Graham Fern - Porthleven Pottery

Brian Jasper, Porthleven Pottery


Admin:

And briefly an Iranian called Anoush Far. Incidentally, Cheney did not call his business Porthleven Pottery but Pots And Togs. His wife sold clothes and made jewellery there

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looks very much like Graham Fern Porthleven Pottery

Graham Fern pottery tankard. He set up his pottery in the small seaside town of Porthleven near Helston in Cornwall UK. The pottery was very short lived and I think ran through the 70s & early 80s and closed in the mid late 80s. His wife daughter Fenella also a potter, never seen or came across any of her pots. They closed the pottery and moved to New Zealand and a great friend of Norman Taylor of the Bolingey Pottery.

There's not much details & info on the pottery. However I still doing the research on the pottery. The tankard below is one of Graham's fine Soda Glaze designs & his gf base marks.

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Sorry for my poor grammer in the Graham Fern title topic. Here is another Graham Fern. I have a lovely rare cobalt blue dish with an engraved fish design by Mr Fern, I think I have a picture some where on my external hardrive, must dig it out and post.

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Like that toasty coloured body, bit like Muchelney at its best

Porthleven mark




Porthleven jug.







Kicking myself that I didn't photograph the seller's other set of Porthleven pottery which was in a delicate off-white glaze.

Fishy dishy - about 9 inches across - by Graham Fern with a large scrolling Porthleven inscribed on the bottom, and a lovely set of hundreds of concentric arcs where the wire has cut the plate from the wheel.

potterymad62 wrote:

Hi

Can anyone help with identifying this Porthleven Potter.

Regards Ernie.

Hi The Potter is Brian Jasper.
He worked in Porthleven in the early 1970s. He was there before Graham Fern, but after Jon Cheney.
I can find no current reference to him on the internet.
I have a coffee pot, jug and bowl made by him, so can confirm the mark.

thanks Tim and welcome to the forum.   

We would love to see and hear about some of your pottery

Gorgeous Porthleven Soda Glaze Jug by Graham Fern...already identified by Naomi. It was bought to sell but I may fallen in love with it

Tall cylinder by Graham Fern

Its Graham Fern, Porthleven Pottery - have just identified the same mark after searching for about a year.

https://www.20thcenturyforum.com/t11619-graham-fern-porthleven-pottery-near-helston-cornwallm

Surely it's either JC, CJ or fD, Df depending which way up?

That swipe across the front of the pot is typical of Graham Fern's style of decoration,

Mark is the same, decoration is the same... no doubt.

Very nice large Graham Fern Bowl.

Can anyone help identify the potter here, please?







To my eyes, the mark looks like ST - Saint?

It stands about 24cm tall.

Many thanks,
Greenie

Thanks Naomi! Spot on as always.

Google images has a pot which, although a different shape, has very similar construction, decoration and stamp:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/175077504242359515/

I must confess I only bought it because it was very cheap but, sitting on our mantelpiece for the last 7 or 8 months, it has really grown on me.

Once again, thanks.

Google "Porthleven Pottery You Tube" to see a short video which includes Graham Fern at work.
Tim Chapman

Here's a vase that's just over 8" tall...

Scarce Fenella Fern pottery vase made at the Porthleven Pottery and I think she still uses this design in New Zealand. I have done some research below and I don't know how accurate the info is here as there is no history here regarding her time in the UK before Fenella and Graham left for Zew Zealand. So any input or corrections welcome.


New Zealand Potters


Waikato Society of Potters

The Waikato Society of Potters was formed in 1972.

The Society is a non-profit making organisation and the committee (all volunteers) meet once a month and consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and committee members.

Members are from the greater Waikato and include people who are interested in pottery as a hobby, as well as professional, full-time potters. In addition there is a part time manager employed to oversee the studio facilities and arrange the teaching calendar.

Location

The Society’s rooms are located at Ward Park Art Centre, corner Ward Street and Seddon Road, Hamilton. Equipment for use by members includes electric kilns, one gas kiln, wood kiln, raku kiln, 12 electric potter wheels, a slab roller, extruders, glaze spray booths and moulds, library, office and kitchen area. Fenella in brackets.


Committee members
Wendy Thomson
Caryl Ginever
Gill Pritchard
Yasmin Davis
Susan St Lawrence
(Fenella Fern)
Burns Macaskill
Ron Pedder

Four small vases - each stands about 13cm tall...



...and three cylindrical vases, the tallest of which is about 25cm tall. The left one is unmarked.