Design and Art Australia Online

Arthur Hustwit was born at Keighley, Yorkshire in 1900. Although he had artistic leanings when he was young he studied electrical engineering at his parents insistence. He migrated to Australia when in his early twenties and came to work with the South East Queensland Electricity Board. During this time in the mid 1930’s he took an art course by correspondence from Melbourne, exhibited with the Royal Queensland Art Society and became a pottery student of Daisy Nosworthy who was herself a student of L. J. Harvey (One of Hustwit’s students, Doris Williams, purchased a typical Harvey School exercise 'Figure of eight’ sandwich dish from him which was probably executed under Mrs Nosworthy’s instruction). Following his teacher’s example he built a wood-fired kiln, then an oil-fired kiln and eventually a gas-fired kiln but they were not suitable for his purposes. He finally built an electric-kiln which was so successful it was in use at his death.

He started up a commercial pottery, the Caarnarvon Pottery, from his home at the corner of Carl and O’Keefe Streets, Buranda to supply the shortages imposed by the war years. It was a successful venture but the bankruptcy of their agent forced the pottery’s closure after a productive three years. It was a sensible and practical step to make use of the moulds and equipment to start pottery classes from early 1947. The first of the annual displays by students of the Caarnarvon Ceramic College was held at Finney’s Art Gallery, Brisbane, from 18 July, 1949. Other exhibitions were held in the basement of the Brisbane City Hall, Ging George Square.

After Harvey’s death Hustwit became the principal private pottery teacher in Brisbane and, it seems, he taught using Harvey’s methods including his 'brick-building’ technique (Moon, 2002). The first item that a student made was a butter-dish and knife and then moved on to moulding progressively more complex pieces. His classes proved very popular so that by 1952 Hustwit was giving three classes a day five days a week. Some of his most proficient students produced hand built pieces as elaborately pierced as anything in the Harvey School press. Slip moulding were favoured by most of his students. It is the first manifestation in Brisbane of the 'hobby ceramics’ that was to become widely popular in the 1980s. Most items are small in scale as Hustwit frequently made moulds from other examples of commercial pottery from Britain, have clear bright glazed that were made up by Hustwit and frequently employ gilt decorative details. Hustwit was particularly proud of a bright geranium-red of his own devising which incorporated uranium salts. The list of works exhibited by Hustwith’s students in 1949 give an idea of the range and variety of their works.

Although Hustwit was not as significant or pervasive figure as L. J. Harvey he continued Harvey’s forte of hand building and colourful glazes until the interest in wheel-throwing and stoneware firing put an end to this earthenware phase of Queensland’s ceramic history.

Some of his recorded students include Doris Williams, Jean Bonney, Edna Connell, Beryl Burbage, Jean Birchley, Mary Brandis, Jean Morgan, Mrs Jodrell and Mrs Gunthorpe.

Writers:

Cooke, Glenn R.

Date written:

1987

Last updated:

2011