A Story of the Return of Joy | Hugh Hope | Episode 437

Hugh Hope | Episode 437

Hugh Hope is a California native, born and raised near Eureka, Humboldt County. Hugh attended Humboldt State College in the early 60’s,where he became involved with pottery under the guidance of Prof. Resse Bullen. After graduation with a BA in Art in 1965 Hugh entered graduate school at Mills College in Oakland Ca studying with Antonio Prieto. After receiving a MFA in Ceramics in 1967, Hugh moved to Sonoma County where he established his first studio in 1968. Four years later Hugh, his twin brother, and their families built new studios and kilns in northwestern Sonoma County. After a wild land fire destroyed his home and studio in 1978, Hugh spent a number of years reestablishing a studio,first in Inverness, Marin County and ultimately in West Sonoma County where Hugh is now located.

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If it weren’t clay, could you have done anything else?

I worked as a laborer in the union and I overslept and missed my call so I’d be delayed two weeks. Would I be a laborer? No. That’s not a good answer, but I’ve always got kicked off of jobs or fired because they would find out that I was going to college. I had an attitude problem.

Do you remember the first piece you sold?

It was an assignment from a class. It was a scraffito design on a small jar. I sold a lot of pots when I was a student.

Why do you think that you have been able to make pots your entire adult life?

I still go to bed at night and think of things I’d like to make and how I am going to try harder to make glaze tests and develop my palette instead of just going to somebody’s book and copying the recipe. I still have this pleasure of sitting down at the wheel and working. It is something that I have never, never, ever gotten tired of.

What project that you are working on now has got you excited?

Every spring I make forty or fifty platters that I end up getting out four or five that I like. I’ve got piles of these things laying around out there. That’s what I am really interested in right now.

What’s your favorite tool to work in?

The brushes I make. I’ve been decorating plates with red iron oxides and I’ve been getting the feeling that people think that I am using a magic brush. I feel like these brushes are really helping me make.

Looking back on 50 years of potting, what’s one thing you would do differently as a potter?

Initially I was reluctant to seek out any kind of help with equipment. That was a real hold back. I think I would try to find a way to finance equipment that I really needed to set up a shop.