Tuesday, December 10, 2013

David Stewart

David Stewart (1930- ) is known by many for his mass-produced Lion's Valley pottery with which he supported his family...mostly whimsical animals, with the occasional flower and Madonna or angel thrown in for good measure...but he was a much more serious ceramist than that.

Stewart grew up in Deaf Smith County, Texas, and made his way to California, where he studied industrial design at San Diego State University, graduating in 1958. He didn't start making pottery till 1959, after he met his mentor Marguerite Wildenhain, who had served at assistant to the famed sculptor Gerhard Marcks at the Bauhaus. He studied with her for two years, and then he worked as her assistant at the Pond Farm workshops every summer for many years.

In the early 1980s he became a full-time master potter and opened a boutique and gallery at Bazaar del Mundo in Old Town, San Diego. He stopped making pottery a few years ago and now paints. His pottery and paintings have been exhibited internationally and are held in the Luther College Fine Arts Collection. He also acts as a consultant to the ceramics industry.

From dgstewartgalleries.homestead.com, latimes.com and clay-potter.blogspot.com


Vase
objectsusa.com

Vase
liveauctioneers.com

Bowl
objectsusa.com

Plate
clay-potter.blogspot.com

Vase
croninmurphy.com

Plate
objectsusa.com

Lion's Valley owl planter
ebay.com - scepterscout

Lion's Valley lion
etsy.com - ThePapers

One Day at Gail's
dgstewartgalleries.homestead.com

3 comments:

  1. Lovely pieces Dana, especially the first few : )

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    Replies
    1. I agree. His serious pieces deserve more attention. The Lion's Valley pieces are cute, but his thrown pots are truly beautiful. That's the work he should be remembered for.

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  2. Question, how are they identified? Makers mark or sticker?

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