Fred Gatley – Page 3 – Bridget Macklin

In the words of Tom Learer, plagiarise, plagiarise, let no-one else’s work . . . . One of the great things about the world of ceramics, quite apart from the love of the material and the extraordinary things that can be done with it, is that people in this field are incredibly nice people! I have not met anyone who has not been happy to talk about their work, share ideas and recipes for glazes, give advice and so on. The tutors at City Lit have been extraordinarily generous in the information which they freely give to students who are interested, letting us in on age old secrets about particular ideas and contentedly allowing us to use their special techniques. Annie Turner, in particular, has given people an amazing amount of help and advice over the duration of the course. Thank you, Annie!

Annie Turner - recollection — Annie Turner – recollection

Last week I met Fred Gatley and he also spent a considerable time telling me about techniques that I could try and the ways in which he achieves his remarkable finishes. The trouble is, where does making use of another artist’s ideas and recipes become plagiarism? I would absolutely loath myself if I caused any offence to these lovely people but, having spent time in their company and being a very suggestible person, I find myself thinking more about their work than my own sometimes and this becomes a bit of a problem. To what extent is it ok to take a glaze given to me by Annie and use it on a piece to be displayed using a method which was explained to me by Fred? I love their work – that is why I have spent time with them and why they have been so generous with both time and information but because of that, there are days when I find it hard to think of my work as my own! Sometimes I feel that I am just making a poor imitation of something that they would have done when they were setting out. It is a fine line and one which I have no wish to cross! In other news, I have clearly caused a bit of entertainment with my post last week which contained a photograph of what looked a bit like a used condom hanging out to dry. So this week I thought that I had better put the record straight. The current status of said condom is that it has become a mould for a delicate and treasured tear – developments, which will hopefully look nothing like the work of either Annie nor Fred, will be shared in due course . . . . . .

Emotional leakage: That is why I am an artist I suppose. It allows me to grasp all the powerful emotions, which would otherwise leave me exhausted and wrung out, and turn them into something which carries different messages to different people but for me is somehow exciting and reinvigorating, sometimes at the most unlikely of times.

fb_image%20home_470[1] — Fred Gatley from the exhibition Artists in Search of a Landscape at the APT Gallery in Deptford in 2014

I love studying at City Lit. So much so that if anything goes wrong with it I feel doubly betrayed. Once because it hasn’t lived up to my expectations and once because I feel personally bereft. This week there was a minor glitch in the proceedings and, coupled with a whole raft of other stuff which was going on, I hit the buffers! In actual fact it was a wonderful week. A tiny comment from one of my tutors sparked an exciting trail of thought which, along with everything else that happened, had sown the seed for some exciting developments in my work, although it was much later that night when I realised it. I met the amazing Fred Gatley who generously gave me a couple of hours sitting on the floor of his office, looking at his work, discussing his ceramic journey, comparing notes and making me feel like an equal – Oh I wish! He didn’t see me leave, which is just as well because people in their fifties should not be observed skipping along the street!

The day then got progressively worse! One thing after another tipped me further and further towards the downward surge. There is only so much of a roller coaster that my mind can accommodate and so, eventually, when my phone rang to inform me of the next crisis, I began to leak: Quietly, inexplicably, all over the show! And so it was, that at 2:00 the following morning all these things came together and I discovered a little idea growing unstoppably inside me. In fact it was a passing comment from Fred which nudged the seed Robert Cooper had sown earlier into germination. Later that morning I scuttled to the studio and started making tears – they have a way to go but these are intended to be treasured things of true beauty – watch this space: – – – -So this blog in is honour of all the ups and downs we endure and in praise of tears.

Tears: some take a while to come but all should be treasured.

Tag Archives: Fred Gatley

Let No-one else’s work Evade Your Eyes!

Emotional leakage . . .