The Joanna Bird Foundation felt it was imperative to make a film about Richard Batterham – the last of Bernard Leach’s practicing apprentices. Richard is a great example of how one man with due talent, diligence and discipline can achieve a remarkable and successful life time’s work making pots which truly enhance life.
Richard Batterham is an iconic figure though he himself is a modest man who has never sought fame or favour, but found his life making pots fascinating and utterly satisfying. He has built up a very successful business on his own selling his work all over the world.
Rejecting the notions of haste and commercialism that he feels are all too present in modern society he works with tide-like regularity preparing his own clay and glazes from the apple trees in his garden. Batterham cannot accept society’s pressure which dictates “items that you must have in your home to show everyone that you are in fashion”, fed to us in colour supplements and glossy magazines. His work is based around his philosophy and the resulting pieces are not only beautiful to behold and satisfying to use but imbued with deep integrity. Tanya Harrod has said of his work, “These pots are for us – ordinary people – not for museums.” This holds true, his notable fan club love and use his pots daily and Museums have also found his work irresistible, the V&A amongst many others have acquired his work
The film features Sir David Attenborough and Nigel Slater, both of whom endorse the quintessential philosophy behind Richard Batterham’s pottery, through which our daily lives are enriched.
The Joanna Bird Foundation
Producer and Interviewer: Joanna Bird
Director and Filmmaker: Alex J. Wright
What a lovely evocation of the quiet routine of the workshop and the meditative quality of the ‘mud and water’ life.
what a wonderful creative man…he has so much wisdom to pass on…I hope he keeps doing it…
Thank you Joanna for organising this! What a wonderful thing to have done
What skills to preserve and pass on. Incredible
You learned nothing if every piece comes out right 👍🏼
Wonderful film, thank you for bringing it together and showing how talent and drive to make can create such beauty.
What a lovely film, thank you to the creators and producers behind this. Also, love his philosophy of if you want to do something “just get on with it then” the English version and forefather of Nike’s “just do it.”
“Where will people learn?” Right here, we learn right here! Every move you make, you are teaching, I am learning! … thank you😊
Amazing. So inspirational and sobering. Just beautiful.
“You just make what you make.” My kind of guy….my new pottery motto…
This artist reminds me of my late father, a commercial fisherman for sixty years. My Dad was lost without his fishing boat, but his body wouldn’t take the physical punishment any longer. Batterham will continue to make his pottery until he cannot move any longer. The adherence to his work ethic and his process – even using a kick wheel- is admirable. I truly hope he will take on an assistant some time in the future in order to sustain his waning energy, but also to teach his process to a younger person. He is an inspiration to me, as an artist I admire him.
Amei tds suas peças amo coisas lindas uma verdadeira obra de Arte Brasil.
This was a gift to my soul to watch Richard so connected to his craft. So fulfilled and focused on his art.. Like a living meditation.
Heartbreaking that he has now gone. RIP Richard Batterham, Master Potter
Thank you for such a breathtaking insight into the life of this incredible potter, his soul and passion comes through in every pot and breath💐✨💐✨🙏🏻
This is one of the best potter films I’ve seen. Richard Batterham is among just a handful of potters working in this kick wheel slow full of feeling way of making pots. Our modern world is so fast and chaotic and his pots are a breath taken to ground ourselves and really feel something. His shapes are so true and full of life and his glazes are soft and inviting and gentle on the eyes. I’ve only seen his pots from afar, but I imagine holding them would be a lifetime of gratitude and pottery making education about form, function, surface and life itself. Very well done.
Beautiful film, thank you 🙏 rest in peace Richard ❤️
Vous êtes un Grand magicien, félicitations avec toute mon admiration
You know, I saw this film several times in the past few years. And every time it moves me. I am a bit of a potter myself since the early 70ies. Semi professional and passionately. Seventy two now and I know how time slips away. Comporting to know how such a giant as Richard kept on going on such a high level. Greetings to all potters from the Netherlands.
Greetings Gerard!….from the Catskills Upstate New York. Student of Susan Beecher woodfire potter here in the mountains! Wonderful film!
Very well said I sold all my equipment last summer after 30 years of having it I started in the early 70’s because of a divorce what the hell was I thinking? Biggest mistake of my life now looking again for equipment it’s going to cost a lot and will never have what I had .
I went to Richard’s pottery about 25 years ago and bought a teapot and a jug, what a gentleman he was, and what a great loss he will be. R.I,P. Richard Batterham, you will be missed.