I have a pottery studio in Port Levy, Banks Peninsula. I focus on vessels of various sizes, with earthy, rather traditional glazes. I fire to about 1280 in an electric kiln. Pictures of my past work are available at jim.barribeau.com and on instagram.

I first became interested in pottery in England in the mid-1970s. I rented a fisherman’s cottage in Newlyn, near Penzance, and read everything on pottery in the local library. I used to walk miles and miles and eventually found the Leach studio, in St Ives. That began my appreciation for the aesthetic of the craftsman potter exemplified by Leach and Hamada, in addition to Michael Cardew.

In 1975, I studied for a while with a California potter named Takao. That was my first hands-on lesson, and from then on I primarily taught myself through extensive reading and observation.

In New Zealand I was involved with the Canterbury Pottery Association in the early 2000s, serving as the vice-president. I exhibited several times in their annual exhibition.

I established a pottery in Port Levy on Banks Peninsula about the same time, and have been producing functional ware, primarily vessels, since then, selling privately. I focus on shapes with rich traditional glazes, with form and texture being the primary decoration.

My work for the past ten years has been oxidation-fired to about 1280C, in an electric kiln. My earlier work was reduction-fired in a gas kiln.