Biography
Nic moved to Cornwall with his wife Jackie, a weaver, in 1975. He followed a course in Studio Pottery at Cornwall College. Here he came under the influence of the former Leach potter, William (Bill) Marshall, who was a part time lecturer. When Nic completed the course he was invited by Janet Leach to join The Leach Pottery in St Ives, Cornwall. He worked with Trevor Corser and Jason Wason, and was the last student to be part of the production team. While throwing part of the standard ware developed his skills as a repetition thrower, he also developed a range of individually designed ceramics for exhibition and sale at the Pottery.
...When Nic completed the course he was invited by Janet Leach to join The Leach Pottery in St Ives. He was the last student to be part of the production team...
When he moved on from The Leach Pottery to set up his own pottery workshop, he found it almost impossible to work in any other way than 'The Leach Tradition', so great was its' influence on his work.
The Vyvyan Family offered workshop space in the old stable courtyard at Trelowarren on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall. In 1981, Nic and his wife Jackie opened work studios and a gallery there; it continued to be their work environment until 2005.
Nic's thrown pottery is now made in his workshop near Helston, Cornwall, in the far South West of England. Here he produces an extensive range of domestic Stoneware and Porcelain ceramics in The Leach Tradition. He worked originally on a Leach kick wheel, as he had done whilst in St Ives. However, he now makes most of his pots on an Alsager electric wheel, using local Stoneware and Porcelain clays. Nic mixes standard Stoneware and white Stoneware clays giving a clay body which is suitable for his complete range of ceramics. He uses only three glazes. They are considered to be the traditional glazes of The Leach Pottery, a black to rust Tenmoku, a sage green Celadon and a grey/ blue Celadon known as Ying Ching. These three glazes are of Japanese origin but have been formulated, by The Leach Pottery, to use locally produced materials where possible. Decoration is usually applied with a slip trailer, rather than a brush. Oxides, which give colour to the glaze, are mixed with a base Celadon glaze, and trailed onto the glazed surface of the pot before firing. Cobalt to give blue; Copper with Manganese to give reds and greens; Iron which produces browns and rich earthy colours. The pots are placed carefully in the kiln and fired with propane gas. During the firing the colours melt and flow into the surface of the glaze.
...These pieces are causing a great deal of interest among those people who collect Nic's work...
Recently Nic has been experimenting with different Porcelain clays. He is exploring traditional Japanese ceramics for his range of bottles, bowls and yunomi. These provide a vehicle for his interest in these gentle forms and are in contrast to his Stoneware pieces. The same glazes, decoration techniques and firing temperatures are used. These pieces are causing a great deal of interest among those people who collect Nic's work.
In the true Leach tradition of following through 'the whole process', Nic designed and built his 50 cu ft, and 12 cu ft reduction fired kilns, at Trelowarren. A recently built 27 cu ft reduction fired kiln at his present workshop, is also fired with propane gas. All his kilns are fired to 1,305°C. He makes his own pottery tools for turning the pots, and from time to time, still uses the Leach kick wheel which he built in 1976.
Nic is a member of the following organizations;
- Cornwall Craft Association
- Westcountry Potters Association
- Cornwall Ceramics and Glass Group
- Craft Potters Association of Great Britain