Janet Leach

by ev April 23rd 2015, 9:21 am

I feel exceptionally lucky to have been given this piece of Janet Leach's work.

by **hercules brabazon** March 15th 2018, 1:06 pm

It's the centenary of Janet Leach's birth today. To celebrate I'm posting this recent find: a pot just under 8cm tall. St Ives and "JL" marks, with "REPEAT" impressed.

Janet Leach Dscf6010

by **philpot** March 15th 2018, 3:10 pm

There can be so much drama in her pots.

Janet Leach Img_7441

by **studio-pots** May 14th 2020, 3:11 pm

Although Janet worked at the Leach Pottery from 1955 until her death in 1997, she never adopted the "Leach style".

Here is one of her "wood-fired" pots from the last 10 years of her life. They were not wood-fired as such but I understand that she ruined a number of kilns getting this effect.

by **studio-pots** May 14th 2020, 3:12 pm

A stoneware partly glazed vase with stylised handles.

by **philpot** May 14th 2020, 6:59 pm

She could do some really dramatic work. I have always loved her white work with the flashes of black or brown. This dish is one of the few of hers we have.

by **studio-pots** May 14th 2020, 7:12 pm

I will see if I can dig out some images of her white porcelain.

by **studio-pots** May 18th 2020, 6:09 pm

I found this image taken around 15 years ago. The pots are of unknown vintage.

by **studio-pots** May 25th 2020, 11:55 am

A variety of Janet Leach pots that I exhibited in the summer of 2019. The tallest is over 40 cm. high.

Note: - I sold the white porcelain vase, at the front, for the second time at the exhibition.

by **studio-pots** December 11th 2020, 4:41 pm

A Janet Leach teabowl, with box, that was originally exhibited and sold at her solo exhibition at the Diamaru Department Store in Kobe, Japan in 1981.

Sold again by me recently.

by **studio-pots** January 27th 2021, 11:03 am

A thrown and fluted vase by Janet.

by **studio-pots** January 27th 2021, 11:05 am

A small lidded pot with a Japanese feel and made using a black stoneware clay that at the time was unique to her.

by **studio-pots** January 27th 2021, 11:06 am

The front of an advertising leaflet available at the Leach Pottery in the early 1990s.

by **croker** July 31st 2021, 7:19 pm

Over the last few months i have been taking an interest in the work of Janet Leach , until quite recently i had her down as just another Leachite but reading about her and looking at her work i can see she is bit different, her pots seem to have a Japanese look but modern at the same time and they certainly look well in a modern setting, the brown , black and white i find particularly appealing .The piece illustrated i bought recently from a Scottish saleroom ,it measures about 16 inches .I have noticed though while some of her work is superb other pieces look like they were made after a night out..

by **croker** July 31st 2021, 7:22 pm

photo Janet Leach,

by **philpot** August 1st 2021, 2:11 pm

Janet Leach's romance actually really started in Japan, and she spent a couple of years there from 1954.
I remember seeing your Charger at auction, but at 16 ins I just would not have the courage to trust safe carriage. Laughter

Her work is by far the most varied and interesting of the Leach potters. She experimented in various styles a lot. Some of it worked some of it did not. But those that did can be spectacular. The white on black and black on white can be particularly dramatic. I don't her quality control was very good though. Laughter

The Emmanuel Cooper book on her is a very good read.

by **croker** August 1st 2021, 3:12 pm

Hi Philpot, from the pieces i have seen i think your observations are the same as mine ,the quality control (as you so kindly put it) does seem to be lacking in certain pieces but i suppose all 'artists' have their off days even Damien Hirst can't get it right every time!. As for the carriage i have never had many problems, chargers are a bit more awkward to pack but it arrived safely also for only £45 which is far cheaper than i normally get charged. Thanks i will get a copy of the book.

by **studio-pots** August 1st 2021, 3:35 pm

Janet's "off days" often involved drink but I think that her best days did too.

The "Heavy Drinking Ladies of St. Ives" were a notorious bunch.

by **croker** August 1st 2021, 3:53 pm

Hi studio pots, the men were no better, Roger Hilton drunk himself to death and from what i have learnt once the st ives artists got tanked up in the pubs there were fisticuffs over artistic differences between the abstract side and the others (the winters were long in St Ives).

by **philpot** August 1st 2021, 4:56 pm

There is nothing as dreary as West Country mild winter weather, where the drizzle can hang around for days. We used to call it Dustbin Lid weather when we were young!
Croker what is your opinion of John Leach's 'Black Mood' pieces? Similar colour but more subtle.

by **croker** August 1st 2021, 5:17 pm

hi, i must admit i havn't seen that many of his pots but the few black pieces i have seen i found good but just a little to perfect they seem to lack something for me , i think they would make good decorators pieces though.

by **studio-pots** August 1st 2021, 6:16 pm

croker wrote:Hi studio pots, the men were no better, Roger Hilton drunk himself to death and from what i have learnt once the st ives artists got tanked up in the pubs there were fisticuffs over artistic differences between the abstract side and the others (the winters were long in St Ives).

You are correct and so it might have been a matter of keeping up with the boys. However, Janet had been a riveter in the shipbuilding effort during the War, so she came over here prepared.

by **croker** August 1st 2021, 6:56 pm

We met her once many years ago i think it must have been in the late seventies, those were the days when you could meet the artists and potters before they all retreated into their studios and hated any 'interference' from the public. There was a booklet published around the early 80s called 'potters in their place' which showed a route around Cornwall where you could visit all the potteries which made a holiday a bit more interesting. We visit St Ives most years and to be honest although the place is not what it was we still like it.

by **croker** February 17th 2022, 11:00 am

I thought i might post this piece to keep this thread fresh and to bring attention to members of the recent book on Janet Leach by Joanna Wason which contains some interesting anecdotes. Apparently Janet left all her personal letters ,photographs and other belongings to Joanna , this book and the one by Cooper give a good idea of the strong personality of the woman. The vase i bought recently , it is a large heavy lump and very imposing.

by **philpot** February 17th 2022, 11:06 am

How big is that? Thanks for the tip about the book. I will have a look for it.

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