James Greig (potter)
James 'Jim' Greig | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Greig 1936 Stratford, New Zealand |
| Died | 1986 Japan |
| Known for | Pottery |
James Greig (1936–1986) was a New Zealand potter.[1]
Early life and education
He was born in Stratford, New Zealand in 1936. He studied at Wellington Technical College and went on to Auckland University to study architecture. There he met fellow architecture student Rhondda Greig, who he married in 1962.[2][3]
Career
An encounter with the work of potter Len Castle encouraged him to take up pottery, and he attended Castle's evening classes for three years before moving to the Northland Region in 1961 to set up a pottery studio.[3][2] He developed a strong relationship with Len Castle and was influenced by his work.[3] Between 1964 and 1967, he became the resident potter in charge of the art and design centre at Massey University in Palmerston North. In 1968 he moved to Greytown in the Wairarapa and set up his own studio.[3]
In 1978, a QEII Arts Council grant allowed him to travel to Japan where he studied the techniques of Japanese potters and developed strong connections with the pottery community, becoming particularly influenced by potter Kawai Kanjirō. Greig also travelled to Korea, Thailand, Nepal, Mexico and the USA during this trip.[2]
In 1982, he was awarded a Japan Foundation Fellowship to spend a year living, working and studying in Japan. During this year, he was invited to exhibit in the highly regarded Tachibana Ten exhibition.[2] He also exhibited work at Akasaka Green Gallery in Tokyo in 1983 and 1985.[2][4]
He was made a Cultural Ambassador by the New Zealand Government in 1986. In 1986 he exhibited over 200 pieces of his work in the Tachikichi Department store in Kyoto. The day the exhibition, Greig had a heart attack and died in his hotel room.[2]
Collections
His works are held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The Dowse Art Museum, in the Japanese Imperial household and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.[2][5] He has exhibited with The Group and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts.[1]
Retrospective Exhibition
Curated by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and Dowse Art Museum, a definitive New Zealand retrospective exhibition will feature works from his private collection, which have never before been shown publicly, and is scheduled for Nov 2016. [1]
Further reading
- Kimitoshi Sato, Beyond East and West: Potter Jim Greig seen from the perspective of Japanese colleague Kimitoshi Sato, New Zealand Crafts 24, Winter 1988
- Michael Volkerling, Jim Greig, New Zealand Crafts 19, Summer 1986.
References
- ^ a b "Greig, James". Find NZ Artists. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Pearce, Roger. "Jim Greig - Potter Extraordinaire". NZ Potters. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d Blumhardt, Doreen; Brake, Brian (1981). Craft New Zealand: The art of the craftsman. Auckland: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 286. ISBN 0 589 01343 2.
- ^ Volkerling, Michael (Summer 1986). "Jim Greig" (PDF). New Zealand Crafts (19).
- ^ "Object: Land form bowl". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 2 December 2015.