Amy Russ
Down a quiet Richmond street, beneath a traditional suburban home, something special is taking shape. Local couple Bill Proctor and Alex Jamieson have transformed their downstairs garage into a private ceramics gallery – a space filled with clay, colour and character that reflects a shared love of collecting.
Step inside their home gallery and you’re met not only with rows of stunning pottery, sculptures, artworks and fragments of a forgotten time, but also with the friendly faces of Tui and Ted, the couple’s two dogs, that greet every visitor like an old friend.
The gallery has been a real labour of love for the pair. Bill, a builder with an eye for detail, and Alex, a ceramic artist, began collecting just a few years ago. What started with a few pieces soon became an obsession.
The couple moved to the region three years ago, drawn by our sunshine and thriving arts community. Over the past two years they’ve been busy renovating their home while accumulating an impressive collection of pottery, sculptures and artwork from local, national and international artists. Alex previously lived in Cromwell, and it was there she discovered Cromwell Pottery Group. This is where she got her hands in clay for the first time, having been a painter and a mosaic artist beforehand.
“Lynne Wilson, who is a Raku ceramic artist was my guiding light there,” says Alex. Their basement now houses around 50 unique teapots alongside striking pieces by artists such as Royce McGlashen, Katie Gold, Ted Kindleysides, Peter Johnson, Steve Fullmer and Doris Dutch. Yet not every work bears a famous name.
“Sometimes it’s the unknown pieces that resonate the most,” says Alex. “We buy what we love, and every piece has a story.”
That sense of story is what drives their collecting, likening it to a treasure hunt of sorts.
“Some pieces we’ve found in galleries, some in second-hand shops or online marketplace. We’ll see something that catches our eye, then we want to know everything – who made it, where they lived, what inspired them. That’s half the fun.”
Among their most prized pieces is a Royce McGlashen garden sculpture and a bold and eclectic ceramic wall panel by John Lawrence which was originally from the Cardrona Hotel.
When asked to pick favourites, Bill admits he’s partial to the work of Steve Fullmer, Royce McGlashen and Darrell Robertson, while Alex favours pieces by Doris Dutch, Toby Stafford, Len Castle and Barry Brickell.
“I love the glazes and the artistry,” she says. “I love how some remind me of the wild west coast of the North Island. Some of these works just feel alive. Meeting the artists themselves is so much fun too, when we visit their studios and hear their stories behind the pieces they make.”
On October 25, from 10am until 2pm, Bill and Alex will open their doors to 9 Warwick Street for the first time, inviting the public to visit, before offering viewings by appointment.
For them, this project is about sharing their passion and connecting with others who appreciate the beauty of handmade art.
“It’s amazing how a piece of artwork can tell a story,” Alex says. “Every artist leaves a little bit of themselves in their work – and we’re lucky enough to be surrounded by those stories.”
