Brought to Light Australian Art 1850-1965

linked calligraphic slip trailing with another European tradition, salt-glazing, to create a uniquely hybrid style. McConnell was born in Chicago and came to Brisbane during his service with the United States Navy. Under the terms of the USATraining Scheme for war veterans, he studied at the Central Technical College with David Boyd's uncle, Hatton Beck. By contrast, David Boyd had no formal training but simply absorbed the working environment of his father, Australia's most significant studio potter of the time, Merric Boyd. David met his future wife, Hermia Lloyd-Jones (who came from a similar artistic background in Sydney), when she began working at the Martin Boyd Pottery, a commercial pottery in Victoria which David and his brother Guy established in late 1946. David and Hermia Boyd set up a series of small potteries together over the next few years and a partnership that lasted nearly fifteen years — Hermia decorated the pieces that David threw. In 1950 they went on a trip to Europe, funded by Hermia's sister Clytie, where their exhibition at Barling's (in Mount Street, Mayfair) was the first of several which established their reputation in Europe. The designs were conceived by both partners — David's accomplished throwing provided elegant forms (in strong contrast to the ungainly output of most British potters) but the ceramics owe most of their effect to Hermia's decorative line. Her motifs had a strong medieval quality, which later brought a sense of European sophistication and refinement to the Australian pottery scene. This is exemplified by their scraffito Bowl (QAG) made in London in 1955 and included in their first exhibition at Brisbane's Johnstone Gallery, in 1956, after their return from Europe. The purchase of this work by the Queensland Art Gallery in 1956 reflected the wish of Director Robert Haines to include contemporary craft in the Gallery's Collection.5 When the Boyds returned to Australia in 1955, they were readily accepted by the commercial gallery system because of their links to the other artistic members of the Boyd dynasty. The years 1956-61, when they established themselves at the family home at Murrumbeena outside Left David Boyd (potter) Hermia Boyd (decorator) Bowl 1955 Soft-paste porcelain body thrown, the interior with black underglaze and clear borax glaze 11.5x27cm Purchased 1956 Queensland Art Gallery Facing page, left David Boyd (potter) Australia b.1924 Hermia Boyd (decorator) Australia b.1931 Candelabrum c.1957-58 Earthenware, wheel thrown and hand built with manganese glaze 76x37cm Purchased 1994 with funds from Grace Davies and Nell Davies through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Facing page, right The Boyd Candelabrum dressed for a party at the Johnstones', c.1960. Photograph courtesy James Hardie Library, Brisbane Melbourne, and where they shared the pottery with David's brother Arthur, were extraordinarily prolific. Their 1956 exhibition at the Johnstone Gallery, for example, included 288 pieces from the pottery. In 1959, at their third exhibition there, Brisbane critic Dr Gertmde Langer remarked especially on the functionality of the pieces: The Boyds take pride in the fact that their vessels are well built and functional. David pointed out to me that spouts will pour well and will not drip, that lids will not come off in the act of pouring. He drew my attention to the balanced thickness of the vessels and how they suggested their real weight by their appearance .6 Sculptural pieces also featured prominently in the Boyds' exhibitions. One of the Queensland Art Gallery's most significant recent acquisitions of their work has been Candelabrum c.1957-58, which was formerly in the possession of Brian and Marjorie Johnstone and was purchased from the auction of their estate in 1994. It holds a special context in Brisbane's art scene from those years — decked out with flowers, it featured in the Johnstones' many dinner parties. At Christmas, it was embellished with glittering decorations and small gifts for their guests. The pottery of McConnell and the Boyds during these years records the transition from a purely European influence to that of a blend of European and Asian traditions. The acceptance in Brisbane of both styles reflects changing patterns of appreciation by the public and increasing career opportunities for the potters. Glenn R. Cooke is Curator, Decorative Arts at the Queensland Art Gallery. 268 BROUGHT TO LIGHT: Australian Art 1850-1965