Mark Cleverley: Master of Craft - Objectspace Gallery

The Exhibition is on from 23rd August to 11th October 2014

http://www.objectspace.org.nz/Exhibitions/Upcoming

The exhibition Mark Cleverley: Objectspace Master of Craft opens on Saturday 23rd with Mark giving a slide show at 5.30pm.

https://www.facebook.com/events/343043385865221/

As I have items in the show I went to the opening at Objectspace this evening.

I had a great evening. I took along my friend Jennifer O'Connor who had spent some of her teen years as a Cleverley neighbour in Northcote. Jennifer had a catchup with Mark's son Guy and wife Barbara.

I said my hellos to Ev, Val and George.

I got my book signed and had a chat with Mark. It was his evening so I didn't want to occupy too much of his time but I did get answers to my planned questions:

1 Although I was sceptical, bearing in mind his other designs, I thought I had read that the chunky coffee set was Cleverley's work. It is not. Dave Jenkin.

2 Apart from his own tall coffee set mugs Mark Cleverley was not really aware of the hundred or so other castware mugs. They are anyone's and everyone's.

3 After Cleverley had designed the tall coffee set the drawings were handed to the modeller Tam (is it Mitchell?) for the next stage of product development.

Surprise surprise Purple Myrtle is Cleverley. I wish I'd been a bit more careful with my "Happenings" set.

I'd planned to drive home afterwards but, as there is an antiques fair on tomorrow and the slideshow is not on until 5.30 Saturday, my departure for Whangarei has been delayed.

I asked the director, Phillip, if Michael Smythe was present, and when he was pointed out I realised I'd been chatting with him already during the speeches. I thanked him for the Expo 70 photos we have on site and commended him on his book "New Zealand by Design" which I have recently purchased (so I don't gave to borrow it anymore). He said bring it along tomorrow to the slideshow and he'd sign it for me but unfortunately it is in Whangarei.

It is a great exhibition with a wonderful collection of Crown Lynn, along with other Cleverley designs. Highly recommended.

Sorry, I was so busy having a good time I didn't even think to take pictures.
I'll look into that tomorrow.

Your coffee set looked majestic Jeremy, especially with 2 coffee pots. I was very impressed with the Bellamy's wares. The teapots looked like the Forma shape, yet everything else was the coupe shape. I LoVeD the little Maori dish that was made as a giveaway for Foodtown customers, as I hadn't seen that before. I did take photos but haven't looked at them yet, though the light wasn't the best. The extensive book on Mark's career is brilliant and I'm looking forward to reading about this clever, very talented,humble man.

I went back Saturday for the slideshow and had a chat with Mark.
(Alan Topham came along too. Hope I got that name right.)

Mark Cleverley taking questions

He signed my number two coffee pot for me as number one was under perspex.
It's a good clear signature, just didn't photo well

Battery low, light low, I zapped off a few photos of Crown Lynn.
My photos don't do the show justice.
There wasn't good light for a coffee set photo.
Hopefully Ev has one.

Not many photos turned out too well, but here are a few and the rest will be for personal reference.

Bellamy's wares .... check out those fabulous teapots!  The mugs have part of the pattern on them, though it's hard to see in this pic.


Some experimental patterns, Purple Myrtle, Sundowner, Apollo and a collection of Ellerslie vitrified ware ..


Ponui and Palm Springs -

At least you got some close ups Ev.

The iPad is not good in the low light and it was seriously out of power so I moved as quickly as I could.

I was planning to do a follow up on the Purple Myrtle story elsewhere but I will continue here and maybe put an illustrated topic later.

Mark said the purple was a mix of blue and pink inks, and the cups were also made in the blue and pink colours. The slide show included a photo of a blue one. Mark could not offer a name for it. He would have designed the "Happenings" packaging too as he knew it well.

I think this shows how removed the position of Design Development was from much of the final output of the pottery, which greatly exceeded the brief of Mark's job. So many people outside the design department were making decisions.

Mark did not recognise the names "Captain Sharples" or "Arthur and Martha", and did not recall the image for Sharples but when I showed him Arthur and Martha he said "I did that". I'm guessing he did design Sharples too but it is long forgotten. He thought they must have had a short run and said I was lucky to have them.

My hints elsewhere of a Beatles influence are not exactly spot on but close. Mark said Purple Myrtle was influenced by the psychedelia/free love/hippy movement summed up in the words "Haight-Ashbury", the intersection of two streets in San Francisco that is synonymous with that informal movement of the mid to late 1960s.

Those pieces are so of their time.

I did not bother asking Mark about the various Candystripes, the only other pattern found so far in the 3023 shape.

More as it occurs to me.

A review of the book 'Mark Cleverley Designer' by Zoe Nash from Design Assembly

http://www.designassembly.org.nz/articles/celebrating-cleverley-design