Jack Doherty

Jack Doherty (born 1948, Coleraine ) is a Northern Irish studio potter and author. He is perhaps best known for his vessels made of soda-fired porcelain. He has been featured in a number of books, and his work has been exhibited widely in both Europe and North America. Articles of his have appeared in various pottery journals and he has been Chair of the Craft Potters Association.

Biography Upon graduating from the Ulster College of Art and Design in 1971, Jack Doherty began working as a studio potter at Kilkenny Design Workshops, Ireland. while also being a part-time lecturer in ceramics at the Royal Forest of Dean College. He was elected as chair of the Craft Potters Association between 1995 and 2000 and again between 2002 and 2008. He was lead potter and creative director at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall, where he developed Leach's new range of contemporary tableware. In 2012, Doherty exhibited alongside Japanese potter Tomoo Hamada, celebrating the signing of an official declaration of friendship between the towns of St. Ives and Mashiko, Tochigi, Japan, by the two respective mayors on 20 September 2012. As a founder he became the current Chair of the organising committee of Ceramic Arts London in 2013, previously being director of both Ceramic Review magazine and Contemporary Ceramics for more than 13 years.

Work process Devoting the majority of his career to porcelain, Doherty has developed a unique process of crafting his ceramic objects. The shapes are thrown, then carved and shaped using only one type of porcelain clay. One slip in which copper carbonate is added as a colouring material is applied. Finally, he uses a single soda-firing technique, executed by spraying a mixture of water and sodium bicarbonate into the kiln at a high temperature. The resulting vapour is drawn through the kiln chamber where it reacts with the silica and alumina present in the clay, creating a rich patina of surface texture and colour.

Questioning the vernacular of functionality Doherty's work is meant to subtly interconnect with domestic space and daily life, and according to Doherty, "can be solitary and contemplative or ceremonial; for everyday use or for special occasions." His recent work displays a sense of robustness, lacking the refined transparent glaze commonly associated with porcelain objects. In using the soda-firing finish and a wide range of archetypal forms, Doherty attempts to question the vernacular of functionality.

Selected awards 2009 The Crafts Council of Ireland Bursary Award 2007 Seeded, Sculpture in Context Award Winner 2006 Borderland, Cast Award, Sculpture in Context

Articles and references in other publications 2013 "Troubled Light", Eleanor Flegg, Ceramic Review 2012 "Talking Quietly Hearing Silence", Eleanor Flegg, Craft Arts International 2011 "The Craft and Art of Clay", Susan Peterson 2010 "Jack Doherty", Interiors Magazine, Taiwan, "Jack Doherty Pure Simplicity", Ceramics Art Magazine, Taiwan, "Jack Doherty", China Post, Taiwan, "Accidentally on Purpose", Taipei Times Taiwan 2009 Ceramics Ireland, Tina Byrne, "Jack Doherty", Eleanor Flegg, Perspectives 2008 "Brightness and Rightness", Helen Bevis, Ceramics Monthly 2007 "Revelations", David Whiting, Ceramics Art and Perception 2006 "The Ceramics Book", Ceramic Review 2005 "The Teapot Book", Steve Woodhead, A&C Black 2004 "Contemporary Porcelain", Peter Lane, A&C Black, "Porcelain and Bone China", Sasha Wardell, Crowood Press 2003 "The Ceramic Surface", Osterman, A&C Black, National Ceramics, South Africa, "Complete Potters Companion", Tony Birks, Conran Octopus 2002 Ceramics Ireland, "Salt Glazed Ceramics", Phil Rogers, A&C Black 2001 "Salt-Glaze Ceramics", Rosemary Cochrane, Crowood Press 2000 "Ten Thousand Years of Pottery", Emmanuel Cooper, British Museum 1999 "Reputations", Anatol Orient, Ceramic Review 1998 "A Song of Today", Josie Walter, Ceramic Review 1995 "Colouring Clay", Clay Times, Washington DC 1994 "Porcelain", Caroline Whyman, Batsford 1993 "Soda Glazing", Ruthanne Tudball, A&C Black 1992 "Potters", Craft Potters Association 1991 "Dictionary of Practical Pottery" Robert Fournier 1990 "Colour in Clay", Jane Waller, Crowood Press 1989 "Potters Dictionary of Techniques and Materials", Hamer, A&C Black 1983 "Jack Doherty's Porcelain", Ceramic Review 1983 "Making a Tradition", Sean McCrum, Irish Times 1982 "The Crafts in Ulster", Peter Dormer, Crafts Magazine