Dan Kelly

Dan trained at Camberwell School of Art where his greatest influences were two of his tutors, Colin Pearson and Ewen Henderson.

He is also one of the nicest people you are likely to meet and a good laugh.

In 2004 the Harlequin Gallery in London held a Teabowl exhibition and I asked Dan to make a selection especially for the exhibition. Here's the one that I kept for myself.

Dan didn't mark any of his work until maybe the last 10 years so most of his work that sells in Maak auctions is unmarked. Other people that bought them at the exhibition were given an option to have printed receipts with an image and all the other details. However, real collectors generally buy because they want something and never consider or think of reselling.

' Real Collectors'.....mmmmm...now there is an interesting phrase
Off hand I can think of only two 'major' potters who do not sign their work. Richard Batterham and Ewen Henderson, and their work is so stylistically powerful that it is instantly recognisable. The other two names that come to mind are Svend Bayer and Clive Bowen, but I am not quite too sure if their work is so stylistically strong as to compare with Henderson and Batterham. So that is 4. Any other names? Whatever, it is not a large number.
So it would seem that most potters made the commercial decision to mark their work. Presumably to attract collectors!

You are correct because of what might happen later and that is why I offered. However, I think addicted collectors, rather than investors or people collecting with an eye on the future, don't seem to think that way. It is just necessary for them to own the piece and nothing more.

This was over 52 cm tall and was the centre piece of Dan's first Harlequin Gallery exhibition in the mid 1990s. It was bought by Trevor Coldrey, who was then owner of the gallery.