Pottery by Reginald Fairfax Wells c.1919-51 (Vase 8")
"Reginald Wells (1877 - 1951) can lay claim to be the first 'Studio Potter' in that his interests lay exactly in those areas which were to preoccupy studio potters in later decades - English slipware and Chinese stonewares". Oliver Watson
Reginald Fairfax Wells was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the son of James Wells, an explorer and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He studied pottery at Camberwell School of Art after originally training as a sculptor in the Royal College of Art.
He married in 1899 and between 1899 and 1933 he exhibited at the Royal College and had selling exhibitions, where he exhibited both bronze figure sculpture and pottery, at prominent London venues such as the Fine Art Society in New Bond Street, The Beaux Arts Gallery in Bruton Place and The Artificers Guild in Maddox Street.
His first pottery was at Coldrum Farm in Wrotham, Kent where he produced slipware and lead-glazed ware influenced by traditional English techniques. Following this in 1910 he set up a pottery in Chelsea, producing an evenly glazed earthenware of varied colour and shape which he called 'Coldrum ware'.
After the interruption of the First World War and the collapse of his aircraft business, he set up another pottery in King's Road, Chelsea, where he began to experiment with high temperature stoneware imitations of Chinese 'Sung' dynasty pots that were all marked "SOON".
Between 1925-1951 he built houses and worked at his pottery in Storington Sussex. A man of wide ranging interests and skills he was also an architect, housebuilder and designer of early aeroplanes and submarines.
He died in Worthing Hospital in June 1951 aged 73.
Pottery by Reginald Fairfax Wells c.1919-51 (Vase 8")
"Reginald Wells (1877 - 1951) can lay claim to be the first 'Studio Potter' in that his interests lay exactly in those areas which were to preoccupy studio potters in later decades - English slipware and Chinese stonewares". Oliver Watson
Reginald Fairfax Wells was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the son of James Wells, an explorer and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He studied pottery at Camberwell School of Art after originally training as a sculptor in the Royal College of Art.
He married in 1899 and between 1899 and 1933 he exhibited at the Royal College and had selling exhibitions, where he exhibited both bronze figure sculpture and pottery, at prominent London venues such as the Fine Art Society in New Bond Street, The Beaux Arts Gallery in Bruton Place and The Artificers Guild in Maddox Street.
His first pottery was at Coldrum Farm in Wrotham, Kent where he produced slipware and lead-glazed ware influenced by traditional English techniques. Following this in 1910 he set up a pottery in Chelsea, producing an evenly glazed earthenware of varied colour and shape which he called 'Coldrum ware'.
After the interruption of the First World War and the collapse of his aircraft business, he set up another pottery in King's Road, Chelsea, where he began to experiment with high temperature stoneware imitations of Chinese 'Sung' dynasty pots that were all marked "SOON".
Between 1925-1951 he built houses and worked at his pottery in Storington Sussex. A man of wide ranging interests and skills he was also an architect, housebuilder and designer of early aeroplanes and submarines.
He died in Worthing Hospital in June 1951 aged 73.