Ceramics by Alan Spencer Green, Potter, 1932 – 2003
From time to time, the Fry is lucky enough to be given works by North West Essex artists to add to its collection. The latest offering is a wonderful collection of vases, dishes and lidded pots made by Alan Spencer Green, which greatly enhance our holding of this remarkable self-taught potter’s work.
Alan was born in Dagenham, Essex in 1932. His father was a painter and decorator with Dagenham Council and his mother a housewife. After National Service in the RAF, he worked as an engineer. After marriage in 1955, he enrolled on the art course at South West Essex Technical College and School of Art but dropped out in his second year, deciding that the course was not worth the associated financial hardship. He then retrained as an electrician. Having originally wanted to paint, he became interested in ceramics, purchased a kiln and wheel and started making pots, teaching himself from technical manuals.
In 1963, Alan and his wife Joan moved to The Old Corn Mill, Wimbish, near Saffron Walden, where Alan set up his first proper studio in the mill worker’s cottage in the garden. Alan worked in fine stoneware and porcelain and was particularly interested in glazes, drawing inspiration from the collections in the V&A and the Fitzwilliam Museum, as well as the work of Lucie Rie.
He sold his work through Heals and Liberty in London and other, small shops and galleries in Southern England, including Primavera in Sloane Street, and Heffers in Cambridge. In 1965, after a succesful show at the Musee Cantini in Marseille, he was invited to participate in exhibitions in other parts of Europe.
Following a serious car accident in 1974 – in which he lost his memory – Alan did not produce much work until 1983, when he took part in exhibition at Kettles Yard, Cambridge. After that, he produced a limited number of pots which he mainly sold to local private collectors and through local galleries and exhibitions.
We are looking forward to adding these new pots to our collection and including them in future exhibitions in the gallery.