This short biography come from the webpage: The Baha'is of Cornwall:

"The next record of a Bahá'í living in Cornwall was in the 1930's, again in St. Ives, when Bernard Leach the internationally known potter and others, endeavored to form, in his words, "a co-operative team of artist-craftsmen with a commonly felt sense of what is right... work which flows from the whole man, from the heart as well as from the head and hands."

Bernard Leach, C.H., C.B.E., was born in Hong Kong in 1887. After returning to England in 1897 to continue his schooling he then went on to study at the Slade School of Art in London. He later moved to Japan and learnt his pottery craft under the Sixth Kenzan. On his return from Japan in the 1920's with the help of Shoji Hamada, he started his pottery in St. Ives, to which students from all over the world have since come to work and learn their craft. He first met the Bahá'í Faith through the American artist Mark Tobey during his stay at Dartington Hall between 1932 and 1934. After leaving Dartington for the East, Bernard examine all that he had learnt from his friend Mark Tobey and felt compelled to declare his acceptance of the Bahá'í Faith.

The teachings of Bahá'u'lláh had a profound effect on Bernard , not only on his personal life, but also his understanding of the nature of art as an outward expression of the spiritual core of a person.

His work revolutionized pottery and enabled it to be given the distinction of being a true art form. He received during his lifetime the highest recognition for his work, both in this country and in Japan. He also influenced many artists with his synthesis of East and West, a theme of great importance to him that ran through all aspects of his life. In 1953 he wrote, " I don't know if I have justified my existence as a potter. I think I had a small genuine gift and a strange calling in a great cause - the meeting of East and West. But I have come, during the last year, to see that the meeting in art and craft is only a fragment of a far greater vision - Bahá'u'lláh's, of the unity and maturity of Mankind..."

"Beyond East and West", Bernard's last book and a fascinating overview of his life, would be a good starting point for anyone wishing to explore further his life and philosophy."

The Leach Pottery has now been completely restored and can be visited in StIves

http://www.leachpottery.com/

Entry from Baha'i World can be read here: http://bahai-library.com/memoriam_bw_18#bl