Guy Wolff: Master Potter in the Garden

161 Pages·2013·4.35 MB·English

by  Suzanne Staubach

Guy Wolff
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University Press of New England  Hanover and London
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Master Potter
Garden
in the
Suzanne Staubach
Photographs by Joseph Szalay
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University Press of New England
www.upne.com
© 2013 Suzanne Staubach
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Designed by Mindy Basinger Hill
For permission to reproduce any of the
material in this book, contact Permissions,
University Press of New England, One
Court Street, Suite 250, Lebanon NH 03766;
or visit www.upne.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Staubach, Suzanne.
Guy Wolff: master potter in the garden /
Suzanne Staubach ; photographs by Joseph Szalay.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61168-366-0 (pbk.: alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-1-61168-403-2 (ebook)
1. Pottery craft. 2. Flowerpots. 3. Wolff, Guy. I. Title.
TT920.S726 2013
738.1'2—dc23 2012049243
5 4 3 2 1
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THIS Book IS for
all my frIeNdS wITH
THeIr HaNdS IN mud,
Be THey poTTerS,
gardeNerS or BoTH
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CoNTeNTS
foreword by Val Cushing ix
foreword by Tovah Martin xi
Introduction 1
CHapTer oNe Guy Wolff: Master Potter 5
CHapTer Two Flowerpots Through the Millennia 19
CHapTer THree Early Years and Influences 29
CHapTer four Seeking the Old Masters 47
CHapTer fIve Setting Up Shop: Guy Wolff Pottery 57
CHapTer SIx A Passion for Horticultural Wares 75
CHapTer SeveN The Guy Wolff Guilds 95
CHapTer eIgHT Mud Man, Poet of Flowerpots 117
Acknowledgments 137
Notes 139
Bibliography 141
Index 143
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foreword
Suzanne Staubach has written Guy Wolff: Master Potter in the Garden, a book
about a man who chose to be a potter. He seemed to know, even as a young
child, that this would be the path he would take in life.
Guy loves pottery with a passion, with dedication, and with an intense fo-
cus as he leads the life of a full-time studio potter. As such, he has had much
recognition and enjoyed continued success in making, selling, and living with
his pottery.
His work “reclaims the notion that thrilling and beautiful form can still
emerge out of the realm of the practical” (Paul Goldberger). Aesthetically and
philosophically, he has developed his work around the idea of bringing together
the old and the new. Although tradition is a vital part of his expression, his
pottery is also about his personal interpretation of making useful pottery fit
into one’s daily life. He has spent his life working very hard at something that
continues to fascinate him. We can all benefit from such dedication.
As Philip Rawson has said: “The pot fills the gap between art and life.”
Congratulations to Suzy Staubach for bringing Guy Wolff, a rare and special
talent, to all who read her book.
Val Cushing  profeSSor emerITuS
SCHool of arT & deSIgN, NyS College of CeramICS,
alfred uNIverSITy
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