Paul Roche :: Genius Potter

How do you make clay do this?

I met Paul in 2004 and over the years have taken great delight in photographing his work. Not least of course because he'll usually give me a piece of work in exchange for the snaps, and when we saw Paul for tea recently I was proud to receive a 'Trophy for Underachievers' from his recent show at Picton Castle.

The first time I photo'd with him was for an exhibition he and fellow arts tutors at the West Wales School of the Arts, Carmarthenshire were holding at St Clears, Pembrokeshire. Paul's pieces were a series of movie projectors and wall plaques. Ceramic projectors projecting ceramic movies - how beautifully off the wall is this?

This is Paul, adjusting the focus on one of the machines.






Later that year he was holding a joint exhibition with Ingrid Murphy: Stilled life. His pieces were a series of portraits in clay. This is 'Sloaney Ranger'.




And this is Claire, seen against one of Ingrid's pieces from the exhibition and the image used for the invitation.



The next two exhibitions that I photographed for him were at the Queen's Hall Gallery in Narbeth in 2007 - a joint exhibition with Mick Morgan, and then a one man show at Aberystwyth early in 2009. The Queen's work was a mixture of domestic objects: irons, food mixers & taps along with a series of cakes. Wedding cakes. It was more or less a sell out show. Here's a selection of domestic objects made less ordinary, celebrated by an extraordinary mind.

The Aberystwyth show was all about the 'glory of the ride' as Zen Dog would have seen it.. about ascending, for example, a rickety set of stairs or a fantasy ladder thro a fantasy tree. The prizes at the end of this journey are of course, only implied. Here's some of the trees and stairs.





There were other exhibitions that I didn't photograph but this brief foray thro' Paul's work over the last few years gives some idea of it's range. Wonderful. Witty. Thoughtful. Wise. Whenever I see Paul I'm delighted by his enthusiasm and exuberance and always surprised at what his next project is. Stoves, fishtanks, go faster stripes .. anything that no-one but Paul would consider making in clay. I've watched Paul work a few times now and can vouch for a chaotic fluidity and an instinctive passion. It's almost as if his hands are connecting directly with the clay and bypassing any need for the brain to get involved with those hum drum motor functions. As the clay seems to grow organically between his fingers Paul takes delight in the developing form, and as it finishes, seems almost as surprised as I am. Ingrid Murphy, now Programme Leader at the BA Ceramics Course at UWIC, talking to me about Paul's working technique said something along the lines of 'Clay's not supposed to be able to be made to do things like that'. Check this last picture below. A self portrait in clay.





That's Paul the maker on the left. Paul as made by Paul on the right. Just in case there's any confusion. But seriously now. How does he make clay do this?