Michael Casson (1925-2003) was as much an enabler as he was a potter, tirelessly active on committees, an educator and writer and a pragmatic and articulate ambassador for his craft. Having trained at Hornsey, he set up his first workshop in London’s Bloomsbury before moving to Prestwood in Buckinghamshire and latterly to Upton Bishop in Herefordshire.
His work followed no one philosophy or school, though he was perhaps primarily indebted to the pottery of the ancient Mediterranean civilisations. Casson was essentially an eclectic, who absorbed his diverse influences into a very modern language of his own. His later pots, particularly his big jugs, jars and bowls in salt glaze were both his simplest and most successful pieces, objects that were bold and full of personality.
David Whiting |
