Page 190 - Constructing Craft

it became firmly set in the minds of the public. Some craftspeople, intentionally or

otherwise, seemed to perpetuate the idea even when their approach to their craft
was far more intense than was generally expected of the more ‘relaxed’ approach

taken by hippies – for who craft was merely a means of supporting their other
interests.

Nicholas Brandon

One such craftsperson who matched the public idea of a typical hippie was Nicholas
Brandon. Brandon, who lived in Taranaki, had become a highly proficient potter very

quickly. He began working with clay in 1971 and by 1977 was recognised by the

national craft community as one of New Zealand’s best potters. Brandon, with long
bushy hair and beard, lived in an old, somewhat dilapidated cottage in a rural

setting. He cultivated his own food and supplemented his diet with scavenged food
from the surrounding countryside. As if to confirm the perception of someone who

saw the world in the same way as hippies he wrote in lyrical terms about his pottery.
He compared his pottery to a child that: ‘in the beginning ... needs the security of

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constant love, attention and discipline. Indeed, he did work very hard – often up to
14 to 18 hours a day – and 40 hours non-stop when a kiln was being fired. ‘You die
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fulfilling its needs. Yet live again through your pots.’ Using the child allegory again
he noted: ‘My creative child – now six years old – no longer demands the same

intensity of attention and discipline – becoming more and more independent –
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needing only to be love.’

Constructing Craft