Pollex John

John Pollex has carved out a unique niche in the world of studio pottery. During the 70s and early 80s he established himself as a respected maker of traditional Slipware, before his work took a dramatic turn.

In 1984 Pollex decided to change direction. Referring to the work of painters such as Sir Howard Hodgkin, Robert Natkin, Patrick Heron and Ben Nicholson, Pollex used his knowledge and understanding of the application of slips (liquid clay) to develop a completely different style of working. He dispensed with slip trailers in favour of paintbrushes and sponges and more recently plastic spatulas, intensely coloured earthenware slips are applied in a free and painterly abstract manner.

John studied at Sir John Cass in Whitechapel from 1966-68 and was Technician at Harrow College of Art from 1968-70. After his time at Harrow he became assistant to Bryan Newman and Colin Pearson until 1971 when he moved to Plymouth to set up his own studio. He has exhibited widely throughout the UK, Spain, New Zealand and the USA.