Cecil Baugh

Cecil Baugh

Cecil Archibald Baugh, Jamaican potter (born Nov. 22, 1908, Bangor Ridge, Jam.—died June 28, 2005, Kingston, Jam.), was one of the most influential Caribbean potters of the 20th century and was renowned for works that showcased his artistry and technical creativity. During his adolescent years he was given the task to take food for his brother at Long Mountain Road (now Mountain View Avenue. It was here that he was first exposed to the ancient art of pottery. Young Cecil Baugh watched the women who made and fired the yabbah bowls which were produced by a technique which survived from the days of slavery itself, and was of African origin. His first efforts were limited to ‘dollyhouse’ items including little clay tables and chairs, which brought him earnings of three shillings a week on average. He soon ‘graduated’ into making flower pots and yabbahs. He increased his earnings but more importantly, fuelled the fires of his ambition. He was about 25 years old in 1933 when an incident occurred bringing a new dimension to his work and changing the face of ceramics. One night while firing his day’s work he noticed fire escaping through the top of his rude kiln. Not wanting the temperature to drop he quickly grabbed the nearest thing he could find to cover it. It was a sheet of copper. As the copper became increasingly hot, he saw a flame coming from it. It was not orange-red as he was used to, but turquoise. As it licked at the night Cecil Baugh thought it was the prettiest colour he had ever seen, and he thought about capturing that colour in his work. Having no formal education in chemistry he quite often did not get the colours he tried for, but whatever came out was new to Jamaicans and he sold all he could make In 1941, in response to a newspaper advertisement Cecil Baugh enlisted in the Royal Engineers of the British Army. He kept in close touch with his art, but because of World War II, work in ceramics was at a minimum. He claimed that in 1942 his Division was sent to Cairo and it was there that he saw the Persian Blue, a colour quite similar to what he had got using copper oxide and glass in Jamaica. He was greatly encouraged. Cecil wanted to know everything there was to know about ceramics to enhance his teaching skills upon returning to Jamaica. When he returned to Jamaica in 1946 he was not satisfied with the extent of his knowledge. He wanted to return to England to study under the most respected figure in ceramics in the Western world, Bernard Leach. However, no scholarships were available and when contacted, Leach said he had no time for beginners. Cecil remained undaunted, went to England to study with another ceramist, and would not rest until he managed to secure a one-year term under the guidance of Bernard Leach who was regarded as the ‘Father of British Studio Pottery’. It was the beginning of a friendship, which lasted throughout the years. He returned to Jamaica in 1949 and in 1950 mounted his first one-man exhibition. Soon after with Albert Huie, Linden Leslie, Jerry Isaacs and Edna Manley formed the Jamaica School of Art. Cecil Baugh was the last to leave the institution when he retired in 1975. In 1991 the National Gallery opened a ceramics gallery bearing his name, and in 2003 he received the Order of Jamaica.

stories,westindians

1908-11-22

Person

6141

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Cecil

Baugh

2005-06-28