Roger Law

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Law speaking at the TYPO Berlin conference in 2014

Roger Law (born 6 September 1941) is a British caricaturist, ceramicist and one half of Luck and Flaw (with Peter Fluck), creators of the popular satirical TV puppet show Spitting Image.

Early life and education

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Law was born in Littleport, Cambridgeshire. Law went to Littleport Secondary Modern School in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, and attended Cambridge School of Art (now part of Anglia Ruskin University). He met Peter Fluck during his time there.[1]

Career

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He was an illustrator, comics artist [1] and cartoonist for The Observer from 1962–65, then for The Sunday Times from 1965–67 and 1971-75 (where his colleagues included Francis Wyndham and Bruce Chatwin).[2] At the Sunday Times he was active as a courtroom sketch artist. [1] Law also co-designed the album covers of Axis: Bold As Love by Jimi Hendrix and The Who Sell Out (1967) by The Who. [1]

After Spitting Image finished in 1996, Law became the artist in residence at the National Art School in Sydney.[3] He subsequently moved to Jingdezhen, China where he makes large porcelain vessels.[4] It was meeting the Australian-Chinese ceramicist Ah Xian, who in turn introduced him to the pottery workshops of Jingdezhen, that led Law to embark on a new artistic career.

A film by Catherine Hunter – described by one critic as "a cautionary tale of fame and the possibilities of new beginnings"[5] – follows Law as he prepares work for an exhibition of ceramics at London's revered Victoria and Albert Museum.[6] A feature documentary by Michael Coulson, called Still Spitting, was being produced in 2013, but as of 2020 it remains unreleased. The film tells the story of how Law's life as a caricaturist was dramatically changed by the demands of the Spitting Image TV show, reveals what happened to him after the show finished in 1996 and follows him as he strives to achieve his dream of making a "big pot" in China.

Personal life

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He married Deirdre Amsden (a quilt designer) in 1960 in Cambridge. They have a son (born 1962) and daughter (born 1965).

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Roger Law". Lambiek.net. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. ^ Shakespeare, Nicholas (2000). Bruce Chatwin. Vintage. p. 268ff. ISBN 978-0-09-928997-5.
  3. ^ "The spitting image of a happy Pom", The Daily Telegraph, 4 September 1999
  4. ^ Ceramic Review Magazine, Issue 235, Jan/Feb 2009
  5. ^ "Artscape: A Law Unto Himself". The Age. 14 May 2012.
  6. ^ "A Law Unto Himself". 2011.
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