Warren Mackenzie

Warren Mackenzie was born February 16, 1924 in Kansas City, Missouri. His family moved near Chicago and Warren spent his childhood growing up in Evanston, Illinois. His parents tell him he was always interested in art, but never very good at it. When he graduated from high school he decided he would become a painter and he attended the Chicago Art Institute. In 1943, in the middle of his second year at school, Warren was drafted into the army and spent three years away. He returned home from the war expecting to continue his painting education but was met with completely full courses due to all the returning GI’s. Warren searched the course catalogue and found space in a ceramic course, so he registered. His first several months learning ceramics were uneventful and he wasn’t that interested, but that all changed the day he discovered A Potters Book, by Bernard leach. Leach talked about ceramics in a utilitarian manner saying such things like, “Any person should be able to make 50 pots easily in a day’s time,” and, “Any person should be able to throw a 15-inch-tall cylinder.” Warren was sparked by Leach’s philosophy and found himself sneaking into the ceramic studio on off days to try and do the things leach said he should be able to. Later Warren Mackenzie would study under Bernard Leach as his apprentice. Warren has been practicing his career in ceramics for nearly sixty years, and has always been focused on the functionality of his work. Mackenzie has described his goal as the making of "everyday" pots, although his work is found in major museums and goes for high prices among collectors. Warren makes pots with integrity; understated and comforting; his work is often described as warm and inviting to use, as simple, casual, and dignified. As decades have passed, MacKenzie's dedication has been unwavering. He tries to keep his prices within reach with the belief that having access too, and making use of handmade objects truly does add something to one's life especially in an ever increasing mechanized world. For a while Mackenzie sold his work through the honor system, where people could walk into his gallery and take a piece while leaving the money in a basket. At 86 years old Warren Mackenzie is still making pots although he suffers from silicosis or impaired lung function.