Ross and I met through the Taupo Sculpture Trust where we were both founding members. We became great friends and I soon discovered that Ross was an avid potter who had been mastering the skill for just under 50 years. It was a no brainer to represent Ross’ works in our store.
You will find that once you have held one of his mugs, you will want more.
Ross was born in Hamilton and spent his early childhood beside the Manukau harbour in West Auckland which was a grand place for him to grow up. To this day it is a source of inspiration for his work. When Ross first started his journey as a potter, there was no formal training available, so like most potters of that time, one found an artist whose work they admired and set out to copy their style. For Ross, that source of inspiration was Nick Brandon from Taranaki who had been trained by Mirek Smisek.
Ross has spent time in France and likes the European approach to clay, in particular the works of Jean-Nicolas Gerard. Ross now resides in Taupo and has been here for many years.
Until recently Ross has concentrated on domestic ware, “My work could be described as art you can eat off and is expressive”. Since setting up Tukairangi Gallery in Taupo, he has started moving towards creating ‘one off’ art pieces.
Over the years as a full-time potter, Ross has been a guest exhibitor for many society exhibitions around the country as well as group shows, exhibiting at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts Wellington and in National shows. Most recently Ross has exhibited at the Waiclay Nationals 2022.