Laurence McGowan - thrower and painter of pots

Biography

Laurence first became interested in pottery at secondary school, when a fascination for archaeology led him to explore the Romano-British kiln sites in the area where he lived. In addition, the art teacher at school throwing and turning pottery seemed ‘magical’ and he ‘was hooked’. In spite of this, Laurence first worked as a land surveyor and only had the chance to take up pottery as a career in his early 30s. At this stage in his life he trained at Alvingham Pottery, Lincolnshire and later at Aldermaston Pottery, Berkshire, with Alan Caiger-Smith, OBE, an internationally respected potter. Since leaving Aldermaston in 1979, Laurence has worked as a self-employed potter and now lives in the village of Collingbourne Kingston, in Wiltshire. He has been particularly inspired by potters from the Islamic world. He is influenced too by the ideals of William Morris and by the work of Alan Caiger-Smith, his teacher. The jug seen in the programme is typical of the small range of domestic items that Laurence makes all the time. However, the bulk of his work lies in one-offs and commissioned work.