Don Porritt

DON PORRITT is one of the major silversmiths featured in my book 'DESIGNER BRITISH SILVER - from Studios Established 1930-1985'. At 87 years old he is still producing cutting edge work.

STYLES SILVER first showed his work successfully in 2009 for ‘BRITISH SILVER WEEK’ and are excited about having such a good cross section of his work here now.

Don Porritt was born in West Yorkshire in 1933 and left school at 14. He worked as a sales assistant in a family run jeweller in Leeds before starting a 5-year apprenticeship at the bench with evenings studying at the Leeds College of Art. After National Service spent in Malaya, he returned to LCA where his tutor Alann Fisher started showing interest in his work.

In 1958 he was awarded the City & Guilds of London Institute 1st Prize Bronze Metal for Diamond Mounting which enabled him enrol fulltime at LCA to study design as well – they accepted this award in lieu of the normal portfolio. In the 4-year course he secured an Intermediate Certificate in Art & Craft (Silver) and a National Design Diploma, Industrial Design. In 1964 he set up his own studio as an industrial designer, silversmith and sculptor and the following year started lecturing on industrial design at Leeds College of Art. Before taking up this post he visited Finland and Holland on a bursary from the Royal Society of Arts. In 1973 he was able to revisit Finland, together with Poland and the USSR, on a 10-12 week Travelling Scholarship awarded by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. In 1992 he relinquished his teaching post and was able to devote his time to silver design and manufacture.

His commissions include many important sporting trophies and awards.

Don believes the ultimate challenge of the silversmith is to create a unique sculptural form while maintaining the expressive inner content of the piece. The vibrancy of rivers, rapids, cascades and the fluidity of water in its many moods are the collective inspiration for these experimental pieces of modern domestic silverwork.

Flask, flagons. Jugs, bowls and other vessels are created by a combination of innovative piercing, seaming and overlap techniques which impart a flowing, dynamic quality to each piece. The surface detailing and texture of the finished designs evolve in a natural manner directly from their process of construction.

Book can be see here: https://issuu.com/jgl-design/docs/don_poritt_book