My Experiences at Tariki
When I look back at my first experiences
with clay, I only think of one person, and that’s Jack O’Leary.
During my years at Kimball Union Academy I would spend the
afternoons down at Tariki Stoneware. I helped load kilns
and trim mugs and mix glazes. There was a synergy in that
studio that after awhile I felt a part of.
Jack was an interesting person, to say the
least. He had such an amazing knowledge of the materials,
and an incredible feel for clay. He was serious about the
quality of work that came out of his shop, but he also
was funny and a prankster in the studio. His work was his
mistress. He loved making the work, from the throwing to
the trimming, from the beautiful brushwork to the firing
of the kilns. His life was clay through and through. He
didn’t labor over his pieces. There
was a subtle simplicity to his work. His work was made quickly
and with a spontaneity and freshness, never forced. He taught
me how important it was to throw and trim your pieces at
the optimum stage, not too wet and not too dry. Jack was
the first potter I ever met. He knew deep down what he was
doing was one of the most rewarding things you could do with
your life. Jack was doing what he loved.
Although I was taking ceramic classes at KUA, I developed
my love for clay down at Tariki. I came back to work at Tariki
during my college years. That was when we really had some
fun, late nights doing raku firings and drinking Carling
Red Cap. I was there when Eric decided to take the studio
from pots to home furnishings and garden accessories. Jack
is, in my mind, a National Living Treasure.
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