We both [with Alixandra Kolesky MacKenzie] got into ceramics, you might say, by the back door. Looking back on it, I think… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share Image
[ Bernard] Leach was the one who taught us that, because he, too, had started out as a painter and an etcher… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share Image
[Bernard Leach] talked about painting, but we never talked about ceramics in that evening. But at the end of the evening he… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share Image
I took a number of graphic courses, lithography and etching and wood engraving [at Art Institute]. And particularly as I got more… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share Image
When I was in school in the Art Institute, we had several problems during the course of the time we were taking… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share Image
I thought I was going to be able to use my painting ideas as decoration on pottery, but my painting did not… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share Image
[Bernard Leach] was an incredible draftsman, and at the end of breakfast time, for instance, he would push his plate back, and… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share Image
What I didn't know at the time [of my scholarship] was that the ceramic class was not really a very good class.… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share Image
In the middle of my second year at school, in 1943, I got drafted into the army, was gone for three years,… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share Image
[Kathleen Blackshear] just said, "Have you thought of looking at this?" and so on and so on and so on. And it was a… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
Some years ago I was working on some forms which were vase forms with a fairly narrow base, and it was after [Hans] Coper… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
I found out later on that was not true, that life drawing tells you a great deal about rhythm, about the structure of a… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
At the end of that two weeks Bernard [Leach] asked us if we would like to sit with him tending the kiln, the big… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
I got drafted into the army and by pure chance was pushed into a silk-screen shop at this camp where I was, because they… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
[In the Field Museum of Natural History] we could see very simple, primitive, hand-built pottery from Babylonia and ancient Egypt and so forth, Greece.… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
Chicago is a wonderful area because it's blessed with a tremendous number of museums of various sorts, not only the Art Institute of Chicago… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
It was a wonderful opportunity. And so for two and a half years we lived with [Bernard] Leach. — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
We thought [with Alix MacKenzie], if those are the kinds of pots from every culture that interest us, why would we think that it… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
I went to the Chicago Art Institute, which was the best painting school in the area at that time. And I took painting classes… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
It was there that we really first came in contact with the work of Shoji Hamada, who was Bernard's best friend from Japan, who… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
Bernard [Leach] was making pots which were duplicates of his drawing, and that was a difference of approach, which I think is quite critical… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
I don't know, it's very difficult if you're in a strange country to just barge in and say, "Hello, I'm Warren MacKenzie, and aren't… — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
[Shoji] Hamada seldom drew an exact drawing of a pot that he was going to make. — Warren MacKenzie Copy Share
![“We both [with Alixandra Kolesky MacKenzie] got into ceramics, you might say, by the back door. Looking back on it, I think this was a very good thing.” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/9a3/warren-mackenzie-4654_back-doors_we-both-with-alixandra-kolesky-mackenzie_838649.jpg)
![“[ Bernard] Leach was the one who taught us that, because he, too, had started out as a painter and an etcher and had only gotten into ceramics by chance when he was in Japan trying to teach the Japanese how to do etching, which, as he said, they were not ready for yet.” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/9e6/warren-mackenzie-4654_ceramics_bernard-leach-was-the-one-who-taught-us_830509.jpg)
![“[Bernard Leach] talked about painting, but we never talked about ceramics in that evening. But at the end of the evening he said to us, "Well," he said, "I've changed my mind, and if you want, you can come back a year from now and apprentice in the workshop."” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/1bf/warren-mackenzie-4654_apprentice_bernard-leach-talked-about-painting-but_1965345.jpg)
![“I took a number of graphic courses, lithography and etching and wood engraving [at Art Institute]. And particularly as I got more and more into ceramics, I thought, life drawing doesn't have anything to do with ceramics.” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/116/warren-mackenzie-4654_art_i-took-a-number-of-graphic-courses-litho_1045016.jpg)
![“[Bernard Leach] was an incredible draftsman, and at the end of breakfast time, for instance, he would push his plate back, and he'd pull an old scrap of paper out of his pocket and a little stub of a pencil, and he'd begin to make small drawings, about an inch and a half, two inches tall, of pots…” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/d2b/warren-mackenzie-4654_beautiful_bernard-leach-was-an-incredible-draftsma_1663627.jpg)
![“What I didn't know at the time [of my scholarship] was that the ceramic class was not really a very good class. This was many years ago and should not reflect on the conditions at the Art Institute of Chicago to this day, but we didn't know anything and we started to learn about how to work with…” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/b8d/warren-mackenzie-4654_art_what-i-didn-t-know-at-the-time-of-my-sch_1457260.jpg)
![“In the middle of my second year at school, in 1943, I got drafted into the army, was gone for three years, and when I came back, I tried to get into the painting classes which I wanted, but because of all the returned GIs [the GI Bill], everyone was in school and the classes were all full. So I…” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/e62/warren-mackenzie-4654_army_in-the-middle-of-my-second-year-at-schoo_674284.jpg)