Hilary Stone

I first fell under the ceramics spell when doing my teacher training at London University Institute of Education in the 1970s. 
Bill (William) Newland was head of the ceramic department and was very inspirational – many fell under his influence over the years and he was responsible for quite a few to turn seriously to ceramics.  His own ceramics was not mainstream English studio in style; big flamboyant pots with bold brushed decoration in the main part. Some using tin earthenware glazes and others in stoneware. In the 1950s and 60s he together with several others were known as the Picassoettes. Picasso had been making bright, bold tin-glazed pottery since the end of the war. In 1950 the Arts Council mounted an influential exhibition of his ceramics. In the UK ceramics was just starting to break away from mostly dull coloured stoneware in classic oriental styles as espoused by Leach and the vast majority of the studio potters back then. Bill was full of talk about bellies, waists, asses and breasts in relation to pottery form. His own pots reflected his way of looking at form.
In the year following my PGCE I was allowed to continue exploring my ceramics at the Institute of Education part-time. After that year and living in North London I got to hear of Ormond Road Community Craft Centre where they had a small pottery. I was soon involved there teaching evening classes and making my own work. Later I became their technician.
When asked about the sort of pots I make I normally reply that I make holloware. Holloware is really, not the correct word to use as it normally refers to objects made of metal for use at a table… My ceramics have an inside and an outside and a top and a bottom – hollow but are not intended first and foremost to be functional.  However holloware does functionally describe what I make… Bill’s lessons – not formal – in form have stood me in great stead.  Most are decorated in an abstract fashion inspired by nature.
My pots are made from a high firing earthenware clay with coloured slips, single fired to about 1160–1190°C.  Whilst I do occasionally throw, I mostly hand build – the majority are coiled but I also use some press moulds for the bowls… The slips are applied whilst the pots are quite damp and frequently I will scrape the slips to reveal layers of colour. I often leave the finger joining marks created during coiling and after scraping add an extra accidental element to the pot which I only have limited control over.   This for me is very exciting – until I start scraping I only have a basic idea of what is going to appear.  A light touch on hard dried clay will have a very different effect to a heavy touch on a soft pot.  And of course there are many permutations with layering different colours.