Born in 1943 in Cardiff (where he trained as a painter), Clive Bowen’s fresh and vigorous handling of slipware, both in the ease of throwing and the energy with which he decorates, has given it new life in the last forty years. Avoiding pastiche earthenware, sadly returning in some quarters, Bowen has helped to give it new expression through his liberal trailing and pouring of slip on bold forms (Jugs, big platters, lidded jars, bowls of various size and other tablewares). His succinctly drawn motifs and abstract marking have some of the spirit of Cardew’s work and also Bowen’s own teacher, Michael Leach, but Bowen’s technical fluency also comes from experience working in a Devon production pottery. Since 1971 he has lived and worked in Shebbear, Devon.
David Whiting