Matthew joined the Leach Pottery in October 2015 as an apprentice. Championing the traditional craft of pottery, the Leach Pottery Apprenticeship scheme seeks to train individuals in the method of production pottery. Matthew received QEST Stanley Picker Trust funding to complete the third year of his apprenticeship and he has subsequently gone on to become Production Manager at the Leach Pottery, as well as working as an independent potter.
Matthew’s interests include form, surface and gesture of making, with a focus on a pot’s suitability to its function. He regularly draws inspiration from the Mingei Philosophy and potters such as Shoji Hamada, Bill Marshall, Warren Mackenzie, John Reeve and the Studio team at the Leach Pottery. Matthew’s current work is greatly influenced by historical references: peasant stoneware of the Korean Yi dynasty, Gongxian pottery, Tang dynasty Chinese pottery and porcelain pots from the Chinese Sung period.
