Byron Temple (1933–2002) was an American

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US *Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska *Potters, New Jerse ...

. Temple learned to throw on the wheel at

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

as an undergrad in his native Indiana. After college and serving in the U.S. Army, Temple discovered ''A Potter's Book'', written by the English potter,

Bernard Leach Bernard Howell Leach (5 January 1887 – 6 May 1979) was a British studio potter and art teacher. He is regarded as the "Father of British studio pottery". Biography Early years (Japan) Leach was born in Hong Kong. His mother Eleanor (n� ...

, considered by many to be the grandfather of modern hand thrown functional studio pottery. This inspiring book motivated Temple to write Leach asking if he could apprentice with him at Leach's St. Ives Pottery in

Cornwall, England Cornwall (; or ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, Devon to the east, and the Engli ...

. The two happened to meet while Leach was giving a workshop in the United States, and he agreed to take on Temple as an apprentice in 1960. While at St. Ives, Temple worked closely with Leach, not only talking about the aesthetic of pots, but also developing a line of standard ware they produced and sold. Temple's time spent at St. Ives was equivalent to a graduate school education, and he left St. Ives with a philosophy of making well-crafted work as a production potter. Upon Temple's return to the United States in 1962, he settled in

Lambertville, New Jersey Lambertville is a city (New Jersey), city within Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 4,139, an increase of 233 (+6.0%) from the 3,906 reco ...

and began turning out his own line of standard ware. Temple traveled internationally giving workshops, teaching, and sharing his artistic philosophy. In 1986 Temple moved to Kentucky to focus on making one of a kind art pots. These works retained the aesthetic he had developed earlier, but he also experimented with wood and salt firing - exploring more simple yet stately forms by incorporating materials such as cords, bamboo, and metal.

References

American potters People from Centerville, Indiana Ball State University alumni 1933 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American ceramists {{Ceramics-stub