Simon Leach: potter and teacher

I only began throwing pots a few years ago when I bought a second-hand kick-wheel from a friend of a friend. Apart from a couple of short lessons, I’m self-taught, and I admit that so far, the learning curve has been steep and extremely challenging! However, one person who has helped me enormously in learning the basic skills, and overcoming various practical hurdles along the way, is the potter, Simon Leach.

 Simon Leach is the son of David Leach, and grandson of the most famous studio potter, Bernard Leach. As a young man, Simon began making ceramics during a stay on the Greek island of Gavdos, but he served his main apprenticeship as a potter with his father at the Lowerdown Pottery in Bovey Tracy, Devon. In 1990 he left England and travelled to Spain to set up a pottery. Then, in 2003, Simon moved his business to Vall d’Alba, in the region of Castellon, where he continues to make work in Stoneware, Porcelain and Raku.

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Stoneware table vase with iron slip and scraffito decoration
(Image, courtesy of Simon Leach Ceramics)

Simon enjoys experimenting with new glaze materials and he often collects wood ash created from the carob and almond trees which grow in the surrounding area. He also goes out into the hills locally to dig for clay which he then processes and refines himself. Like many potters, Simon gets a great deal of satisfaction from creating work which has a direct connection with the earth beneath his feet.

Anyway,  I’m really writing this post as a small tribute to Simon and his activities on Youtube. So far, he has posted over 430 inspirational videos, each of which is watched by hundreds, some times thousands of ceramics enthusiasts around the world. In each video, he patiently demonstrates a different aspect of the potter’s craft, from throwing to glazing, decorating and firing. Occasionally, he films himself opening his propane gas kiln after a firing and we can share in the excitement and anticipation of seeing the end results of his labour.

I think I’m probably one of many people who have become quite addicted to watching these clips, partly because we learn something new each time and partly because Simon is such a warm and likeable teacher. I can honestly say that I would have given up the potter’s wheel were it not for his instructional videos, and for that I’d like to say a very big ”Thank you!”. Learning to throw can be a highly frustrating experience, and possibly the biggest hurdle for beginners is learning to fail (again and again!) but to still “get straight back on the horse”. One of the main messages Simon puts across through his videos is that it’s OK to mess up, and that all the failures are an integral part of the learning process. His favourite motto, “Keep practising!” is one which all artists, not just potters, would do well to heed.

More information about Simon Leach and his work can be found at: http://www.simonleachceramics.com/shop/default.asp

Simon’s full collection of Youtube videos are here: http://www.youtube.com/user/sleachpots

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 9:27 pmand is filed under Sources of inspiration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Simon Leach: potter and teacher”

  • Eftychia Regou Says:
    May 23rd, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    Lovely tribute to a great potter and teacher! I love his motto “Keep practising!”, it’s the best advice to any artist indeed!

  • Ana Maria Says:
    May 25th, 2009 at 10:55 am

    Very good article, very interesting of to see and to read.

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