was created to inspire, support and d ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Afterwards, he established his studio first in

Co Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ...

and then in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

, while also being a part-time lecturer in ceramics at the

Royal Forest of Dean College Royal Forest of Dean College was a college of further education located close to the town of Coleford, in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire. It was dissolved by government order as of 31 January 2011 in order to be merged to Gloucest ...

. He was elected as chair of the

between 1995 and 2000 and again between 2002 and 2008. He was lead potter and creative director at the

Leach Pottery The Leach Pottery was founded in 1920 by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada in St Ives, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. The buildings grew from an old cow / tin-ore shed in the 19th century to a pottery in the 1920s with the addition of a two-stor ...

in St. Ives, Cornwall, where he developed Leach's new range of contemporary tableware. In 2012, Doherty exhibited alongside Japanese potter Tomoo Hamada, celebrating the signing of an official declaration of friendship between the towns of St. Ives and Mashiko, Tochigi, Japan, by the two respective mayors on 20 September 2012. As a founder he became the current Chair of the organising committee of Ceramic Arts London in 2013, previously being

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

of both Ceramic Review magazine and Contemporary Ceramics for more than 13 years. He now works independently from his studio in

Mousehole Mousehole (; kw, Porthenys) is a village and fishing port in Cornwall, England, UK. It is approximately south of Penzance on the shore of Mount's Bay. The village is in the civil parish of Penzance. An islet called St Clement's Isle lies ab ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was visited by

Rick Stein Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

in the first series of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's Rick Stein's Cornwall.

Work process

Devoting the majority of his career to porcelain, Doherty has developed a unique process of crafting his ceramic objects. The shapes are thrown, then carved and shaped using only one type of porcelain

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

. One

slip Slip or SLIP may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole * Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting * Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy Computing and ...

in which

copper carbonate Copper carbonate may refer to : ;Copper (II) compounds and minerals * Copper(II) carbonate proper, (neutral copper carbonate): a rarely seen moisture-sensitive compound. * Basic copper carbonate (the "copper carbonate" of commerce), actually a cop ...

is added as a colouring material is applied. Finally, he uses a single soda-firing technique, executed by spraying a mixture of water and

sodium bicarbonate Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3−) ...

into the

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

at a high temperature. The resulting vapour is drawn through the kiln chamber where it reacts with the

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...

and alumina present in the clay, creating a rich

patina Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals and metal alloys (tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes) or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen produced b ...

of surface texture and colour.

Questioning the vernacular of functionality

Doherty's work is meant to subtly interconnect with domestic space and daily life, and according to Doherty, "can be solitary and contemplative or ceremonial; for everyday use or for special occasions." His recent work displays a sense of robustness, lacking the refined transparent glaze commonly associated with porcelain objects. In using the soda-firing finish and a wide range of archetypal forms, Doherty attempts to question the

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

of functionality. The vessels Doherty creates explore ancient layers of cultural resonance embedded in these archetypal forms. Looking at the rustic surface textures, the palettes of smoky and sometimes vibrant colours and the simplicity of the irregular shapes thrown by Doherty, the vessels exhume transient visceral qualities reminiscent of the Japanese aesthetics of

Wabi-sabi In traditional Japanese aesthetics, is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" in nature. I ...

and

Shibui ''Shibui'' (渋い) (adjective), ''shibumi'' (渋み) (noun), or ''shibusa'' (渋さ) (noun) are Japanese words that refer to a particular aesthetic of simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty. Like other Japanese aesthetics terms, such as ''iki'' a ...

, no doubt having been influenced by the work of the late

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

Bernard Leach Bernard Howell Leach (5 January 1887 – 6 May 1979), was a British studio potter and art teacher. He is regarded as the "Father of British studio pottery". Biography Early years (Japan) Leach was born in Hong Kong. His mother Eleanor (née ...

(Doherty being the previous lead potter of The Leach Pottery), as well as the politics of work as laid out by

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...

. Vernacularism as a cultural phenomenon thus plays a large part in the work of Doherty, and it can, therefore, be seen as a product of the Arts and Crafts movement and, associated with it, the writings of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

Selected awards

* 2009 The Crafts Council of Ireland Bursary Award * 2007 ''Seeded'', Sculpture in Context Award Winner * 2006 ''Borderland'', Cast Award, Sculpture in Context * 1998 1st Prize West Midlands Arts Touring Exhibition * 1993 West Midlands Arts Crafts initiative grant * 1986

Crafts Council The Crafts Council is the national development agency for contemporary craft in the United Kingdom, and is funded by Arts Council England. History The Crafts Advisory Committee was formed in 1971 to advise the Minister for the Arts, David Eccles ...

marketing / publicity grant * 1976 Gold Medal International Ceramics Biennial,

Vallauris Vallauris (; oc, Valàuria) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is located in the metropolitan area, and is today effectively an extension of the town of Antibes ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

* 1974 Gold Medal International Ceramics Exhibition, Faenza, Italy

Selected exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

* 2012 ''Jack Doherty and Tomoo Hamada'', Gallery St Ives,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

* 2012 ''A Place In The World'', Garden House, Cornwall, United Kingdom * 2010 Solo Exhibition,

National Taipei University of Education National Taipei University of Education (NTUE; ) is a university located in Daan District, Taipei, Taiwan that predominantly focuses on teacher training. It was established in 1895, at the beginning of the Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan, ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Group exhibitions and fairs

* 2013 ''Future Beauty?'', National Craft Gallery,

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

, Ireland * 2012 ''The Ethics of Objects'', Kinsale Arts Festival, Co. Cork, ''Vessels'', Cill Rialaig Arts Centre, Co. Kerry, ''Irish Craft Portfolio'', RHA, Dublin, ''Ceramic Art London'', Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom * 2011 ''Talking in Clay'', Courtyard Arts Centre, Hereford, United Kingdom, ''Art Fair Tokyo'', Japan, ''Irish Craft Portfolio'', RHA, Dublin, ''transFORM'', Farmleigh Gallery,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and Millennium Court Arts Centre, Co. Armagh, ''COLLECT'',

Saatchi Gallery The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, moving to the D ...

, London, United Kingdom, ''Irish Craft Portfolio'', National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, ''A Place in the World'',

Newlyn Art Gallery Newlyn Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Newlyn, Cornwall, UK. Opened in 1895, designed by James Hicks of Redruth and financed by John Passmore Edwards the gallery was conceived as a home and exhibition venue for the Newlyn ...

, Cornwall, UK, Through Fifty, CCC, London, UK * 2010 ''Tea Ceremony Pots'', Mitzukoshi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, ''European Ceramics Context'',

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

Collections

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

Museum of Liverpool The Museum of Liverpool in Liverpool, England, tells the story of Liverpool and its people, and reflects the city's global significance. It opened 2011 as newest addition to the National Museums Liverpool group replacing the former Museum of L ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum The Wilson, formerly known as Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was opened in 1899. It offers free admission, and has a programme of special exhibitions. It was renamed The Wilson in honour of polar explorer Edwa ...

, United Kingdom *

Princessehof Ceramics Museum The Princessehof Ceramics Museum (in Dutch: Keramiekmuseum Princessehof) is a museum of ceramics in the city of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. The museum's name comes from one of two buildings in which it is housed: a small palace ( means ‘royal ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

* The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery,

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

, United Kingdom

Publications

* ''Porcelain'' by Jack Doherty, published by

University of Pennsylvania Press The University of Pennsylvania Press (or Penn Press) is a university press affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The press was originally incorporated with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on 26 Ma ...

, 2002,

Articles and references in other publications

* 2013 "Troubled Light", Eleanor Flegg, ''Ceramic Review'' * 2012 "Talking Quietly Hearing Silence", Eleanor Flegg, ''Craft Arts International'' * 2011 "The Craft and Art of Clay", Susan Peterson * 2010 "Jack Doherty", Interiors Magazine, Taiwan, "Jack Doherty Pure Simplicity", ''Ceramics Art Magazine'', Taiwan, "Jack Doherty", ''

China Post China Post, legally the China Post Group Corporation ( zh, 中国邮政集团有限公司, Pinyin: ''Zhōngguó yóuzhèng jítuán yǒuxiàn gōngsī''), is the state-owned enterprise operating the official postal service of China, which provi ...

'', Taiwan, "Accidentally on Purpose", ''

Taipei Times The ''Taipei Times'' is the only printed daily English-language newspaper in Taiwan, and the third established there. Online competitors include the state-owned ''Focus Taiwan'' and ''Taiwan News''; ''The China Post'' was formerly a competit ...

'' Taiwan * 2009 Ceramics Ireland, Tina Byrne, "Jack Doherty", Eleanor Flegg, ''Perspectives'' * 2008 "Brightness and Rightness", Helen Bevis, ''Ceramics Monthly'' * 2007 "Revelations", David Whiting, ''Ceramics Art and Perception'' * 2006 "The Ceramics Book", ''Ceramic Review'' * 2005 "The Teapot Book", Steve Woodhead, A&C Black * 2004 "Contemporary Porcelain", Peter Lane, A&C Black, "Porcelain and Bone China", Sasha Wardell, Crowood Press * 2003 "The Ceramic Surface", Osterman, A&C Black, National Ceramics,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, "Complete Potters Companion", Tony Birks, Conran Octopus * 2002 ''Ceramics Ireland'', "Salt Glazed Ceramics", Phil Rogers, A&C Black * 2001 "Salt-Glaze Ceramics", Rosemary Cochrane, Crowood Press * 2000 "Ten Thousand Years of Pottery", Emmanuel Cooper, British Museum * 1999 "Reputations", Anatol Orient, ''Ceramic Review'' * 1998 "A Song of Today", Josie Walter, ''Ceramic Review'' * 1995 "Colouring Clay", ''Clay Times'', Washington DC * 1994 "Porcelain", Caroline Whyman, Batsford * 1993 "Soda Glazing", Ruthanne Tudball, A&C Black * 1992 "Potters", Craft Potters Association * 1991 "Dictionary of Practical Pottery" Robert Fournier * 1990 "Colour in Clay", Jane Waller, Crowood Press * 1989 "Potters Dictionary of Techniques and Materials", Hamer, A&C Black * 1983 "Jack Doherty's Porcelain", ''Ceramic Review'' * 1983 "Making a Tradition", Sean McCrum, ''Irish Times'' * 1982 "The Crafts in Ulster", Peter Dormer, ''Crafts Magazine''

References

External links

Official website

Design & Crafts Council of Ireland: Irish Craft Portfolio - Jack Doherty
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Jack 1948 births Living people Artists from Northern Ireland British potters People from Coleraine, County Londonderry St Ives artists