Harold Randolph Hughan b. 11 July 1893

Also known as Harold Buzz Hughan
  • Artist (Ceramist)
Although Harold Hughan admired the genius of the Song and T’ang dynasty potters, his own practice as a studio potter was devoted to developing a distinctive Australian idiom.
Tags: Ceramics, Studio potter
You are viewing the version of bio from Oct. 14, 2021, 2:53 p.m. , as edited by 7write6 (needs approval).
Revert to this revision Go to current record
This record needs moderation

Harold Hughan, called “Buzz” by his close friends, was born in Mildura.
Hughan’s work was domestic in scale as he sought to create an Australian idiom, albeit influenced by the natural glazes and hand thrown aesthetic of Chinese and Japanese ceramics.
Harold had always been interested in crafts, especially woodwork and weaving. In 1940 his wife Lily and son Robert introduced him to pottery where the influence of Bernard Leach’s studio approach 'A Potter’s Book’ is evident. Harold was a self taught thrower, using 'The Potter’s Craft’ by C. F. Binns as a reference.

1941 – Designed and constructed a wheel from the crankshaft of a motorcar engine, the first Leach style potter’s wheel in Australia.
Built a kiln for a pottery studio based at his Glen Iris home.
Clays – stoneware, porcellaneous stoneware, earthenware.
Surface decoration – Glazes: celadon, tenmoku, oatmeal, gold metallic, slip decoration. Incised, brushwork.

1907 – c 1910 – Trained as a Mechanical Engineer, then an Electrical Engineer.
1915 – Enlisted in the AIF, served on the Western Front.

Harold was honoured with retrospective exhibitions in 1969 and 1983 at the National Gallery of Victoria. Both curated by Kenneth Hood.

Writers:
Date written:
2019
Last updated:
2021

Difference between this version and previous

Field This Version Previous Version
Date modified Oct. 14, 2021, 2:53 p.m. Oct. 14, 2021, 2:47 p.m.
Related collections
  • Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Vic. (collected in)
  • National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC (collected in)
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, UK (collected in)
  • National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT (collected in)
  • The Margaret Lawrence Australian Ceramics Collection at VCA (collected in)
  • Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Vic. (collected in)
  • National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC (collected in)
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, UK (collected in)
  • National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT (collected in)
  • The Margaret Lawrence Australian Ceramics Collection at VCA (collected in)