Several
years ago I received a phone call from Bill Klock telling me a small pot was on
its way via a US gallery all the way from England. While vacationing in the UK,
Bill had spent time with his old friend Clive Bowen and made this little jug
using Clive's Devonshire clay and glazes and then it was fired and sent on to
Mindy and I. I thought it rather special that while trekking about St. Ives and
devonshire that Bill took the time to make us a pot knowing how fond we are for
his pitchers and jugs. In retrospect, I now believe this may have been the last
pot that Bill made and it shows the same vitality, spirit and warmth of the
pots that I first encountered back in 1989. It is just a simple little jug with
a utilitarian spout and handle but it has more to say than, "just use me,
pour away". It is the small details and marks left in the clay that speak
to me about how Bill handled clay and how he thought about pottery, without any
superfluous verbage, decoration or details, this pot tells me it is a Klock Hollow
jug.
I should mention there is a short bio for Bill in the book; THE
LEACH LEGACY; St. Ives Pottery and its Inspiration, page 134 & 135.
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