Our broadcast today features the inimitable Mike Goldmark talking about some very special recent acquisitions, including paintings by Leonard Rosoman and Derrick Greaves, and also a round-up of our Phil Rogers exhibition with a little explanation of why and how we sell pots the way we do. We end the broadcast with a special screening of our 2014 documentary Phil Rogers Drawing in the Air.
Leonard Rosoman
Leonard Rosoman (1913-2012) was a British artist best known for his work during the Second World War and for his later murals. Upon completing part of his training at the Royal Academy schools in 1935-6, his big break as an artist came a year later with a commission to illustrate a children’s book by the scientist JBS Haldane.With the advent of the war, Rosoman joined the Auxiliary Fire Service, producing paintings based on his experiences as a fire-fighter during the Blitz. Further commissions followed from the War Office to document naval activities in the Far East. His returned to Britain with major teaching positions and commissions, including the ceiling of the chapel at Lambeth Palace. He was elected RA in 1969 and OBE in 1981.Derrick Greaves
Derrick Greaves is one of the most important British painters of the last half century, initially gaining acclaim in the 1950s when he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale along with the other ‘Kitchen-Sink’ painters with whom he was associated. Born in Sheffield in 1927, Greaves apprenticed for five years as a sign-writer, before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Art where he studied from 1948-52. During the ’60s his work moved away from the social realism of his previous pieces, taking on instead a more stylised approach. His work is prominently displayed in the world’s most prestigious public galleries, including the Tate Gallery, the Contemporary Arts Society, the Arts Council of Great Brittan and the New York Public Library.Phil Rogers
Phil Rogers was born in Newport, Gwent in 1951. He attended Newport and Swansea Colleges of Art and had originally intended to become a painter. While still at college in the early 1970s Rogers and a friend taught themselves to throw. Their only guidance came from Bernard Leach’s A Potter’s Book and their throwing practice came in the form of competitions to see who could produce the biggest pot.Rogers has written respected books on ash glazes, throwing techniques and salt glazing. He has run workshops and lectured all over the world, most notably in South Korea and the USA and his work is held in more than 50 museums worldwide. In 2011 Rogers won the prestigious Vasefinder International prize for the best vase in the world.
