Tony Laverick: Maker in Focus

Tony Laverick works in hand thrown and slabbed porcelain which is decorated using precious metal lustres with multiple refirings. His ceramics are based on traditional forms. They have no specific meaning, but draw on many sources and cultures creating a juxtaposition of images. Tony is influenced by French potters, personal experiences and 20th century artists such as; Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian.

Technique is a high priority and the skill has to be evident in each piece. From the rim, neck, shoulder, belly to the foot of the pot, there should be harmony and balance. There is a playfulness in his work with shapes jumping out and receding; seemingly flat shapes become dimensional. Above all, he strives to achieve pure beauty in each finished piece and uses a specially developed body that has allowed Tony to make thicker pieces which are mostly hand-built. It is this process and the materials used that make the intriguing surfaces which look rough but are smooth and tactile.

Tony Laverick was trained in Studio Ceramics at Preston Polytechnic from 1981-84. He gained a Distinction from the Society of Designer Craftsmen. He then worked in the ceramic industry in Stoke-on-Trent, including Coalport China as a designer from 1986-88. In 1988 he set up his own studio near Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands. He has worked there as a full-time professional ceramic artist since then. In 2014, Tony was made a Fellow Member of the Craft Potter’s Association. In 2015, he was selected to be a member of Contemporary Applied Arts.