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Lawrence's
Potter's Mark
Email Lawrence
1015 Ellis Rd
RD3 Lumsden
Five Rivers
Northern Southland
New Zealand
Ph: +64 3 973 5997
lawrenceewing8@gmail.com

Who is Lawrence Ewing?

Lawrence commenced potting in 1973 at Rangiora - a small town in North Canterbury, New Zealand.

After two years learning the basics initially under the guidance of Michael Trumic, Lawrence decided to resign from his teach position to take up full-time work with clay. At that time there was a high level of public interest in studio ceramics in New Zealand. Potters were selling kiln loads of work before they had even been fired.

For the next 12 years Lawrence worked as a full-time potter developing a distinctive style of clean lined and richly glazed vessel based forms. Function was essential and designs were simple and direct. An interest in rope work from his youth lead to the development of a rope grommet fashioned from tarred Indian hemp. These were added essentially as decorative elements reflecting the full, rounded nature of the forms but, in the case of larger floor jars, rope grommets became fully functional as handles.

In 1986 Lawrence was appointed to a full-time lectureship in the ceramics section of the School of Art, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin New Zealand.

From very early in his career Lawrence was interested in the technical aspects of the craft and was motivated to study the chemistry of pottery glazes. At the School of Art this interest was encouraged and led to the development of software designed initially to assist with the teaching of glaze chemistry. This software is now very mature and is used widely throughout the world.

Throughout the period of full-time teaching at the School of Art the personal development of clay works took second place to the teaching of glaze chemistry and the on-going expansion of two software packages - MATRIX and GLAZETEACH. In addition the interest is computer internet technology led to the design and management of Otago Polytechnic's main website and another for their School of Art. More recently Lawrence has designed and manages the New Zealand Society of Potters website.

In 2003 Lawrence's teaching position shifted to a part-time basis. Otago Polytechnic School of Art established a distance course in ceramics (Diploma in Ceramic Arts) . One of the papers in this course is Glaze Technology. Lawrence is responsible for this paper which is delivered via a website designed and managed by him.

In 2006 Lawrence and his wife Judith moved to Five Rivers in Northern Southland New Zealand. He built a studio and established a kiln and now delivers the Glaze Technology Paper for the Diploma in Ceramic Arts from there via the internet.

In 2010 Lawrence was elected a Life Member of the New Zealand Society of Potters

Lawrence has also established a Glaze Technology course for students who are not resident in New Zealand.