	Ray ROGERS (New Zealand) Dates: b.1935 Born in Waitati, New Zealand, he is a self-taught potter who began working with clay in 1969 while running an importing business. His early work was influenced by the Leach / Hamada tradition and also the work of Harry Davis and Len Castle, a New Zealand potter. He set up his first workshop in Auckland (1971) and later worked in Waimauru, near Auckland (1976-1981). He used a gas fired ceramic fibre kiln making domestic ware and larger one-off forms. After visiting America (1980) he introduced pit-firing techniques into New Zealand and was given a grant by QEII, New Zealand to develop pit firing. He moved to Australia in 1983 to work with the Potters Society of Australia and moved there permanently in 1986. He likes the risky and varied effects of the direct contact with the fire finding it useful 'to be freed from the bonds of being too close to one's work', In recent years he has developed silver and copper lustres using combustible organic materials. Form and finish have always been of paramount importance in his work. He started using lustres in his work from 1990. He has performed workshops and exhibited in Britain, New Zealand and Australia. He built a pit kiln at the 1997 International Potters Festival at Aberystwyth.

Ray ROGERS (New Zealand)

Dates: b.1935

Born in Waitati, New Zealand, he is a self-taught potter who began working with clay in 1969 while running an importing business. His early work was influenced by the Leach / Hamada tradition and also the work of Harry Davis and Len Castle, a New Zealand potter. He set up his first workshop in Auckland (1971) and later worked in Waimauru, near Auckland (1976-1981). He used a gas fired ceramic fibre kiln making domestic ware and larger one-off forms. After visiting America (1980) he introduced pit-firing techniques into New Zealand and was given a grant by QEII, New Zealand to develop pit firing. He moved to Australia in 1983 to work with the Potters Society of Australia and moved there permanently in 1986.

He likes the risky and varied effects of the direct contact with the fire finding it useful 'to be freed from the bonds of being too close to one's work', In recent years he has developed silver and copper lustres using combustible organic materials. Form and finish have always been of paramount importance in his work. He started using lustres in his work from 1990. He has performed workshops and exhibited in Britain, New Zealand and Australia. He built a pit kiln at the 1997 International Potters Festival at Aberystwyth.