Education Info
Newlands Park Teacher Training College, 1954-55.
In 1954 Alan enrolled at Newlands Park Teacher Training College on a two-year residential course. There were no tutors in the art department and only one other student. In addition to painting and screen-printing, Alan experimented with clay, learning to pot, throw and fire using only Bernard Leach’s book ‘A Potters Guide’ as reference. Alan was at pains to stress that it was only used as a starting point, and was not followed as a prescription. Wallwork began to develop his own methods and originality, with a view to creating contemporary works for the new post war era. Alan also stated that he had not been interested in Leach’s retro production style, or perceived finesse, as he wanted to produce something new, modern and contemporary in 1950s Britain.
Alan’s early works were thrown vessels, with the exception of some finely modelled portrait heads/busts. Production included tea and coffee sets, white earthenware vases with slender necks and some three-legged pots. The pieces were signed “WOL” if signed at all.
Wallwork’s talent was recognised and when the course finished in 1955, he was offered a one year top up course for advance students at the prestigious London art college Goldsmith’s.
Goldsmith’s College, South London, 1955-56
(they have since dropped the apostrophe and ‘college’ from the name)
At Goldsmiths, Wallwork studied painting, etching, screen printing and pottery with a small number of students and lecturers. 1955 was the last year the college educated using pre-war academic practices, referencing the methods of Dora Billington and The Central School of Arts.
Alan made pinch and coil pots. He experimented with design techniques including scratching and scraping, sgraffito, grooving, and impressing with a variety of tools and objects. He worked with under and over glaze brush treatments, wax, inlaid coloured slips and reduction firings.
Ken Clarke took the pottery lessons and later Alan said that Ken was an influence in regard to making a living, but Gordon Baldwin was more influential regarding problem solving, for example, with the technique of glueing work together with new material, epoxy resin. By the following year the course became more focused on the development of individualism and the breaking with tradition.
Teaching, 1956-57
In 1956 Alan took on two part-time positions, teaching art in South London Secondary Schools and pottery at Sedgewick Comprehensive School. Alan excelled and was commended for his work teaching and reaching some of the more problematic children.
