Bryan and Julia Newman, Aller Pottery (Somerset)

styleinvasion wrote:          
i think we had this recently.... will try to find it after posting....

Here is a simliar one from Aller

Seems a strange restrained piece for Dart, but then maybe Aller on it's side?
The mark is a bit glazed over but it's there.

This is another from Somerset - very sweet and only 11 cms in height

Ok ... I need some help on this little pot please - it looks pretty new, or at least so as its un- used.  Only 9" - stoneware. Can somebody help ID the marks. It looks like it should be easy to ID but I have trawled the internet.... Many thanks

The A definitely Aller pottery without doubt. When we lived on the South Coast for a decade saw a great deal of Aller Pottery when I was mad on boot sales. Bryan Newman did use a number of different initials with the A some of the time. Never been able to find out who or what they were.

... Bryan Newman didn't use 'year' marks did he? ... Similar to Steve Whitehead!

There was a discussion on Facebook about Aller the other day. Paul Rice (noted dealer and writer on studio pottery) said 'Both Bryan and Julia had personal seals - but only very rarely used them. I think when they had joint exhibitions in craft shops'. John Pollex who worked there for a time said he had not seen personal seals
I think I personally have seen about four Aller marks besides the A.
Don't think there ever any year marks.
Bear in mind of course, this was a pottery that produced for nearly fifty years. So in a long period such as that, many things might have happened that others were not aware of.

A couple of Bryan's "townscapes" that I sold a few years back.

Bryan spent much time in later years producing such mosiacs in the local area.

NaomiM wrote:This may be one of his too then, made for the Aller village hall

Yes, it is. I remember calling at the pottery myself and speaking to others that did to look at his recent pots only to find that he had not made any because he had been out doing these. I think he regarded them as something that he would me remember by locally, as people would see them constantly.

Just stunning. Good public works are always enjoyed and appreciated.
Hope they are listed, as transport companies don't always get it.

That's really fun. Is it about 20 years old?

I don't recall seeing any before the one at the pottery, which was done for the millennium in 2000. However, I think most were done in the last decade of his life.

Bryan Newman - interesting fact?

Back in the early 1960s, Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada were touring Britain talking and demonstrating. One of their ports of call was Camberwell School of Art and the idea was that Bernard spoke and Hamada san demonstrated throwing on the wheel. Unfortunately, that day Hamada had damaged his foot in some way and, unbeknown to the audience, Bryan was under the table working the foot wheel with his hands.

Told to me by the ceramicist Graham Burr and his wife, Joan, who were there at the time.

On his son's Kim Newman's  (the author) website dated August 2019 he stated his father had died.

Hello all,

Just wondering if anyone knew anything about the maker of this item? Thank in advance!