David Fry Ceramics

This site is about the ceramics, printmaking, photography and painting  by David Fry .

David Lawrence Fry has been practising in studio ceramics for over 35 years, and is one of the UK’s leading studio potters, based in  North East England  in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. His work is collected  around the World. His method of working and the nature of the kiln firing and the kiln design makes every piece  produced a unique  work. His work is inspired by the glazes and ideas of the early ceramics from Japan, China and Korea. He has spent many years studying and working out recipes for the ancient glazes to which he added his own intuition to increase their depth and beauty, achieving layers of colour within colour; He has developed a unique range of Reduction fired  Flambe’, Chun, Jun, Wood Ash, Copper Red,  Lang-Yao, Shino and Iron glazes, produced in high fired Stoneware and Porcelain.  For further technical information on the glazes see the Oriental Mystery and Glazes page.

14″ sq. pressed platter, with a gold shino and copper red glaze.

8″ dia. jar , copper red glaze overlaid with blue chun and iron.

The clay he uses is a blend of  natural English clays, and his glazes are mixed from raw materials, some locally sourced like the wood ash. The work is produced by hand throwing, moulding and building; the larger pieces being made in sections and joined whilst wet.The work is ‘Reduction’ fired in a 40 cu. ft. Natural Gas kiln to a temperature of approx. 1350 degrees centigrade (cone14). The firing takes about 24 hours to reach top temperature, then is allowed to cooled slowly for a further 48 hours before opening the kiln.

His studio  is situated in an old courtyard which is now part of Newcastle Arts Centre, which interestingly is built directly on top of a Roman Milecastle, part of Hadrian’s Wall, which David Fry himself discovered and proved the line of the Wall though Newcastle. The discovery was made during the restoration of a group of buildings which became the Arts Centre . See the ‘Archaeology’ page and the ‘Tiles’ page for more information.

The site covers many other art related topics besides the work of David Fry, so enjoy.