Born in Harpenden, England, in 1957, Robert Barron commenced potting full-time in the family pottery at Croydon, Victoria, in 1976. In 1979, he left Australia on a five-year journey to New Zealand, North America, England, Europe, and South Korea to work with wood-firing potters. During this time, he visited Michael Cardew at Wenford Bridge Pottery, Cornwall, UK. He was engaged as an apprentice at Cornwall Bridge Pottery, Connecticut, USA and frequented many workshops, art schools, galleries, and museums.

Returning to Australia in 1984, he established Gooseneck Pottery at Kardella, Victoria and with the assistance of a Crafts Board grant built a 1000 cubic ft five-chambered wood-fired kiln.

Influenced by the philosophies of Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew, and with a passion for the pots made by traditional crafts people throughout the world, he continues to develop ideas and techniques by exploring the intricacies of wood-firing.

vase





Floor Pot
700 x 540 mm
2005
Coiled and thrown stoneware (in one piece) and fired unglazed in the front fire box. Natural ash glaze flows formed over a four day firing.

Representation
Barron’s work is represented in a large number of public collections, including: the Arts Victoria 1978 Festival Collection; the Shepparton Art Gallery; the Victorian Ministry for the Arts; the Australian Crafts Centenary Collection; the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery; the Water Phillips Gallery Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada; and the Museo Internationale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Italy.


vessel formVessel Form
250 x 1150 x 290 mm
2005
Hand-built long fired (close to firebox) stoneware with natural ash glaze.
This vessel form is one of a series being made by Robert Barron. Each is hand built with slabs and placed unglazed in the kiln in the front fire box. Over a four-day firing the natural ash embers settle on and then melt and react with the clay and gasses in the kiln to form a variable and unpredictable glaze cover over the surfaces facing the fire box. Those surfaces sheltered from the direct flow of heat and ash remain unglazed.
During the long firing process some of the ribs of the vessel decking may break and fall, creating yet further unpredicted features.