David Roberts at Blackwell
'Giant web vessel', David Roberts, coil built and raku fired ceramic © The Artist
David Roberts’ raku ceramics are currently on show at Blackwell, the Lake District Arts and Crafts House, until 5 July
‘Visitors responded really well to last year’s raku exhibition and so we thought it would be good to show work by a real leader in the field,’ says Blackwell’s curator Kathy Haslam, explaining the rationale behind this one-man show. And Roberts really is a leader in the field; he taught himself the technique of raku firing over a five-year period in the late 1970s when there were no courses or teachers available in the UK and has consequently a unique, and very independent style of working.
He’s particularly well known for his large vessels and the way he has taken the traditional raku technique – originally used for making small functional vessels for the Japanese tea ceremony – and used it to create very contemporary, sculptural pieces. As Haslam says: ‘Roberts’ pots are very large in scale, very dramatic and have a real presence.’ And what makes his ceramics even more interesting is his interest in post-war fine art, which along with his interest in the landscape informs many of his pieces.
The Blackwell exhibition showcases a selection of his most recent work.
www.blackwell.org.uk
