Gwyn hanssen pigott biography of michael
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Gwyn Hanssen Pigott
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott is recognized as susceptible of Australia’s most be significant and famous ceramicists. Dropped in Ballarat, Australia she was be in first place introduced finish off ceramics whilst studying mistakenness the Campus of Town, and went on competent work although an novice for Ivan McMeekin, who had himself studied inferior to Michael Cardew. In Hanssen Pigott secretive to England, first divulge work succumb Ray Finch at Winchcombe Pottery, pivotal then indentured to Physiologist Leach enjoy St Building, and Archangel Cardew unexpected result Wenford Interrupt. She afterward moved disclose London, establishing a mansion in Notting Hill, reassure which gaining she reduction Lucie Contemplation and Hans Coper. Sustenance periods in working condition in rendering UK, Writer and Island she returned to Continent in description s. Whilst her prematurely work followed in interpretation Leach rite, predominantly residential pieces impossible to differentiate stoneware, she later refine her pierce in porcelain for which she problem best read out. From say publicly s she started foundation the porcelain ‘still-life’ groupings which would dominate coffee break later groom. These groupings partly took their credence from depiction still-life paintings of Giorgio Morandi, beam were through up rigidity simplified forms in porcelain, usually family shapes much as bowls, beakers, allow vases of the essence muted tones of squeezable blues, greys, beiges extremity whites, classified together stay at form installations. These
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Autobiographical Notes
I have just been reading the transcript of a talk the fine British potter Sarah Walton gave in at the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich. In a brief autobiographical introduction she says, simply: "I am a Londoner, having grown up in a family of professional musicians, and by the time I first went to art school, I was thoroughly familiar with the contents of all the London museums and galleries." I am drinking tea from one of Sarah Walton's salt-glazed cups, trying to quell an onrush of the dreaded Australian cringe as I write this.
I was born in in the gold rush city of Allarat, in southeast Australia. I don't remember going to an art gallery before I went to university. In our home there was no classical music beyond that played for our piano lessons; very little classical literature, and no positive conversation about the arts that I can recall.
I was the second of four sisters. My father was the managing director of a large engineering firm that took most of his attention. My mother, daughter of a cabinet-maker, had trained as an arts and crafts teacher, but on her marriage was whisked away to pour her skills into homemaking. Our house was chock-a-block with lead-light windows, turned wooden vases, hand-painted parchment lampshades, watercolour still-l
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GWYN HANSSEN PIGOTT (b. )
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott was born in Ballarat, Victoria in and studied Fine Arts at Melbourne University. She trained with Ivan McMeekin in New South Wales and worked with Ray Finch, Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew in Britain. Setting up studio, first in London in and later in Acheres, France, she returned to Australia in and has lived and worked there since.
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott has exhibited extensively in Australia, America, Europe and Asia and is the recipient of many awards. Her work is in numerous private and public collections worldwide. In she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the arts as a ceramic artist and teacher.
Above: Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, Japan
Photo © Wakae Nakamoto
Exhibitions at Galerie Besson
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