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Jadwiga Ramza is
an artist who molds
clay with her heart
Jadwiga Ramza has an urge to
work with clay. She realizes that
each person, including herself,
has his or her own concept of
beauty, and she expresses hers
by throwing clay. In this age when
most utensils are mass-produced,
she finds joy in watching a piece of
earth take on a form in her hands.
Ramza’s life is replete with in
stances of close contact with crea
tive arts. Her parents owned a
large foundry in Warsaw, Poland
which manufactured bronze and
silver art objects and utensils, in
addition to industrial castings.
When a teenager, Ramza decided
to follow the family's artistic tradi
tion and study the art of decorat
ing.
After completing her courses at
the Decorative Art Academy in
Warsaw and a series of work
shops in copper enameling, she
joined her parents’ shop as a de
signer. She planned to redirect a
substantial portion of the plant op
eration to producing art objects,
and to reduce the production of
industrial castings.
“I was young and full of great
ideas regarding the plant,” Ramza
said. But she married and gave
birth to a son, which caused her to
re-evalute her plans somewhat.
Also, she had not taken into ac
count the political situation in
Europe at the time: Hitler’s troops
were poised to strike Poland, and
there was little time to worry about
the plant.
“Two weeks into the war my
husband, an electrical engineer
with the British firm of Brown-
Boveri, was ordered to leave War
saw for the southern part of the
country to assist in the repairs of a
damaged railroad power system,”
she said.
Because Warsaw was under
constant bombardment, Ramza’s
husband insisted that they leave
the city, leaving behind her
mother-in-law and the family maid
in charge of their property, includ
ing scores of valuable art objects.
They hoped to return “upon con
clusion of a short war.”
“The ensuing months had con
vinced me that I would not return
home as soon as I planned,” she
said. Always just a step ahead of
the advancing Germans, and later
the Russians, the Ramzas cros
sed the border into Rumania.
They remained briefly in
Bucharest while waiting for their
Italian transit visa to France.
“It appears to me that as soon
as we found what we thought to be
a safe place, that country promptly
became either an ally or a victim of
the German war machine,” she
said. So, in quick succession, they
leapfrogged from one country to
another, finding a brief respite in
Paris, where Ramza found a job
with a glass-painting art studio.
The German invasion and oc
cupation of France sent Ramza to
the English side of the channel.
“This time we had a premonition
of things to come somewhat
sooner,” Ramza said. Still, they
left France in a hurry, leaving most
of their few belongings behind.
During the next 10 years, she
found much time to devote to her
pottery and metal art, using mostly
silver and copper. During her stay
in England, she expanded into
new areas. She began producing
not only utility vessels, but also
decorative wall plates combining
clay and metal, copper jewelry,
mosaics and incrustations.
“I had a lot of time at my dis
posal because my son was away
in Scotland at the Edinburgh Uni
versity and my husband was then
on duty with the Polish Army in
exile,” she said.
Ramza’s products found eager
buyers so fast that she was unable
to satisfy all of her customers. In
time she found it necessary to hire
people to help her.
“My crowning achievement of
that time was the completion of a
dinner set for Prince Andrew of
Greece, the father of Prince Con
sort Philip,” she said. Other orders
for members of London’s society
followed. The prospect of a return
to Poland, quite real after the vic
tory over the Germans, became
less attractive with the state
takeover of their property. Once
again, forced by the cir
cumstances beyond their control,
the Ramzas decided to reestab
lish their existence, this time in
Canada. They settled in Montreal.
During the next 17 years, while
her son attended first the Univer
sity of Minnesota, and then
Pennsylvania State University,
Ramza managed to develop a
successful art shop, acquiring a
large number of customers and
national recognition in Canada.
Besides the numerous prizes
given to her by the Canadian
Handicraft Guild, three pieces of
her pottery were selected by the
National Art Gallery in Florence,
Italy, for permanent retention as
examples of contemporary art.
In recognition of her contribu
tion to Canadian art, she was
selected as one of 200 artists enti
tled to display their works in the
annual exhibitions at the Cana
dian Mechanical Institute in
Montreal.
Shortly after learning that her
family plant in Warsaw was being
nationalized, Ramza lost her hus
band. Once again she found her
self “packing the suitcases” to join
her son in Bryan, this move being
— she hopes — the last.
This time, however, she was
able to retain most of her favorite
works. Visitors to her home must
step gingerly from one place to
another because the many items
in her collection are placed
everywhere, including the floor.
“Each small item represents to
me a memorable point in my love
affair with the pottery,” she said.
At last she is at peace with herself
and her art. There is no need to
run anymore. Still, she is as active
in the promotion of her art as ever.
Every Tuesday night she teaches
classes in pottery for a large group
of local residents at the Brazos
Valley Senior Citizens Associa
tion in Bryan.
“I can’t live without clay,"
Ramza said. “It is now a part of my
personality. Only I can make
something out of clay which best
appeals to my artistic taste and
best reflects my inner dreams.”
She said she would recom
mend pottery as a good source of
income for a person approaching
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JADWIGA RAMZA began her career as an artist in Warsaw,
Poland, and when World War II struck she fled from the
Germans with only a few of her works, but all of her talent.
Eventually she settled in England, where she found a large
market for her fine pottery and metal work. Here she displays
one of her works.
Story and photo
by Frank K. Vasovski
retirement. She said there is a
prospect for minimum capital in
vestment with a good potential for
additional income, depending
upon “a sincere determination to
persevere and at least an ounce of
artistic addiction" on the part of
the prospective potter.
“The term pottery emcompas-
ses all kinds of artistic endeavors
and combinations for the expres
sion of artistic feelings,” she em
phasized. “Pottery is a habit, an
addiction which cannot be
washed out of my blood."
Pottery hints—from a p !
Jadwiga Ramza offers a number of practical hintsfoi
persons who want to become involved in pottery. The/
include:
—Many books related to pottery are available in public
libraries. Organized courses of pottery instruction are of \
fered by many school districts as part of adult education
programs.
—Local market potential should be carefully examined
prior to the investment of funds for equipment and facilities
The Chamber of Commerce or Jaycees can usually pro
vide much of the desired information on that subject.
—At least a minimum familiarity with the throwing wheel,
kilns and basic pottery tools is required prior to launchings
large-scale operation.
—Private instructors in decorating, glazing and firing are
available in most large cities.
—The initial capital investment would be about $600,
which includes the cost of a medium-sized kiln, and electric
wheel, a set of tools and materials.
—Excellent artistic effects can be obtained in pottery works
through the application of various firing techniques involv
ing manipulating time and temperature factors.
—A variety of selling outlets is always available, even in
relatively small towns. Seasonal exhibitions, bazaars,
church sales, gift shops, special shows and professional
pottery shops are some of the most accessible outlets.
—All potters should insure their products prior to shipment
to avoid financial loss.
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