Jack Doherty was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland in 1948. On graduating from Ulster College of Art and Design, he joined Kilkenny Design Workshops, as a studio potter within the ceramics department. He has taught at colleges throughout the country and in 1995 was appointed Chair of the Craft Potters Association. He is currently lead potter at the Leach Pottery, St Ives, Cornwall.
Artist's Statement
"I make porcelain which explores and extends the qualities associated with this beautiful material. I make functional pots which range in scale from fine delicate cups for tea or cider to large unexpectedly rugged slab dishes and plates.
The forms are either thrown or slab- built with surfaces which are pierced, stretched, carved and ribbed. I use combinations of coloured clays which react differently in the kiln, giving subtle changes of colour and texture.
My pots are functional but they are also decorative and can be hung on walls; taken down and used. The pots which we use every day can change how we see or feel about the food which we place in them. I put apples and plums into the dishes with care, enjoying their softness.
The firing plays an important role in determining how my pots look since no glaze is applied to the exterior, instead a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and water is sprayed into the kiln as it reaches "white heat". I enjoy the way in which the soda glaze marks and articulates the surface of the forms with the trace of flame and vapour. It is a dramatic and exciting procedure which is the final creative act in my making process."
Jack Doherty - December 2000.
Training and Professional Qualifications
1966/97 Foundation - Ulster College of Art and Design
1967/70 Diploma in 3D Design Ceramics - UCAD
1970/71 Art Teachers Diploma - UCAD
1985 Fellow of The Craft Potters' Association
1995/2000 Chair of The Craft Potters' Association
To date
Director of Ceramic Review
Director of Contemporary Ceramics, the CPA gallery and shop
Director of St Ives International
Advisor to West Midland Arts
2002 Chair of the Craft Potters' Association
2008 Appointed Lead Potter at the Leach Pottery in St Ives, Cornwall.
Selected Exhibitions
Faenza 1974 - Gold Medal
Vallauris 1976 - Gold Medal
1983
Ulster Museum, Belfast
1990
Trio, Peter Dingley
1993
SSaltzbrand, Koblenz, Germany
1995
CPA in Athens
1996
Alpha House Gallery
1997
Songs in Salt, Princesshot Museum, Holland
1998
Cool Clay, Rufford Craft Centre
1998
Solo Exhibition Contemporary Ceramics, London
1999
Alpha House Gallery
1999
Bircham Gallery Norfolk.
2000
Alpha House Gallery, Dorset
2000
Eton Applied Arts, Windsor
2000
Below the Salt,Portsmouth Museum
2000
Inspired Choices, Morley Gallery London
2001
Expanding our views, Loes and Reinier, Deventer, Holland
2002
Solo Exhibition, Contemporary Ceramics, London
2003
Alpha House Gallery Dorset
2003
Dish Wish Brewery Arts Cirencester
2004
Celebrating Ceramics RBSA Gallery, Birmingham
2004
Yewtree Gallery, Cornwall
2009
Jack Doherty, Bircham Gallery, Norfolk.
(The above list is only a representative fraction of Jack Doherty's exhibitions).
Awards:
1972
Alice Berger Hammerschlag Trust Award
1974
Gold Medal International Ceramics Exhibition, Faenza, Italy
1976
Gold Medal International Ceramics Biennial, Vallauris, France
1986
Marketing/Publicity Grant, Crafts Council
1988
1st Prize West Midlands Arts Touring Exhibition
1993
West Midlands Arts Craft Initiative Grant
Collections
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Liverpool Museum
Ulster Museum
Crafts Council of Ireland
Museum of Ceramics
Princesshof Ceramics Museum, Holland
Cheltenham Museum
City Museum, Stoke-on-Trent
Nottingham Museum
Articles/Publications
1982 'Crafts in Ulster', Peter Dormer, Crafts Magazine
1983 'Making a Tradition', Sean McCrum, Irish Times
1987 'Jack Doherty's Porcelain', Ceramic Review
1991 'Dictionary of Practical Pottery', Robert Fournier
1992 'Potters', CPA
1994 'Porcelain', Caroline Whyman, Batsford
1994 'Soda Glazing', Ruthanne Tudball, A&C Black
1998 'A Song of Today', Josie Walter, Ceramic Review May/June 1998
1999 'Reputations', Anatol Orient, Ceramic Review July/August 1999
2002 'Porcelain', Jack Doherty, A&C Black