HATTON
BECK
Born
– Henry Hatton Beck
18-05-1901
– 24-11-1994
See
Hatton Becks ceramic paintings
See
Hatton Becks ceramic works
Cermaic
Painting byHatton Beck
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on images to see enlargements.
Hatton Beck was born in Cassilis,
Victoria. Cassilis is a former gold mining town near Omeo.
His father,
Henry
Nicholas Beck was a schoolmaster. The mine closed in 1906 and the family moved
on. They lived around country
areas of Victoria, including Mollongghip near Ballarat.
Hatton
Beck's birth place Cassilis
near Omeo in Victoria
There, Hatton noticed different clays in
the creeks. He mixed white and red clays to make marbles look like agates,
and modelled animals and fired them in fires. These were Hatton’s first
pottery making experiences. His
artistic
ability was encouraged by his father, who was involved with the Gould League
of Bird Lovers. Hatton drew and
painted birds for the Gould League.
Bird
illustrations by Hatton Beck
for Gould League c. 1916
Hatton had a grand uncle who had a pottery
in Bairnsdale, making terracotta tiles and flowerpots. He was very
impressed with his wood firing kiln, and his throwing of flowerpots on the wheel. He showed Hatton how to make
marbles, which he hardened in the ash pit of his kiln Hatton's family moved to Melbourne in 1918 and eventually
settled in Webster Street, Oakleigh, where Hatton continued his interest
in modelling. He also was a keen singer
and sang in St. Patrick’s Choir.
Hatton spent a few years in North Queensland
in the 1920’s on his doctor’s advice because of a scar on his lung.
This may have been caused by influenza, which he had when he was an infant.
He worked as an accountant on the Atherton
tablelands and in sugar mills in the Cairns area, During that time, he
did a lot of adventuring, sailing around the
islands of the Barrier Reef.
Hatton
Beck at Tarzali, North
Queensland 1920's |
Hatton
Beck at age 15 |
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on images to see enlargements.
He returned to Oakleigh, where he became
involved in the clay modelling of birds and animals and buildings. He
established a studio with a kiln there. He heard of Merric Boyd and visited him
at his home in Murrumbeena called
'Open Country'. Merric was by then quite well known. Even at that early stage, Hatton
knew a great deal abou tkiln
building and the processes involved in firing pottery, and was able to help Merric when he had
kiln problems. The
two men got on well and they worked together at Murrumbeena. Hatton
also helped William Ricketts
with kilns in
the Dandenongs.
Merric
Boyd
bust by Hatton Beck c. 1940
*
|
Drawing
of Hatton Beck
by Merric Boyd 1946 |
In the 1930’s, Hatton worked in other potteries
including ‘Cooper and Cooks’ and ‘Fowlers’ where he became
head of the art department. He married Merric’s daughter Lucy in 1939.
He set up a pottery in Neerim Road,
Murrumbeena, making jugs and other utilitarian ceramics because of War shortages. The
pottery became A. M.
Boyd Pottery where Arthur Boyd, John Perceval and other artists worked.
Hatton joined the air force and was
discharged at the end of the War. He and Lucy lived at Murrumbeena until
shortly after the Second World War.
During this time, Hatton worked at different potteries and taught pottery.
In 1947 they and their
two sons, Laurence
and Robert, moved to Brisbane. Hatton worked there as an instructor of pottery
at the Brisbane Central Technical
College. In his spare time he began making ceramic paintings.He developed
textured glazes for his pottery, and
painted his landscapes with a great variety of colour and texture. His rocky
creek pictures were particularly effective.
Hatton and Lucy lived in Brisbane for thirteen years. During this time,
their third son, Paul, was born.
'Creek
at Walhalla'
by Hatton Beck c. 1974 |
North
Queensland landscape
painted by Hatton Beck 1960 |
Merric Boyd died in 1959. In 1960, following
the death of Doris Boyd, the Becks returned to Melbourne and lived
at 'Open Country'. They established a pottery school there and as
well as teaching, exhibited and sold their own
pottery.
Hatton
& Lucy Boyd-Beck at Open
Country Murrumbeena c. 1962 |
A
section of Hatton &
Lucy Boyd-Beck's
first exhibition at Open Country
Murrumbeena c. 1962 |
In 1963 they moved to Boronia for a short
time before leaving for London. Hatton worked at the National Gallery
there, and also along with Lucy and their son, Robert established a pottery
at Wandsworth Common. Their they
made lamp bases, mugs, decorated plates and bowls, and other utilitarian
wares. Hatton also taught pottery
during this time.
Hatton
and Lucy Boyd-Beck's shop
at Wandsworth Common, London c. 1968
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on images to see enlargements.
Hatton and Lucy returned to Melbourne to
live at Surf Avenue, Beaumaris where they continued to make pottery.
Their last working period was at Bayswater where Hatton to worked into his
late eighties, experimenting with
materials such as scoria and rocks, and coloured glass to achieve the glistening
water effect of his streams.
Throughout his life he was inspired by nature and his travels around Australia. His subject matter
ranged from rocky
creeks to rugged bush to underwater reef scenes and abstracts.
Ceramic painting by Hatton Beck c.1963
Hatton and Lucy held
many exhibitions throughout Australia and their work is represented in many
public
collections including :-
National
Gallery of Victoria
Newcastle Art Gallery
Shepparton Art Gallery
University of Newcastle
Hatton
Beck His Life In Art
Hatton's
ceramic paintings
Hatton's
images of the Australian bush came from his experiences and his imagination.
He produced his tiles
between 1969, after he and Lucy returned from England, and 1990. He would
draw a design onto a tile
in pencil
and then paint onto it, just as a painter paints onto a canvas. He would
apply glaze with a knife
or brush. Sometimes
it would be sponged on and occasionally he would apply it with his fingers.
Preliminary
sketch for ceramic
painting by Hatton Beck
c. 1977 |
Ceramic
painting by Lucy Boyd-Beck
on tile hand made by Hatton Beck
c. 1973 |
He used a great
variety of glazes. These were often home made, and drawn from his recipe book.
He often used iron,
copper and cobalt in his glazes, along with dolomite and volcanic glaze, and
clear glaze.
The affect of water was generally
achieved using clear
glaze with a little colour added. He would
sometimes mix inoxides like tin oxide for highlighting
and copper and manganese for shading.
He would fire and re-fire a tile and with each firing,
add more glaze to
highlight aspects of his painting.
The number of firings
varied from tile to tile because
of the individual nature of each work.
Hatton initially made his own tiles. These were very effective,
but he found a smoother
surface to work on using shelves made
for kilns. These he would cut to
size with a tile
cutter. Later on
in life, his tiles became more abstract in nature. He began
using scoria to achieve a true rock effect,
and glass such as broken green glass for a watery effect. In short, he would
use
anything that he could
find to achieve an effect that he wanted. These tiles were very experimental
and reflect the vitality
and curiosity he had for ceramics throughout his life.
Ceramic
Paintings
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on images to see enlargements.
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The
Final Years
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Other
ceramic work
Hatton
Beck had gained an enormous amount of experience in clay and glaze by the
time he began the making
his
remarkable ceramic
paintings. These are some of the ceramic works that he made throughout this
long life in art.
