Mark Hewitt on the value of the apprenticeship system

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Mark Hewitt. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, to a family who worked for Spode China, Hewitt has been around ceramics his entire life. During college an encounter with Bernard Leach's "A Potter's Book" set him in the direction of studio pottery and towards the apprenticeship system of education. A major proponent of the system Hewitt spent years training with both Michael Cardew and Todd Piker. Upon finishing his training he moved to Pittsboro, NC where he has maintained a studio since 1983. In the interview we talk about his time with Michael Cardew, the value of an apprenticeship, and developing the confidence needed to run a major workshop. For more information on Mark's work please visit www.hewittpottery.com

I vividly remember the first time I saw a Mark Hewitt piece. It was 2001 and I was on a school trip to Charlotte, NC for the NCECA conference. One of his five foot tall grave markers was on display in a local gallery. I kept walking around it in circles trying to figure out if it was a pot, a sculpture, or both. These monumental closed forms are a testament to the athletic style of throwing that Mark has mastered.

To fire pots of this size Mark uses a Thai-style Anagama wood kiln. Fired only three times a year the success of this kiln has the possibility to make, or break a business. Click here to watch a Ceramics In America video of Mark loading the kiln and talking about its characteristics.