The Armidale Pottery Club hosted a very special two-day workshop over a recent weekend. In a real coup for the Club, one of Australia’s biggest names in pottery, Cameron Williams, went through the fundamentals and finer points of making his specialty, particularly large scale pots.
It was essentially a master-class, with three New England pottery teachers among the 11 workshop participants. Mr Williams taught throwing techniques and much more. Needless to say, this was a very hands on and messy affair.
“It was very rewarding to conduct a workshop like this, especially when everyone is getting on the wheels and having a go,” Mr Williams said. “Often people just stand back and watch me. Here, everyone got into it, learnt and produced some great results.”
His principal tip for sculpting larger pots was to use the left-hand side of the wheel. “The wheel runs anti-clockwise and it is much more efficient to get in the clay’s way instead of working on the right-hand side, where the clay is rotating away from you and it is more of a struggle to make it do anything.
“The Armidale Pottery Club’s facilities are excellent,” Mr Williams said. “I was here a number of years ago and they’ve got more tools, kilns and wheels. These places don’t exist very much anymore, so it is great to see this Club progressing.”
The art of pottery has flown under the cultural radar for some time and Cameron Williams is fired up about a brighter future for pottery. “It couldn’t decline much further. I think it (pottery) has scraped its belly on the bottom and is on its way back up,” he said.
Through crafting large pots, Cameron Williams has left his mark. “A career highlight would be doing a big commission when they built the new Parliament House. I made 200 giant pots and felt I was contributing to history. Working at the National Art School and the contacts I made there was also a highlight.”
Carl Merten is an acclaimed sculptor and pottery teacher based in the Kingstown area, west of Armidale, who described the weekend as ‘tremendous’. “Cameron astounded us with his virtuosity. He is very good at explaining things. I’ve never seen so much skill, so eloquently expressed – in the shape of the pots,” he said.
“Cameron Williams is one of the top pottery identities in Australia. People think pots are pieces you can lift up but, when you’ve got 150 pounds of clay, it is another dimension. I understand Cameron buys 20 tonnes of clay at a time,” Mr Merten said.
The Armidale Pottery Club is a rarity in regional Australia in respect of its resources. Club representatives said that the first-rate workshop demonstrated another way it benefits the local community. More workshops can be expected in the future from this pro-active pottery club.
Story: Gary Fry
