peter's pottery journey
Potter Peter Wallace takes his place behind his wheel and begins to shapeclay into the classical forms for which he is renowned. The clay turns, rises and appears in the perfect symmetry that pleases theeye and uplifts the soul.
But more is to come. “Come over here,” he invites. We walk to another roomand there, on rough-hewn planks, stand vases of radiant beauty. This scene in his pottery, demonstrates that Peter Wallace is much more than a highly-skilled sculptor of clay.
These refined, dignified works are a testimony to his capacity to produce glazes that acknowledge their Oriental origins yet also possess a beauty of universal appeal. It is little wonder that his works are on proud display in venues ranging from corporate boardrooms to art galleries, from the homes of ordinary Australians to the mansions of the collectors of fine ceramics.
BeginningsThe talent of Peter Wallace emerged long before he left boarding school inNew South Wales in the early 1970s. Leaving the lights off in the school pottery to avoid prefects on the prowlfor those avoiding homework, Peter spent night after night practising his newcraft. A teacher, Michael Conlon, spotted his potential and so arranged for the ladto skip military cadet training on Friday afternoons to spend his time turninga wheel rather than left and right on a parade ground. Back in his hometown of Broken Hill for his final years of schooling, Peter Wallace built one of the first gas kilns ever seen in that remote miningcentre. There were no natural clays in the area but one of the minerals mined there,zinc, was later to become an essential element in the production of theexquisite crystalline glazes that have since become his professional trademark.
InfluencesThe great Australian artist, the late Pro Hart, was living in Broken Hill,and young Peter Wallace gathered up his courage to introduce himself. “He was extremely encouraging,” Peter says, recalling the artist’sgenerosity in materials, equipment and time. “I would go to his place andhang around and meet artists and gallery owners from Melbourne. Pro showed meit was possible to making a living as an artist.” However, Peter’s journey to professional excellence was just beginning. Afive-year stint in his own pottery at Bathurst was the next stage.Then, after a move to Brisbane, he came in contact with one of the fathersof pottery in Queensland, indeed of Australia. Carl McConnell, who had worked alongside the greats in Japan, took Peterunder his wing. “He taught me quality and real finesse of form -- and a lot of technical tips.”
ExperienceIt was then time for Peter to pay his dues in hard labour. He joined Beechmont Pottery, a production pottery staffed by Americans who had come to Queensland partly for the work, partly for the surf. This was to have asignificant influence on Peter’s development as a potter. “For every potter who wants to throw, starting in production pottery is best. You learn to minimise your movements,” Peter says. “When I arrived, I could make only 100 coffee mugs a day,” he says, addingthat he can now produce that quantity in just two hours. Through practice -- he handled three quarters of a tonne of clay a day--- his natural abilities werestretched and honed. His reputation for throwing clay into perfect shapes was established. Later he established a pottery at nearby Nerang where he pioneered a white glaze with a green and pink spray. It was in striking contrast to the sombre Japanese-influenced hues that then dominated Australian pottery.
