Home / Quotes / Quote by Warren MacKenzie

Quote by Warren MacKenzie

“We had a wonderful trip, a seven-day trip, talking and sitting in the sun and so forth [with Bernard Leach]. And as we were approaching England, Leach said, "Do you have a place to live?" And we said, "No, we didn't." We hadn't worried about that. But Bernard had just separated from his second wife, which we had not realized, and Bernard was a person who could not stand to live alone. So he said, "Would you like to share my house with me?" Naturally we said yes.”

Quote by Warren MacKenzie

Author

Warren MacKenzie

Limited information is available about Warren MacKenzie, who was born on February 16, 1924, and whose profession is unknown. more

You May Also Like

“It was a wonderful opportunity. And so for two and a half years we lived with [Bernard] Leach.”

Years Two Opportunity Half Wonderful Half A Year

Author:Warren MacKenzie

“When we worked at the pottery, we did learn to make pots, that is, the physical act of making the pot. We learned to control clay, to put it where you want it and not just wherever it wanted to go, and that was valuable. At the end of about six months, though, I think if that was all we had, we may have been inclined to leave because the workshop did not challenge us so much as living with [Bernard] Leach did.”

Ifs Thinking Want May Has Beens Ends Wanted Challenges Months Six Valuable Pot Six Months Clay Workshops Pottery

Author:Warren MacKenzie

“Living with [Bernard] Leach, who thought about pottery 24 hours a day, was a fantastic experience, and we really began to get inside his mind and understand what had motivated him to work all his life as a potter.”

Mind Hours Fantastic Motivated Potters Pottery

Author:Warren MacKenzie

“Eventually we even got to the point where we could disagree with [Bernard Leach]. I mean, when we first went there, gee, I mean, this was a man who had written a book. He was, in a sense, God, and we for the first couple of weeks called him Mr. Leach.”

Men Firsts Mean Book Written Week Couple Disagree

Author:Warren MacKenzie

“We became more familiar with [Bernard Leach], and with this familiarity came, I wouldn't say contempt, but certainly an awareness that everything that he said was not necessarily what we were thinking. That doesn't mean it was wrong, but Leach was a person out of a different generation.”

Thinking Mean Persons Said Different Generations Awareness Familiar Contempt Familiarity Different Generations

Author:Warren MacKenzie

“In fact, [Bernard Leach] was several generations removed from us. At that time we were there, I think Alix [MacKenzie] and I were 26 and 28, and Leach was about 63, and we thought he was a very old man. I used to always want to help him up the stairs in the house for fear he'd fall. Actually, he was in excellent condition and lived to be much, much older than we ever expected.”

Thinking Men Want Facts Helping Used Fall House Generations Conditions Expected Excellent Old Man Stairs

Author:Warren MacKenzie

“We did respect [Bernard Leach], although we also were willing to challenge ideas and at least put forth our feelings about the way the pottery was run, about things that were done, about the pots we were making, etc. And we would get into sometimes some very fierce arguments. We'd be shouting at one another because of disagreements.”

Way Ideas Sometimes Done Feelings Running Challenges Willing Argument Etc Pot Fierce Disagreement Shouting Pottery

Author:Warren MacKenzie

“When Bernard [Leach] wrote his book, he wrote about the fact that even when pots are made in a series, there is a personality to each pot and that the person who made it reflects their personality into the clay.”

Persons Made Book Facts Personality Series Made It Pot Clay

Author:Warren MacKenzie

“We were working from very exact models and dimensions and weights of clay to make these pots which had been designed some 10 or 12 years previous to our arriving [at Bernard's Leach studio]. And we, being, I guess you would say young, arrogant Americans, thought that we ought to be able to somehow express ourselves a little bit more in the daily work of the pottery.”

Years Littles Able Young Bits Ought Little Bit Models Weight Studios Dimensions Pot Arrogant Clay Arriving Pottery Daily Work

Author:Warren MacKenzie

“Looking back on it now, I understand why that was not possible [to express ourselves], because the pottery employed a dozen people, not all of whom are making pots. And these people had families, children, and they had to have a wage that would allow them to raise their family and they had to get a paycheck every Friday afternoon. So if we had not made pots that would sell it, would not have been possible for these people to be employed.”

People Ifs Children Has Beens Made Raises Sells Pot Afternoon Dozen Looking Back Employed Friday Paychecks Pottery Friday Afternoon

Author:Warren MacKenzie