mark titchiner
His career with clay began in 1971 as a trainee thrower at Kingwood Pottery in Hampshire, England, where he was taught by a mix of art school graduates and old time plant pot makers. At this time he also attended part of the ceramics course at Farnham Art School, which was run by Paul Barron and Henry Hammond, who gave him a wider view of the world of clay.
His present workshop was established in 1982, and for ten years made terracotta garden pots and slip decorated earthenware. He also built a large wood-fired kiln.
After a year spent working in New Zealand in the early nineties, he returned to England, and continued potting with more emphasis on the glazed slipware, which in its various forms, now constitutes the major part of his production.
His work is a continuing exploration of the potential of wood-fired earthenware,with the aesthetic and technical challenges of the medium creating a constant evolution of style and making practice. In his one-off pots he is developing the theme of 'ritual vessels',(although none of these pieces has a specifically allocated purpose unless it is a functional pot). Current work consists of wheel thrown or slab built 'shrines' and 'vessels',large jars, plant pots for interiors,and functional pots.
He has exhibited widely in the UK, and in France, and examples of his work can be found in private and public collections including the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge.
