Brampton Pottery

2012-02-13T02:18:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to show you this jug I bought recently. I found it in a local 'antique' shop. The owner said it was French but of course I doubt it's either French or antique, however, I really liked it. The pictures are just ones I've hastily taken in my kitchen.
One of the reasons I bought it was because I would very much like to throw more pots from the Kent clay but as yet I haven't been able to match my slip and glaze to it and almost always get splintering on the edges. Looking at this though I think I might make some jugs with slip trailing and not cover the whole pot with slip.
Friday I threw a dozen or more jugs from the commercial clay I use which was very hard and quite difficult to throw. In fact I was wondering what was wrong with me. Then at the end of the day I thought I would have a bit of fun just throwing the Kent clay. What a difference!! It almost threw its self. If I ever get time I would like to explore the possibility of using the Kent clay more.
There was a pottery in Kent making slipware in the 17th century. I've put some pictures at the top. ( I seem to have almost no control over wher blogger puts pictures!!)

Meet the family!

2012-02-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

My daughter returned to china yesterday after being here for six weeks. I thought I would introduce you to the family. Here we all are - that's me , my husband, our daughter , three sons and son-in-law.
It's definitely time to get a move on with pottery. It's very cold out in the pottery so tomorrow I must get a biscuit firing on if only to get warm.

Feather bowls

2012-01-26T15:04:00.001-08:00

Today I have been enjoying producing some more feather bowls. It's quite relaxing to return to something I've made many times before.
I started the day with a swim and had a long lunch break at the local cafe where they do 'all day breakfast'. So I cann't say I've worked very hard today!

New year

2012-01-24T01:18:00.001-08:00

I am still busy potting but I have not had time to blog! At the moment my daughter is home from China where she and her husband are learning Mandarin and teaching. We hadn't seen her for two and a half years so there are plenty of things to catch up on. There are also pub lunches and coffee breaks and meeting up with friends.
I decided to make a reliquary for myself. The lid fitted perfectly but to save space in the kiln I fired the lid and base separately. Now I know not to do that in future as they both wrapped.
The bowls below are from a batch that I fired recently. I usually make thing in batches of six to twelve. These take a day each to decorate which never ceases to amaze me. At the moment I have at least twelve smaller bowls in the damp cupboard so I know i have plenty to keep me busy.

Song lyrics

2011-12-15T13:56:00.001-08:00

I am working on these shallow bowls at the moment. My damp cupboard is full of work under polythene and I am amazed that each bowl is taking me a day to decorate.
I am trying to think of song lyrics to run around the rim of these bowls. I would like to have love songs that include birds and bees or seasons. I think the songs need to be familiar to people so that they can recall the song as they read the words. When I do a pottery fair it's amazing how many people stop and read all the words. Of course they don't always buy any pots but at least I think they have enjoyed looking at them.
There must be loads of suitable songs out there but sitting here tonight I can't think of any! So perhaps you may have some suggestions.

Getting ready for Farnham Art in Clay

2011-11-17T13:39:00.001-08:00

It's been a busy week with finishing work and loads of glazing. At last I have almost everything glazed - there is hardly a bisque pot left in the studio. I won't be amassing work to glaze again it was not a good way of working. Though strangely, with my studio now full of glazed work, it does look as though I have produced quite a large stock of work, especially as my work is so time consuming.
Last Saturday I visited The British Museum. The tile at the top is a medieval one that I particularly like. The pots are all out of the kiln this morning. I used a grogged clay for these which I don't usually do. It felt like drawing on sandpaper when I did the sgraffito so I was concerned that they might look rough but infact there is almost no visible difference between these and those in the smooth clay.
I had gone to the British Museum to see the Greyson Perry exhibition. I had very little time in the exhibition as I hadn't realised I should have booked and had to wait 2 hours to go in, though I was fortunate to have the last ticket. This meant that the two chaps who accompanied me couldn't see the GreysonPerry me but still waited for me. ( They didn't even pretend to be disappointed at not getting tickets!)
I was fascinated with the exhibition. I found the exhibits he selected to place along side his work really exciting. I was also captivated with the layers of images he was able to build up on his pots. There was sgraffito, glaze, decals and gold lustre all overlaying each other.
Busy day tomorrow setting up- if you're about in Farnham do call in!

Finished work

2011-11-11T04:32:00.001-08:00

I have been busy glazing I knew that this was going to happen as you can only bisque fire for so long before it all catches up with you.
Anyway here are a few of the 'fish' bowls. They are beginning to look a bit too neat. On the second one down I splashed some underglaze to make it look a little more 'active' and less tight.
Art in Clay opens in Farnham in a week so I am busy getting ready for that. Check out the link there are plenty of wonderful potters to see.
As I have just come to the end of weeks of work now is a good time to take stock of where to go from here. I have been doing some work in my sketch book to give me some sense of direction. The picture above is a mixture of watercolour painting and collage. I am thinking about how I can transpose this look onto a pot.

'Orange' update

2011-11-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

On discovering that my 'orange' was firing to an unpleasant brown colour I threw the whole tub of ochre away thinking I would never be tempted to use it again.
I then went on to glaze more pots, wondering what I would do with them if they were all spoilt. It was only when I unpacked the second glaze firing that I remembered that I had used a different batch of glaze in the first firing. Confused?
I had mixed ( or more precisely my 18 year old) had mixed a glaze for me using lead bisilicate rather than my usual lead sesquisilicate. The reason being that 1. I had plenty of lead bisilicate 2. My supplier pointed out that bisilicate was cheaper than sesquisilicate.
So the pots with the brown were with the new glaze! I have since done another glaze firing with my original glaze and no problems!
I can hardly believe that the difference in colour can be caused by using a different frit but that does seem to be the case.
It does mean that instead of possibly loosing eight weeks of work I have only 'lost' five pieces. Also that I probably threw away a perfectly good batch of 'orange'.
The pictures are of work out of the kiln today. Orange miraculously returned! The top bowl is a Christening bowl which is a commission and I am pleased with the way it has turned out so I hope my client also likes it.
I am now compiling a list of things to remember!
1 Test everything.
2 Never use grogged clay ( that is another story)
3 ..... to be continued

What do you do it all goes wrong?

2011-10-31T14:45:00.000-07:00

For several weeks now I've been focused on working. Usually, because my studio is small and my kiln is also quite small I keep work moving through the kiln. However, over the past couple of months I have just been bisque firing. Whilst I was in this mode I just happened to run out of ochre for producing orange. My two main colours are green and orange. I bought many of my oxides and stains in the early seventies when they were cheap and they have lasted well. Anyway, when the orange ran out I got another tub of something that looked the same. However, at the end of last week when I eventually did a glaze firing I found that they were definitely not the same. You can see how awful the result is on the pot on the left.
I am horrified and at the moment I am not sure how much work is spoilt but I suspect pretty much all of it. There is no point wasting nervous energy getting upset I've just got to get on and keep working. Some of the work was for commissions so that may need to be re-done.
Having had such a bad experience I found it very interesting watching a little film of Greyson Perry talking about his work. The bit at the end about anticipating work coming out of the kiln struck a cord - see what you think the link is here.

Salt pigs!

2011-09-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I made a number of salt pigs. I haven't made any of these for ages. I started off drawing medieval figures on them which had been what I had planned to do.
Then I remembered some drawings I had done of mermaids. I think the connection I had made was because they are intended for sea salt!
I did enjoy doing them but now I'm not so sure I shouldn't have stayed with my original idea.

As you can see from the pictures I use templates to transfer the mermaids onto the pots. This means that I can get them in just the right place as a mistake cannot be rectified.
It does involve quite precise drawing so this week I have done some bowls with fish on. The way I do these feels very different as I can work directly onto the pot without templates. I enjoying working far more spontaneously with much more flowing lines. I also use coloured slips on these to give a greater depth of colour before I apply the underglaze colours and oxides. It's a bit time consuming but enjoyable.
I packed the kiln for a biscuit firing today. I haven't done a firing for ages and I know that there is going to be a day of reckoning when I will have to catch up with all the gazing.

Back to work

2011-09-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

It seems ages since I last posted a blog. At first I felt quite concerned that I just didn't seem to have time to write a post. Mark had time off as did the boys. We went to the Gower to camp then onto Carmarthen and then spent some time camping near St. David's.
I decided that I needed to think of life in 'seasons' and this was a family time. After all 'to everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven.'
Now gradually my routine is being re-established and I am getting back to the pottery.
Just to convince you I've included a picture of me in the studio today. I am currently working on some bowls that are inspired by Cypriot pottery. They are my favourite shapes. The one above is from the V and A collections.
Tomorrow I have work in an exhibition opening at the Mc.Gill Duncan Gallery in Castle Douglas.
The exhibition looks really interesting you can read about it here. Unfortunately I can't be there as we will be celebrating my eldest sons 21st birthday with him and his friends from uni.

So much to do!

2011-08-03T13:55:00.001-07:00

I've been watering my cuttings in the green house tonight. I don't think they will survive the week-end if the weather is as hot as today. I have had very little time for gardening this year but at the moment it is still a great pleasure to sit in the garden when the weather is as beautiful as it was today.
Have been getting things ready for Art in Clay at Hatfield today. There seems so much to pack! Also been trying to repair our tent as we'll be camping there. Some of the poles needed replacing and my concentration was seriously lacking as I tried to measure each pole accurately. It constantly amazes me how many task unrelated to pottery have to be done to bring everything together.

New pots

2011-08-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

Plenty to do this week. Today I had to move student son's belongings from one house to another.
The bowl was out of the kiln earlier in the week. I realise now because they are quite big I can only put them on the top shelf of the kiln where I don't need to use props.
Does mean that I may only have one or two for Hatfield. Getting ready for Art in Clay this coming week-end.
We went to the Hannah Peschar gallery recently. I think these two pots are probably by Jennifer Jones. They looked perfect outside this black and white cottage.

Today's bowl

2011-07-19T13:43:00.001-07:00

It has taken me all day to decorate this one bowl. The pottery was warm today because the kiln had been on last night so the bowl was drying far too fast even with doing lots of spraying it was still very powdery.
The wooden slat in the top picture rests on two kiln props so that I can rest my hand on it when painting the bowl so I don't touch it or mark it. This was the last bowl out of my damp cupboard so it's onto some new work tomorrow.

Rufford

2011-06-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

We've all now returned from Rufford. It was a good show but so exhausting! The weather was very good and the organisation excellent so that everything went very smoothly.
I have posted all the pictures I took which weren't very many and I've organised them in no particular order.
Hannah is above just coming to the end of her demonstration. I thought it was a difficult thing to do to stay calm and talk when you are concentrating on banding and slip trailing. It's fascinating seeing other peoples methods of working.
Chiu-i Wu ceramics was in the court yard where I was. I enjoyed the humour of her work.
Here's Doug watching his stand or are there some others watching his stand! Seriously though one of the good things about a pottery festival is meeting up with the other potters and having 'pot' speak. It's also very helpful and informative to talk to our audience of pottery buyers. It can be quite isolating working away in the studio and some how getting out to a festival refocuses the mind.

Tof Milway and his stand. (This one is just for Dan)! Tof's work is very vibrant. It is somehow very joyful pottery.
Jane Cox's stand was opposite mine, her work is perfection. The colourful glazes sang and the finish on her pots was exquisite.

Finally my stand. I was disappointed with my stand this time. I thought I would try something different to what I've done before but I don't think it worked too well.

Pots and garden

2011-06-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

The day started very overcast and grey but this afternoon the sun sneaked out. I took advantage of the light to take a few photos of the garden and this pot.
I am showing the same tureen from both sides. I didn't have enough time to 'arrange' the photo as I had to press on with work.
It never ceases to amaze me how I continually over estimate the amount of work I can do in a day. I thought I would take a bit of time at the start of the day to glaze a kiln load of pots before going on to sgraffito a bread bin. The glazing took all morning and into the afternoon with a short break to run a boy to his A level in politics.
I did manage to decorate the bread bin but I didn't stop until about 8 o'clock!

Work work work!

2011-06-10T02:39:00.000-07:00

Like most other potters I am busy getting work ready for the summer shows.
The first one is at Rufford. I have never been to the pottery festival before but I have visited the centre and enjoyed the sculpture park.
I've been for a swim this morning so really must get to work now!

In the studio

2011-05-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

Last week was a busy week. It was very broken up by various activities. I prefer to settle down to working in the studio and getting a good working rhythm.
Wednesday I had to go to London to apply for visas for my two eldest sons to go to China in the summer. Well having cued there I felt entitled to a trip to the V and A's ceramics galleries. Hence the plate above. I seem to see different things every time I go.
Last Saturday we went to Brighton to Artists Open Houses. I decided which ones I would like to visit without consulting the map. As a result we seemed to walk miles around Brighton.
The botanical curiosities above and the framed bugs are by Linsay Pol and Mark Oliver.
I thought they were humorous but also exquisitely done.
Back in the studio I've been working on some tureens. I am enjoying working on these. I wish I had a better camera so that I could take my own photos of birds. We get wonderful birds coming into our garden onto the bird feeders and plants. I have tried photographing them but my camera just isn't up to it!
Below are teapots that came out of the kiln on Thursday and some jugs that didn't make the grade for The Ancient Mariner.

Ancient Mariner

2011-05-10T01:42:00.000-07:00

Thought I would quickly photograph these whilst I remember. Last year I took very few photographs so I am trying to record what I do this year. I have not really got to grips with this theme in the way I would like to. I feel I am only now developing some ideas and it's time to move on. I have played fairly safe with these but wish I had been more humorous with the theme.

Playing with templates

2011-05-06T14:37:00.001-07:00

Today I was looking at this bowl. I made it many years ago when the children were little and I had very little time to pot. My work really starts in my sketch book and for some of the work I make templates. This is because when doing sgraffito mistakes can't be rectified so it's good to get the image in the right place. Also I like the process of making the templates. It tends to make me simplify the images. Even cutting them out helps to reduce them to a clear,simple image. Otherwise I think my work might get very detailed.
I have my trusty 'bird' scissors to aid in the process.
I had hoped to find the template for the ship in the bowl but I had thrown it away. But in looking for the template I realise that I have scores of templates. So I got some blu tac out and stuck some onto a sheet of paper.

I am thinking that I want to make a very large pot and put lots of these images on. Just have to get to grips with throwing large!

Another short week!!

2011-05-05T01:22:00.000-07:00

Just a quick peep at what I am doing this week. I took my eldest son back to university on Monday so yet another short week. My damp cupboard is yet again full of work waiting to be decorated so I must get out to the studio and get stuck in! Probably the biggest decision I may have to make today is what to select to listen to on the computer whilst I am working.

Work in progress

2011-04-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

This week the 3 boys have all been home for the Easter holidays. However, I have been able to get a full week of work done with only the occasional war cry of 'what is there to eat'! This is a first and shows they just must be getting older and more independent. ( They are, after all 20, 17 and 14).
I have been doing these insect bowls all week. They take quite a bit of concentration to get the drawings fairly accurate so that the insects are identifiable. I am always scouring 2nd hand book shops for good entomology books. I got two on ebay this week but neither of them had very good illustrations. One was really just a nostalgic memory from childhood because my parents used to buy me the Ladybird books on nature. I suspect my parents threw them away long ago! The other did have some interesting poems referring to insects so that might be useful.
The top picture shows my garden from the pottery-I thought I might record it throughout the summer to see how it progresses. I have very little time for gardening but I am hoping to enjoy as much time as I can in the garden this year.

Today I have been mostly...

2011-03-31T11:16:00.001-07:00

Many years ago I was fortunate to pick this book up cheaply. It's full of wonderful illustrations of a diverse selection of pottery. One of the pictures is of a pilgrim flask by Minton. I have searched the Internet extensively but can't find a picture of the same ones. Anyway, I decided that one day I would make my own as it looked like it was creating a good surface for illustrative decoration.
This week I decide to just experiment with making one.
I've put some photos of some pilgrim flasks below. One by Bernard Leach and I think that the others are by Minton.
The one I made has a number of 'parts' it went together quite easily. I would like to play with the idea some more when I can clear some time to explore the idea.

bowls

2011-03-18T15:07:00.001-07:00

These three bowls are ones I photographed at the British Museum recently. I am fascinated by the way script is incorporated using those scrolls.
The bowl above is what I've been working on today. I was supposed to be illustrating the Ancient Mariner but I don't know what came over me I just remembered this song from my childhood and it seemed quite cheerful and I just went in this direction! At 6:30 I had to stop and cook dinner so I haven't painted on the oxides and underglaze colours yet. All the green colour is just food colouring. I've been drawing ships all week and they don't seem to fit onto the bowls all that well- too many straight lines maybe. I'm going to try them on some larger jugs to see how they look on a more three dimensional vertical shape.

Ceramic Art London

2011-02-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

Today I've been to Ceramic Art London at the Royal College of Art. It was refreshing to get out and see such a diverse collection of ceramics.
I had hoped to be able to share some pictures of the work I saw but at the moment blogger isn't letting me put any more images up!
The images above are of work by Susan O'Byrne. They were quite tender ethereal animals which seemed to be made of tiny fragments of clay pieced together like a patchwork.
I also got to meet Clementina van der Walt. It's always interesting to meet other 'bloggers'.
One of the nice things about going to shows is that potters are happy for you to 'fondle' their creations. It is so much more informative to handle peoples work than to see pictures of it. So I've had a good time handling tea pots and bowls and feeling the texture of pots.
If I'd been able to buy anything I would have bought a tea pot by Akiko Hirai. I had never seen her work before and I really liked her aesthetic.
If you're in London the show is still on tomorrow.

Half-term

2011-02-23T01:35:00.000-08:00

It's half-term here so I am not getting as much work done as I need to. It is a good time to catch up with friends and get out and about though. I worked until late last night to get some of the work in the damp cupboard finished. The studios getting grid locked again with work at different stages so I need to do some glazing very soon.

Painting

2011-02-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

When I do have any 'free' time I try to spend it painting. My table is a bit small and cramped but I am glad to have found myself a corner!
Just lately I haven't managed to make time to paint as household chores seem to have eaten up my time. So I am making a note here to make more time to paint!!

Out and about

2011-02-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

This is a jug I was working with on Monday. This is just the first of a series that I am using a maritime theme on. It can take a while to work out the ideas on the pots because what works in the sketch book doesn't always immediately tranfer onto the pot.
After Monday I took a break as both Barnaby and Mark have time off.
So today we got out and about doing pottery related activities. A trip to Babylon Tile works and then on to Clay Cellar.
This mound of clay is straight out of the clay pit. Before it's made by hand into tiles it's put through two pug mills. The pugged clay is no good for my work as some sand is introduced into the clay. It is a beautiful plastic clay. You can see from the fired tiles that it fires to a rich warm red - just wonderful. I get quite excited about the clay in this state!
At Clay Cellar I indulged in a small quantity of lustre to experiment with. The day out has got me excited about getting back to work on Monday.

When we returned home the postman had left a parcel. It's a present to myself! A tea pot and a yunomi by Brandon Philips. I am thrilled with them, not only do they look good but they work perfectly as well. I wish the photo did them justice but I wanted Brandon to see they had arrived in one piece. ( Actually I think Brandon must have a degree in packaging they were wrapped so well)!

2011-01-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

Today I have been slipping pots and decorating. There seem to be pots everywhere and at every stage. This is quite good as the slip can be drying on one batch of pots whilst I am doing sgraffito on another batch. When the weather is as cold and damp as it currently is it takes two days to get slip on both the inside and outside of the jugs. The pot above is the 'naked' pot before it's coating of slip.

Before I draw onto the pots with sgraffito I mark out where the insects are going as errors can't be rectified. I really enjoy painting on the pots with food dye. I don't know why it gives me so much pleasure! But once the position of things is marked on I can do the sgraffito and then paint in the oxides. I do all the above to the accompaniment of the laptop. You can get any number of things to listen to now!

the jugs squence

2011-01-24T13:10:00.001-08:00

This jug is currently on ebay. These jugs were made in the Sunderland Pottery and feature many of the elements I like working with. They often had script and decorative motifs.

I thought I would record the stages of making a jug with a slabbed spout. These are based on 19th century industrial shapes like the one at the top.
I'm afraid this may be a bit boring but obviously I start with kneading , wedging and weighing the clay.
Then on to throwing. I've got some paper templates for the spout.

The spout is marked out before I cut out the shape. At this stage I had to take a break yesterday to do some glazing before the studio became grid locked. So I got a glaze firing on to create enough space to slip these jugs and some mugs.

2011-01-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week so not much time for blogging. I haven't made any jugs like the one at the top for a while so I decided to make a new batch. I think I threw 10 which are all now slipped and ready for decorating next week.
I had forgotten how much extra work is involved in adding the slabbed spout. I use a paper template for the spout but it's much slower than just pulling a pouring lip. I am looking forward to decorating them next week.

Back in the Studio

2011-01-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

I made another trip to the V and A last week. I had been hoping to do some drawing there but it was very cold. Even the people working in the galleries had hats, coats and gloves on. I find that little shard of sgraffito ware with the ladies head fascinating. It has confident fluid lines I can just imagine the potter sitting drawing through the slip.
The peacock below is also wonderful he fills the bowl perfectly.

On Wednesday the boys returned to school and so I'm back at work again. There were pots waiting to be glazed so I got them into the kiln. It was quite nice to start with work coming out of the kiln today as all ready there is work at almost every stage.
The two jugs below are from the clay excavated at the clay pit in Kent. I slatted the clay down and sieved it to remove the lumps of lime. It's a lot of work to then knead it all up. It is good to throw but it isn't compatible with my glaze. So far the glaze has splintered off the edges. So with these jugs I've used a commercial glaze. The good news is that clay, slip and glaze all look good. Though the clay burns through quite a lot. However, I've had this glaze in the back of a cupboard for years and the bad news is that the manufacturers don't make it any more.
I've got ideas for modifying my glaze but the problem only shows up on the curves like handles so it's quite a slow process to keep testing.

Christmas break

2010-12-23T11:55:00.001-08:00

I've stopped work in the pottery earlier than I had intended to as the boys are home from school. Their school closed early because of the snow.
However, I took a day off from domestic chores to have a day in London. There is still thick snow here and impacted ice so I wore walking boots and other suitable clothing but I must have looked a bit out of place in the V and A as the snow had cleared in London.
Rather than try to pack as much as possible into my visit which is my usual strategy I decided to spend my time in the Medieval and Renaissance galleries. I'm looking for the imagery they used apart from the obvious grand religious themes.
I like the look of these lions so they maybe putting in an appearance on next years pots. I wish I had the time to invest in making a ceramic aquamanile like the ones below.

Today Barnaby and Mark came for a walk with me. It's still very white and the snow crunched beneath our feet. We did a circular walk of about 7 miles. I'm not a great romantic so I must admit one of the best parts of the trip was the pub lunch at the pub below. It works out quite well as it's about half way round the walk!
It's pleasant to enjoy family time but I am ready to get back to work now- well perhaps I can fit in another trip to the V and A after all I never ventured into the ceramics galleries.

In the studio today

2010-12-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

I've had this old cupboard for years. Until now it's always held the 'potions' like oxides, lustre and essences. But I decided to repaint it and put a display into it. Some of the work I want to revisit and try to take further. I'm having a bit of a clean up so that I can start working on the next batch of pots.

Here are some bowls that I've tried some different approaches on. I'm not too sure that I like the background. I've grown so used to the cream slip that the blue doesn't really work for me. I may try using the bird drawings again on a cream background. I had also thought of using some gold lustre on them but that may be just adding too much to the cost of producing them.

Children's pottery

2010-11-25T12:37:00.000-08:00

I've been going into the local school after school on a Tuesday to do a pottery 'after school club' for them. The school is for children with special needs. This week I've just started getting some of their work through the kiln so here is the first batch.
They enjoyed making these figures so I hope that they will be pleased with the glazed work. The little chap above is a plumber and that's a pipe he's holding.
Farnham went really well. I took this photo when I unpacked some of the boxes but before I tweaked the arrangement. I had fully intended to take lots of photos this time so that I could think about improving my display for the next show but I totally forgot. All I have is this blurred picture.

Busy week

2010-11-18T12:05:00.001-08:00

This week has flown by. I glazed on Monday and repacked the kiln. I remember throwing on Wednesday. Last night I got the first coat of paint on these shelves and then another this morning. They may not actually look very big but unfortunately I can't lift them which means I am hoping some kind fellow potter will give me a hand tomorrow.
The bowls below are the insect bowls from last week. They are very small. I like the odd little beasties but it will be interesting to see if other people do! I could not get outside to photograph them as it has rained all day.

This little slab built pot is an 'idea'. It's only approximately 4 inches by 3. There are 'ideas' in odd corners all around my studio. I've had a piece of glass cut to fit the hole and the idea is that you can glimpse the contents of the box. I might try re-working the idea with a thrown box when I've got time. I think I might get a much better finish and the man at the glaziers tells me that they can cut round.

Preparation for Farnham

2010-11-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

I just managed to dash into the garden as the light was going this afternoon to take these pictures. I would have liked to take some more but the light went very quickly.
These are pots I've made to take to Farnham. When I decorated the insect bowls I timed the process and was amazed to find they took me well in excess of four hours each! That is after they were thrown, slipped, banded and turned.
After Farnham will be a good time to sit back and take stock of what I do before I start a new batch of work so maybe I won't be making too many of these.
I have shown both sides of the two casseroles below.
The blue tits are the ones I saw in my garden when they were clinging to the seed heads of the crocosmia. I am quite pleased with these and I don't think I can I can make the drawing lines any finer. The clay has burnt through just enough to give some warmth so that they aren't too clinical.
On a more mundane note I had to go to Ikea yesterday to get some spot lights for Farnham. It's cheaper to buy new ones every year than to have the old ones PAT tested. You can look up who else will be at Farnham at Art in Clay here.

Factoid

2010-11-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

Factoid - every insect has six legs.
I should know I've been drawing them all week! My handyman made me some new shelves and thoughtfully put in a narrow shelf for small pots. ( I didn't like to tell him I didn't have any small pots). I do now or hopefully will before Art in Clay Farnham next week-end. These bowls are tiny about 3 inches across.

Last week-end we went to the Horniman Museum in South London. These bronzes were beautiful. They are from Benin. But I had forgotten what a spooky place it is. They have a gallery full of stuffed birds and small animals ( the dead zoo some young pupils I taught called it). I was hoping to draw some owls but that gallery was closed for ' essential maintenance'.

Books and pots

2010-11-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Another reliquary out of the kiln this morning. I'm calling this one 'the birds and the bees'.
The tiles below are some tests I've done to work through some ideas. I'm not quite sure where I am going with them yet.
At the moment I am reading this book by Edmund de Waal and I am enthralled with it. It's a good read but also gives insight into the work of Edmund de Waal. I think it is amazing how things we have grown up knowing about infiltrate our work in all sorts of subtle ways.
I don't think I can do the book justice if I try to review it so read Claudia Clare's review on her blog .
Whilst I am talking about books here are some of the books I glean images from for my work. I often call in the Oxfam book shop and have bought quite a few there. If I use books in the pottery then I don't want to be too precious with them so buying them second hand feels good.
ConnieN left me an interesting link to a whole catalogue of useful photographs of wild life.

sketch book and GCSEs

2010-10-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

Normally my sketch book has just straight forward drawings that I work on to transfer into images for the pots. At the moment I am working on owls. What I am looking for are shapes that will fit into a landscape shape on the pots. Still got plenty of work to do on that yet.
However, my son has just started his art GCSE. So I thought I would try it myself to encourage him and feed him some ideas.
The first thing he had to do was alter the cover of his sketch book. I've built a sort of box on the front of mine to house one of my keys.
The next subject was leaves. As you can see I've looked at some ideas that don't need a huge amount of drawing skills. It's a long time since I taught what was then O levels and things have changed a lot since then.
Does anyone know of a good web site out there on this sort of thing just maybe mum helping, even at arms length, isn't too cool!

2010-10-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

I've been playing about with this cardboard template to work out some ideas for a reliquary. I was quite pleased with it and remembered just in time that I needed to make the templates bigger to allow for shrinkage. I'm calling it 'the birds and the bees'.

This is one of the casseroles out of the kiln this week. I am very poor at taking photos of my work and so often things go off and I realise too late that I haven't kept a record of them. Sometimes it's helpful to keep a record to go back to ideas and build on them. So today in the middle of cooking Sunday roast I shot outside into the sunshine to try and record this weeks firing. I only photographed this one though because I had to re-organise my priorities and rescue the lunch!

Inspiration

2010-10-08T03:08:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to multi-task this morning whilst awaiting the arrival of a new washing machine. Trying to clear space for the men to get the new machine in through the hall and clean the mess from the old one whilst cooking and blogging. You may not be surprised that it isn't working.
It's a beautiful day and when the sun comes out the garden is fluttering with blue tits. The other day they settled onto the seeds of the crocosmia and looked beautiful. I couldn't catch them on camera so I decided to put them onto the casseroles. They are such colourful, bright birds.
You have to look very carefully but you may just see them in the photos.

Whilst I'm in the house I am also planning on making some templates for a smaller reliquary. I'm hoping to get back out the studio this afternoon as I've still got jugs wrapped in polythene awaiting decoration.

West Wales

2010-10-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful break in West Wales for the week-end. This little harbour of Porthgain was within walking distance of where we were staying. We were able to walk there and then follow the coastal path around to the next village.

The vernacular architecture features these stone cottages, they seemed to nestle into the hillside. One of the industries in the area had been quarrying and this quarry has been flooded by the sea. It was breathtaking to see as we came over the hill and saw it below. Although you can't see it in the photo there was a seal bobbing about in the 'lagoon'.
It was a beautiful magical place and my head is full of images of ravens falling through the air over wind swept woods and waves breaking on craggy rocks.

Reliquary

2010-09-29T10:40:00.001-07:00

Here are pictures of the reliquary that came out of the last firing. The images are very blurred as I was in a great rush to shut up the studio today. We're off for a short break to St.Davids in West Wales tomorrow.
It is one of the most beautiful places in the country and I am hoping that the weather will be kind so that we can do some walking. I have loads of work that I should be doing but I am going to try to switch off so that I can enjoy the week-end.

kiln opening

2010-09-27T12:41:00.001-07:00

These are some of the pots that came out of the kiln on Sunday. Many of these have now travelled on to Iona House Gallery. It's been a busy day so I didn't take many photos so I'll come back to this firing soon.
I'm having a day trip to Origin tomorrow. I've got plenty of work I should be doing but I've reasoned that it will be good to see whats going on out there in London! I'll try to remember to report back.

Today's pots

2010-09-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is the reliquary I have been working on this week. I still feel that the idea is in it's infancy and I have quickly done some drawings today to try to remember some of the ideas |I want to work with. For now though I must turn my attention to the orders I have.
Tomorrow I must get back to throwing.
Also I need to get my car to the garage as it's developed a problem.

The bowl above is an order I did but I wasn't happy with the way the critters went around the rim. On the bowl above you can see how I've re-done it and worked the grasshoppers more into the middle of the bowl. I just hope it firers well.

Homework

2010-09-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

Usually I plan to do all my drawings and preparation in the evenings as 'homework' so that studio time can be spent actually working on pots. However, I failed in this today ( sometimes having four chaps in my life keeps me busy!)
So this morning I spent drawing. This was partly because I needed to do some drawings for the pot I am working on and also because I had to return this book to the library. I've really enjoyed using the book. The odd 'chap' at the top is a tiny image in one of the margins.
I forgot to take a photo of the pot I am working on so will have to do that tomorrow. Delivered the eldest son to university tonight - I'm afraid student digs haven't changed since I was a student!!

Books and pots

2010-09-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

I've been back in the studio for over a week now but there is'nt much to show yet. After giving the studio a good clean I fired the work left from August. This is one of the bowls. Needless to say that after just a day back at work the studio looked as though I'd never cleaned it.

The Holkham Bible Picture Book is one of my sources for imagery and today I received a facsimile of it. This has got to be easier than orderng it from the British Library. Their copy is a much older facsimile copy but I am not allowed to remove it from our local library. Now I can browse through it whenever I like.
I am wondering what imagery to use on my pots as I start a new batch of work. I do have a facsimile copy of the Luttrell Psalter from the British Library. In the past I have used images of everyday life from this book but this time I am making drawings from the smaller images in the margins. Here are a few in the Luttrell Psalter below. I am trying to get lots of drawings done of these to work onto my pots.

I am still recording feathers I have found. A jay passed through the garden earlier in the week and left me a beatiful blue feather - it was as if he knew I wanted one!

Potfest

2010-08-05T00:44:00.000-07:00

pots by Katrin Najorka and Christopher Zange
pots on the lawn by John Stroomer
sculptures by Christy Keeney

I had intended to take lots of photos of Potfest but I didn't leave my own stand much.
Here are just a few photos of other potters whose stands were quite near.
I really enjoyed the festival this year and although it's quite a long journey it all went very smoothly. I found talking to other potters very inspirational and have come away feeling very motivated to get further with my own work.
Meeting the other bloggers was a treat and I was surprised at how much of a connection there is between us through blogging. When I came away it felt as if I was saying good-bye to family! (You can check out Hannah and Christine's blogs for more photos.
Chris of Potfest has put a picture of every potter and their stand on Flickr. I think it gives a wonderful glimpse of each potter and their work - well worth checking out.
Next week we are off to a youth camp ( no I'm not the youth I'm cook and bottle washer). So no blogging or potting just yet.

Time to load up!

2010-07-28T04:23:00.001-07:00

Until a few weeks ago there was a cupboard under our stairs with a door to a dark space. One day with a little time to spare (and my husband had popped out ) I took a sledge hammer to the wall and opened up the space. It left some very unsightly holes but with some plastering and painting I've now got a usable little space.
Above are a few pots out of the kiln this morning. These need to be packed up for Potfest.
This is my notice board with pictures I used to work from for the box below. I'm dragging my feet today as I should be packing the van but I am hesitating in case I need to nip out to get some last minute things.

Rustic Shelves

2010-07-23T14:01:00.001-07:00

Well here are my rustic shelves. I don't know why owning a work-mate bench and a saw made me think I could build anything- after all owning a car doesn't make me think I can drive like Jenson Button. They certainly are rustic and oh so heavy it must be the most expensive 'pallet' ever created.
Now I can't decide whether to use them or not!

Experimenting with photos

2010-07-23T02:59:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking about how I would like my work to be photographed. I would like it to be contextualised more. I look at the photos in cookery books and I see exactly what I want. If you can have a look at Jonathan Lovekin's photos in Nigel Slaters books. The Kitchen Diaries has just the sort of moody inviting pictures that I want.
I don't know how to do it myself but I am certainly aspiring to a new look as I need some new images.
Off to make some rustic shelves now with raclaimed floor boards. DIY is not my strong point so here goes.

Potfest

2010-07-21T01:23:00.000-07:00

It is absolutely beautiful in the garden this morning. I was busy in the pottery until 10:30 last night finishing this box so I thought a slow start was OK this morning.

Potfest is fast approaching. There is plenty to browse through on their web site and they too have a blog.

Ongoing work

2010-07-12T12:44:00.001-07:00

Ceramics South East seems ages away now. There were very few people out and about and of those who were very few were buying pots. People appeared to be just looking more as if they were visiting a museum!
It was enjoyable meeting pottery friends and catching up with friendships old and new.
Today I had some jugs to finish and then it was onto some big shallow bowls. These were not on my list of things to make but I felt like making them. On Friday I had a desire to throw something bigger.
When I am throwing I think it's the best part of the process and enjoy the challenges it presents and the rhythm of working.
Today when I was decorating this bowl I thought decorating was the best thing. Having a blank canvas to work on, the immediacy of the lines, the feeling of the tool skating though the slip leaving a thin dark line.

This is one of the tureens I made a little while ago. It's not quite the shape I want but I will do some more. I need to work some more on the surface decoration as well as the form as I am not happy with the negative spaces.

Ceramics South East

2010-06-29T07:03:00.001-07:00

Here are the details for Ceramics South East for anyone who may want to pop along.
It's very hot in the studio as I fired a biscuit firing last night but I've got to get back and wedge some clay for throwing.

Business cards

2010-06-28T12:52:00.001-07:00

There always seems so many more tasks need to be done related to the pottery that aren't actually making pots! One of them this week was ordering business cards ready to go to Ceramics South East at Aylesford. I had left it fairly late and only got round to ordering them on Wednesday last week but they were with me on Saturday morning.
Below are a few cutlery drainers that need to packed to come to Aylesford as well. Ceramics South East starts this Wednesday and runs through to Sunday. It's in the Priory which is a very pleasant setting so I am hoping for good weather.

New Ceramics Gallery

2010-06-24T14:03:00.001-07:00

On Monday I made my second trip to the Chinese visa office. Not wanting to waste a god day out I went along to the Museum of London. I just made a bee line to the medieval section to look at the pots. There weren't a huge number and they were too dark for my camera to pick out. The two pictures above show some Tudor pots.
I was left feeling very disappointed and I couldn't help almost harbouring a sort of grudge against the curators and thinking that they might be keeping all the best pots hidden somewhere. (for their own pleasure of course)!
So not feeling I had my pottery fix I went along to the V and A as I remembered they were opening the next phase of the ceramics galleries.
Nothing had prepared me for the ballistic volley of pots that met me there. Never have I seen so many pots together. Floor to ceiling, room after room. I wasn't sure whether to jump up and down with excitement or to take cover.
Of course there are thousands of wonderful pots there so I will definitely return though I cann't help thinking that being vertically challenged I'll never see any of those pots on those high shelves.

( Just a footnote to let you know I returned to visa office today and successfully retrieved visa for one 14 year old to fly out to China).

Pottery Supplies

2010-06-20T00:14:00.001-07:00

On Thursday I surveyed the pile of biscuit ware and decided that I needed to get on and get some glazing done. When I looked into the glaze bin I was alarmed to find very little glaze left so Friday I had to go to my supplier and restock.
I get nearly all my materials from 'Clay Cellar' in Brentchley, Kent. It's run by Roger and Lindsey who have been looking after me for years. This time I was very restrained and only bought a few things but it doesn't matter how many tools I've got I still enjoy looking at the array of tools and materials. It's a very attractive part of the countryside where their shop is situated and you pass through very attractive Kent villages and orchards.
On Thursday I also realised that Ceramics South East is only two weeks away!! The list of things to do includes taking photos for cards, planning my display, making sure I have bubble wrap and bags etc. etc.

Tureen

2010-06-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Today I got side tracked from the orders I am doing to make this tureen. It's always a moment to hold your breath when applying slip but fortunately the handles have held their shape. Must go and clean myself up now as I never seem to avoid splashing myself with the slip.

books and magazines

2010-06-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

When it comes to pottery I am still like a child in a sweet shop. I am attracted to anything made with clay, doesn't matter if it's good 'taste' or not. So when I saw this book in a charity shop I was delighted and took it home to read (look at pictures ) with a cup of coffee.
It's full of wonderful ornate and sometimes bizarre pieces. I was attracted to the tureens, partly because the book says that people no longer use tureens. A quick look on ebay confirmed that this may be true as there are thousands on for sale!
I am afraid to say I did buy one myself on ebay. Why? you may well ask, particularly as it isn't all that attractive. Well the stamp on the bottom says 'Brampton Burslem' ! It clearly had my name on it.
I am now working on making some tureens. The idea of making something more as a centre piece that people may not use interests me also the idea that it is in some way part of a special, ceremonial meal is interesting. As you can see from the bottom picture I also bought a ladle.
Below is a page from May's edition of Homes and Gardens. I bought it on a whim but was taken with this modern take on the ladle by Rachel Holian.
You don't necessarily need to buy a 'ceramics' magazine to find plenty of inspiration!

Schools Work

2010-06-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I returned the finished pottery to the school I visited before half-term. There were two sessions with children in different age groups so I decide to glaze them differently. The top two pictures show work by the younger group which I glazed with a white earthenware and added a bit of colour to bring them to life.
The last picture is by the older group they were ( I think) 9 - 10 year olds. These I slipped and added a bit of colour, they have a clear glaze. There were far more pieces of work but I thought I would just show you a sample. To me the children's work always looks such fun and they always enjoy the whole process.
I think we definitely need time to 'play' with clay!

Half-term

2010-06-08T00:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week with the boys at home and different chores to do. Yesterday I had to go to London to get my son a visa to travel to China ( a task that was not successfully completed! )
Nevertheless, I rewarded myself with a trip to The V and A. I get excited about so many different objects. After the usual salivating over the slipware I found these more everyday objects with designs by Eric Ravilious. They have given me ideas for future work!

We spent the week-end in Wales at it was my parent's 60th wedding anniversary so we called into St. Fagans. This wassail bowl was displayed in a dark corner in one of the houses.
On the last day of term I taught at a local school for the morning. I had two groups of children to work with. They are children considered gifted and talented as schools have to make special provision for them. They were a most wonderful group of students but I couldn't help thinking that all children should have access to the delights of working with clay. It is one of the most engrossing activities and I have never yet met any children of any age who didn't become completely absorbed making things.

Need to make some space!

2010-05-26T14:46:00.001-07:00

My studio is very small and at the moment it seems to be cluttered up. A good clean up is needed. Part of the problem is that the weather has been so hot I have been reluctant to fire the kiln as it is in the studio and it makes it exceedingly hot for working and the ongoing work is drying too fast.

One of the things I like to make are colanders. Although I must have made a large number over the years I still like to make them. It's the challenge of making something that is good to hold and functions as it's meant to and looks good as well.

This is the door from the garden to the studio. I only have to walk a few feet from the house to work. When the weather is as warm as it has been I enjoy working with the door open onto the garden. This week I have been able to sit in the garden to eat my lunch which is such a simple thing but one I enjoy immensely.

Work in progress

2010-05-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

I quickly snapped these photos tonight before I closed up the studio. Just to record that there is work in progress.
I'm using the images from the Luttrell Psalter on these jugs. They never fail to fascinate me. I like the wonderful graphic lines. The clothing in particular has great linear qualities. I sgraffitoed away for about eight hours with only a quick lunch break so by the end of the day my eyes were sore so when my husband suggested a trip to our local I was glad of a change of scene!

McGill Duncan Gallery

2010-05-06T00:28:00.000-07:00

I am busy decorating jugs this week out in the studio. I've enough thrown and slipped to keep me busy all this week and probably into next. I am also working hard decorating on the home front. It's a tedious business but the house was in need of an extreme spring clean. Sanding paintwork must be one of the most thankless chores but I am encouraging myself by saying that it will all be worthwhile when it's finished.
Zoe and Jill at McGill Duncan Gallery will have some of my pots in an exhibition soon. I feel particularly attracted to the lino cuts by Hilke Macintyre.

Kiln opening

2010-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

I unpacked the kiln this morning and as you can see the sunlight was flooding the studio. It was very pleasant but made working quite challenging as the bowls I was working on were drying far too quickly.

The last few pieces of work on the Alice theme have only just made their way through the kiln.

When the children were little I taught in adult education. I didn't have a car then and would jump into the car as my husband came in from work and he could take over the household. I really enjoyed it and I think it was often a welcome break from child rearing!
I taught for 9 years until East Surrey closed all their pottery departments. Then some of the people I taught came to my studio for their weekly pottery 'fix'. Recently, however, I have found that I have been competing for time and space in the studio, so at Easter I finished the classes.
These last two pots are all that is left and are awaiting pick up. In total I have taught two nights a week for 13 years!!
I've met many lovely folk and made some good friends but now I am looking forward to more time and space in the studio.

Come to tea with Alice

2010-04-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

It's an afternoon of sharp spring sunlight. Perfect for afternoon tea. You may wish to join us for cakes and tea, of course Alice may just pop in (she has a habit of inviting herself to tea).

'Alice' gone to my head

2010-03-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

The queen of tarts she made some .......
....hearts all on a summers day ................
the knaves of hearts he stole those tarts ..and took them quite away..

Doesn't sound quite right!

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

I am just coming to the end of my time working on the theme of 'Alice'. I am quite sad to leave the theme as I have enjoyed working with the idea. Normally I try to keep ahead with the ideas I am exploring in my sketch books. Above is a drawing that I have never used and my head and sketch book are full of ideas that I want to explore. I am never in the position of looking at a pot and wondering what I am going to do with it in terms of decoration.
With 'Alice' I have been in a different position where I am almost behind with the drawings. I have been drawing my 13 year old son to get some ideas for how Alice might look in different situations. (I decided that drawing the 16 or 19 year old would be no good or Alice would look like a hairy gorilla!) Good job they never read the blog!!
I have also refered to the original drawings by John Tenniel as they are images I remember from my childhood.

After working on the drawings I have made templates. I didn't use all of them but they are very useful as you cann't correct mistakes with sgraffito. I use them to place the images on the pots.
Here is a glimpse of a few more finished bowls.

We went to see the film 'Alice in Wonderland' withJonny Depp last Sunday and now I am looking for Alice everywhere. We saw the film in 3D. I haven't been to the cinema for years and it gave me motion sickness- the screen was massive. When we got home I was glad to go for a walk around the lake to clear my head. But I couldn't help thinking that there might be a hole some- where near these tree rooots that Alice might just fall down.
Next week it will be back to making colanders and jugs.

Kiln Opening

2010-03-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the pots out of today's kiln opening. One of the bowls with Alice in Wonderland. I am really enjoying pursuing this theme and would like to do far more drawings around the story. It is such a wild and slightly sinister book.
I am not so happy with the bowl below. I think it is too brightly coloured and prefer the one underneath. So I won't continue with all the colours but stick to a more limited range of colours.
Had to get the kiln straight back on with a biscuit firing.

Present

2010-03-06T12:58:00.000-08:00

Mark brought me a present home on Friday.(A very rare and unusual thing for him to do).It's such an odd and funny present as the bee sings a little fan wizzes away at the front. What could I say to such a gift- clearly every menopausal woman should have one!

I'm reading....

2010-03-04T01:42:00.001-08:00

I've borrowed this book from the local library. The library is very small and only has restricted opening hours added to which they have no pottery books. However, they will get you any book you want! A wonderful service. This book is quite a hefty fella and has page after page of pictures of pots. It is just made to thrill and excite people like me. (The rest of my family just roll their eyes).
I'm particularly interested in the sgraffito ware but also it's informative to look at the shapes of pots. The jugs in particular. I think the next place on my growing list of places to visit must be the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. I've never been there but that is where all these pots are resident.

Friday-Again!

2010-02-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

This week has flown by. John over at Imagine gallery mentioned that he has invited me to contribute some work to his 'Alice' exhibition. So I started on Monday with throwing bowls. Tuesday they were slipped and Wednesday they were turned. So Thursday they were ready for decorating.
In the meantime I got a copy of Alice from Amazon (cost 1p plus postage!) I don't think I've actually read the book since I was a child. The new copy I've bought seems to have the same illustrations I remember from childhood by John Tenniel. Also I've had to work on drawings, something I enjoy doing. The first two bowls I've pictured here. They are very straight forward to get me into thinking about the theme.
Then this morning as I ran around the shops in Reigate I noticed this display in the optician's window. I found it quite amusing. Kitty Shepherd posted some window displays on her blog. Tim Burton's film has been in the news all week so it's 'Alice' all round.

Half-term

2010-02-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

We've spent the first few days of half-term with my parents in Wales. They live quite close to the Botanical Gardens of Wales (that is as the crow flies). We once walked there but there is a dual carriage way between them and the gardens. My sons still have not forgotten the walk and the dash across the dual carriage way! Suffice to say these days we take the car and just walk around the gardens.
Much of the garden is housed in this giant glass dome. Ten years ago when the gardens were first opened it all looked very raw and barren. Now it all looks very lush and verdant.

On a visit to Carmarthen we popped into a gallery- Oriel Myrddin Gallery.
We were greeted by some wonderful glass. Unfortunately my picture does not do it justice as it sang out with the light passing through it. Check it out on Ammanda's blog.

Friday

2010-02-12T09:42:00.001-08:00

Whew!! It's Friday.
A quick run through of the day goes like thike this-
Make sandwiches for 3 chaps
Run 2 boys to school
Swim 20 lengths in the local pool
Find parking space and dash to the shops for 1 bag of shopping.
Unpack 5 plates from kiln and various other pots.
Decorate last big shallow bowl (See top picture)
Make dough for 4 (or more) pizzas.
Now I am anticipating opening a bottle of red wine to go with those pizzas and having a relaxing evening by the wood burning stove!!
Happy Friday everyone.

After-School Club

2010-02-11T14:08:00.001-08:00

A local school for children with learning disabilities has asked me to run a pottery club after school for five weeks. Here are a few of their jolly figures. I think they reflect the fun the students had making them. I was told that the school invited students who were not involved in any other schoool activities if they would like to join the club. They all took their work home very proudly.
The plates below are some of the ones I threw the other week, but I realise I am very behind in recording things as some of these are allready finished and fired. Will try and take my camera out to the studio tomorrow!

Aquamanilia

2010-02-04T14:43:00.001-08:00

Today I picked up a wonderful book from the library on aquamanilia. These amazing objects were made from the 12th century through to the 15th century. Although all the vessels in the book are made of metal using the lost wax casting system there would have also been pottery aquamaniles. I imagine that it is only the metal ones that survived. As with many other objects I suspect that richer families had these fabulous metal ones and poorer folk had copies in pottery. Anyway, I would like to make a slipware one when I can spare the time from my usual production. They come in a vast array of forms from birds, horses and lions.
The book is titled'Lions, Dragons and other Beasts Aquamanilia'.

Plates

2010-01-28T09:38:00.001-08:00

Can't quite get blogger to to what I want today!!
I returned to the V and A yet again the other day as I was meeting someone for lunch in China Town. It was a Saturday and to my amazement it was even busier than on the previous Sundays. It's beginning to get the air of Barry Island on a miners' bank holiday!!
The pot below is quite odd it's an upside down pot. You can only set it down when you have drunk your ale because the bottom is the man's hat. A novel idea.
I am working on plates this week but as I cann't get any more pictures to upload will have to post them another time.

Santa braves the snow !

2010-01-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

The snow has really persisted here and even yesterday the children were sent home from school! But never fear Santa made his way to our house! It's unheard of for any post to reach us before lunch time but Santa knocked on the door first thing in the morning. I was still in the bath and before I could even dry Mark had opened the parcel. He immediately took possession of the bowl saying it was perfect for cereals! As I don't eat cereals (and he does) I think I can see where he's going with this!!
Lovely bowl by Ron. I have been studying the foot which is beautifully turned and I may have to try to refine mine now. Thanks Ron. I think Secret Santa has been a good idea and has helped us make tangible connections with each other.

A few bowls out of the glaze firing this week. Have had to get on and do some firings just to stay warm.

Defeated?

2009-12-31T05:55:00.000-08:00

Defeated - by a birds nest! I found this birds' nest in a climbing passion flower right outside our front door. I was so taken with its delicacy and intricacy that I thought I would record it. But it has proved very difficult to capture its complexity.
I've also recorded a few fragments from the garden.
A couple of days ago we made a trip to the British Museum again. Here's the new Chinese Ceramics gallery.
They certainly do embody it with a sense of the sacred and inspire an atmosphere of awe and preciousness. I don't think anyone spoke in more than a whisper. The shere number of wonderful glass cases and dimmed lighting are very effective.
What happens to the old fashioned glass cases with wooden frames that every museum had when I was a child. There should be a museum for old museums!
As wondreful as this gallery was it wasn't attracting the number of visitor the rest of the galleries were commanding. I don't ever remember seeing so many people in a museum. Have they become the destination for everyone on a Sunday afternoon?

A few objects from the Medieval gallery. The aquamaniles facinate me and although I would like to make one I don't suppose they would be saleable.

These two jugs only just made it to their new homes before Christmas as we were snowed in. There is quite a steep hill out of Merstham and it was impassable. The jug on the left had shimmering on the top rim which was a shame. They were made with the Kent clay with all its grit and bits.
Hope everyone has a good new year. I am looking forward to all the new pots to come in 2010!!

Glazing today

2009-12-14T13:52:00.001-08:00

I have been working with the Kent clay again. These jugs are thrown from the clay with out any processing. It's got all sorts of bits in it- some of them quite large. (When they sliced the clay up at Babylon tiles they took out a lizard! That would have given me quite a surprise when I was throwing!) Of course this makes the finished pots quite rough and robust.
Nevertheless it throws beautifully and is a joy to work with.
I still have another batch of the clay left which I slatted down and sieved. It was a lot of work to yield a fairly small batch of clay. I kneaded it up today and it's a wonderful amber, gold colour and completely smooth. I'm looking forward to throwing it. I may be able to throw much thinner.
I tried to get a medieval feel into the top two pots, but I think the thumbing looks a bit as though the jug's wearing a skirt! The medieval jugs in the V and A had sprung bases, I think that the bases may have been added later. Anyone got any ideas about that?

Another pot!

2009-12-08T03:08:00.001-08:00

With all the pots in the ceramics gallery of the V and A I always feel like a child in a toy shop and almost want to run from one glass case to another! But this big pot attracted my attention, partly because Godstone is very near to where I live, though I don't know what Pear water is!
I was drawn by that wonderful flowing script.
Where do all the old pots end up? They must have turned these out by the score, possibly in Fulham for various manufacturers in the area. Surely this cann't be the only one to survive?

The V and A

2009-12-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we spent the day at The Temple of the Applied Arts (so named by Claudia Clare ). I was keen to see the new Medieval and Renaissance galleries.It is a homage of polished marble and shiney glass cabinets. It's a theatrical display of some of the most precious and ornate objects from this period. I had not imagined the galleries would be nearly so extensive.
Given that many of the objects had religious significance and may once have been thought of as sacrosanct there was a general air of holiday jollity.
The galleries were thronging with chattering Sunday visitors. They seemed incongruous in the vaulted spaces. I almost expected a sacred silence and people filing through as in a religious procession as they venerated the objects of devotion.
But no, not at all- children played hide and seek around the tryiptytchs, a granny was fast asleep on a bench and a child or two were splashing in a fountain. there was a bubbling of voices as people chatted and laughed and babies cried.
I would like to go again soon but perhaps when it's not so busy. There was a set a round stained glass windows that were too high to photograph that I would like to work into some plates.

I had not intended to visit the ceramics galleries but couldn't resist By this time the boys had gone off in search of the Comics' Museum and the British Museum so I had another tour of the ceramics galleries. The bottom picture is of one of the figarines in the gallery but the picture below is a piece by David Cleverly in the museum shop. I thought it was good to see someone still working in that genre - fun.

2009-11-23T00:47:00.000-08:00

I'm just catching my breath this morning before launching into today's tasks.It's been a busy week-end in Farnham. I had intended to take lots of photographs of people's work but I must have been chatting too much and only took the few above. The ones at the top are of Nichola and Tony Theakston's animal sculptures.
My son helped me man the stall on Saturday and did a great job. I think I need to take him to all the shows with me. As ever all the work was of a high standard and very diverse. It was good to meet lots of new people and catch up with some old friends.

Something fishy

2009-11-17T14:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some plates out of the kiln this week. I enjoyed playing around with these. I've used dots of wax resist on the bottom one which has produced a fun texture.
Today I packed a glaze firing with some test pieces. I am trying out some Spencroft clay so it will be interesting to see how it compares to my usual clay. Will be able to open it on Thursday.
Tonight I have been kneading clay from the clay pit in Kent. If I've got time I may throw some tomorrow but I've got quite a few chores to do ready for Farnham at the week-end.

Half-term break

2009-11-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some pots from the last firing. I really enjoyed making the caseroles. They provide a good vertical surface to work on. I like having writing on the pots but I couldn't think what to put on the jugs - milk seemed a bit obvious!

We did a quick dash to Wales at the end of half-term. There was an exhibition at Oriel Myrddin in Carmarthen by Edwina Bridgeman. It was a fun, inventive and whimsical orchard. It was created from charity shop finds. Made me want to scour charity shops and create my own world.
Unfortunately my photographs don't do the work justice.

It was great to get the boys away from their computers and games into the fresh air. I told them we were going to visit a castle (Castle Carreg Cennen) but when they saw it they said 'that's just a heap of stones!' The veiws were wonderful and it was a warm autumn day with glowing colours.
Had to finish early today to get the car after it's MOT. I haven't had the bill yet but I need it for Art in Clay at Farnham in a few weeks.

Dinner?

2009-10-09T14:02:00.001-07:00

Come to dinner- the table's laid and the food prepared. Friday evening is always a time to relax and unwind. I started the day with a swim. (Have to be in and out before the school children come for their lessons). A quick dash to the bank and the shops for some food shopping and home to decorate some pots.
I use a mixture of sources to find the images I want. Some from books others from my sketch books. These pots always take much longer than I expect but I do enjoy doing them. I was surprised to find that I'm down to my last bag of clay!! So I'm off to my supplier first thing in the morning armed with a long shopping list.

images

2009-10-02T13:32:00.001-07:00

As much of my imagery in my current work has included bees and beetles I thought I would keep a look out for the images on other products. I thought it would be easy to find a number of items. I did find a beetle set in resin which has the most lustrous colours when the sun catches it but apart from that the only other use of a bee I found on a bottle of beer! Of course I had to buy some to add to my meager collection and obviously I had to sample the contents. (I call it research and dedication to the cause).
Has any one out there found bugs and beetles on any art work or products?

Brampton pots!

2009-09-23T05:09:00.001-07:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by sgraffito2003

Thought I'd post these images that I have been using this year because I need to create a new set for the coming years applications.

Sunday Ceramics

2009-09-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a beautiful soft, warm Autumnal day. Perfect for a trip to London. First stop The Victoria and Albert Museum to see the newly re-opened ceramics galleries. It was a very quick visit so we only got the flavour of it. The two pots above are from Cyprus and really got my attention.
I will take a day off at some stage for a return visit to have a good look.
I've put the two pictures in below just to give you an idea of just how many pots were crowded together. There were displays where pots were given more space and prominence but many were in close proximity.
I think that there are more galleries to be opened one featuring British pottery maybe later in the year.

From the V and A we dashed to Brick Lane for some lunch and on to the Geffrye Museum. Our main objective was to see Hannah. Her display looked good and it was good to catch up with a fellow blogger. Although our work looks different we both work with slipware and it's all ways good to compare notes. By the time we got home I was exhausted but it was a fun day out.

Still working

2009-09-18T02:28:00.000-07:00

I'm having a late start this morning as a clean up operation was needed in the pottery. The boys are on an inset day (when they were small they used to call it an insect day!) I've had the vacuum out there to make sure there isn't too much build up of dust. The little bowls are all tests for ideas. Don't know if the lustre on the insects will show up in the pictures. Thy are quite dark so I will try omitting the oxide painting underneath. At first I wasn't at all impressed and felt totally underwhelmed but then I carried one outside to put tomatoes in. As the sunlight caught the lustre it looked glorious. So I will try a few more tests.

Packed the kiln for a biscuit this morning but these are the pots that wouldn't fit in! There are a few more on the shelves too so I'd over estimated the capacity of the kiln. I think I need 2 kilns!!
Son number 1 has just put his music on the whole house is pounding so I must get back to the pottery quickly!!!

Back to work

2009-09-03T14:38:00.001-07:00

Just sorting out my 'to do' list before I started work this morning. It's a pleasant way to start with a cup of coffee.
I've been so keen to get back to work that I didn't tidy the studio before I started! Now there is stuff everywhere. Finished bowls drying and bowls in polythene ready for decoration.
And these tiny bowls that I've got through the glaze firing in a hurry to use them as test pieces for applying some lustre. How will that go? Don't know will have to wait and see. Hopefully the lustre will come in the post tomorrow.
Two boys are back at shool and one to go!!

Events

2009-08-21T01:36:00.000-07:00

I bought the tankard on the right on ebay recently. I recognised it as being by the same potter who made the puzzle jug. I don't know any more about him now than I did before. His name was P.C. Brown and worked in Gloucestershire. I bought the tankard in about 1970 when I was a student and knew nothing about slipware.
For anyone in London on the week-end of 18th of September there some interesting ceramic event. Of course Hannah is at Ceramics in the City at the Geffrye Museum and there is also the opening of the ceramic galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Day trips

2009-08-18T00:34:00.001-07:00

On Friday my youngest son and I went to London. We had a meal in China Town before heading for the newly opened Medieval gallery in The British Museum. It was inspirational. It's almost like going into a church because it's somehow imbued with a sense of awe and sacredness. Odd in many ways because although many of the objects would have religious connections equally many would have been used in everyday life. I think the potters would be amazed to see their pots in this setting and not filled with ale on some rustic table. There were large jugs with lively applied decoration. There is one below with low relief modelling of a hunting scene.
I particularly like the small sgraffito bowl from Cyprus.

I've also included a few pots from the 18th century gallery.
Last Thursday I went to collect more clay from the clay pit. There is something wonderful about seeing the clay at source. The pit above is now a pond and teeming with large fish. As I approached the water I was very surprised to see the fish approaching us.
The clay on the trolley is fresh out of the pug mill and on its way to be turned into Kent peg tiles. What a sight though all that soft, plastic warm coloured clay.
This is the pile of clay mine has come from. I thought I might follow the pots from clay pit to finished pot. The clay appears to contain plenty of coarse grit but the grit is in fact lime. I have to remove the lime or it will blow out of the pot or bits will flake away where the lime is embedded. Last time I wedged and kneaded it extensively and picked out as much as I could but this time I am thinking of slatting it down and sieving it. If anyone has any ideas please pass them on.

Pots in the Park

2009-07-27T09:45:00.001-07:00

Potfest in the Park was a wonderful week-end of pots and pot talk. In fact I obviously talked too much because I took almost no photographs! We did get a view of one of the lakes on Saturday evening. I had never been to that part of the world before so I did want to get a view of the water. It is a very beautiful area and we were blessed with some wonderful sunsets. Mostly I was at my stall and I never even saw all the other stands which seems such a shame when there were so many good pots and excellent potters there.
Mathieu van der Giessen was diagonally behind me so I enjoyed handling his slipware. I bought some plates from him that I am going to use daily. I bought quite a bit of pottery that I am looking forward to using in the kitchen.

I should have taken some photos of my stand at the beginning of the week-end as it's looking a bit bare here. I found the week-end very motivational and it was good to meet Christine as I feel I know her through her blog. I would very much like to be getting straight back into the studio but I've got a fortnight off now . A week to prepare for a youth camp followed by the week cooking at Newday.

This weeks news

2009-07-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

The wassail bowl above was meant to be for the competition at
Pots in the Park. The title of the competition is 'cultural connections'. Being from Wales I made all the connections and culture Welsh. But sad to say that there is shimmering on the edges so it won't be coming with me to Penrith. Unfortunately I did it when the weather was hot and it was drying up too quickly.

This is the view of the garden from the studio. With the kiln on the room gets very hot so I have to keep the door open. On Saturday we went to visit friends in Deal as it was their Open Studio .My friend ,Annie Spencer-Smith is a photographer and specialises in black and white photographs. She has included my pots in some of her work. I am thinking of using some of them as part of my backdrop at Pots in the Park.
The pier is at Deal. The weather was glorious and we were able to enjoy our lunch on the beach. Though that was probably the only bit of the day that two teenage boys enjoyed! Being escorted to artists studios was not their idea of fun!

Family news

2009-07-09T00:39:00.001-07:00

We've had a week off to do some family things. Last Thursday we waved my daughter and her husband off as they flew out to Singapore on their way to China. They plan to emigrate to China so they have enrolled on a two year language course in Xian. The photo shows us all together before they left.
On the Friday we travelled to Wales to spend some time with my parents. The weather flicked from hot and wonderful to very wet and cold! Still we got out and about between the downpours and visited beaches, gardens and galleries.
Yesterday I got back into the studio and onto the wheel. Today it's slipping and turning.

Aylesford number 3

2009-06-29T09:24:00.001-07:00

Jut a few more photos from Aylesford. Mark and I both liked Nick's work. Always good when we both like someones work as often we go for different things.
Three potters competed to throw the most pots in an hour to break the Guiness Book of Records.
Billy pictured above threw 150 (pictured behind him). The previous record had been in the 80s.

Aylesford day 2

2009-06-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

I realised when I returned to Aylesford this morning that I hadn't taken any pictures of my own stand. Miri had also picked up on that!
The weather has been brilliant so it has been a relaxed day. Plenty of people to chat to-folks buying and other potters. It's been an opportunity to catch up on old friendships and make new friends.
The community of potters must be one of the most generous and interesting ones. It's certainly the most inclusive group of people I have ever been involved with. Back tomorrow for the final day. Chatting to others has also made me think of avenues I want to explore with my own work. It's been stimulating and motivating. I think I need to get some of my thoughts down in writing whilst they are still fresh in my mind. Notebook out or just an early night?

Aylesford

2009-06-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we set up at Aylesford in glorious hot weather. Today has continued the same with blue skies and beautiful hot summer weather. I forgot about my camera as I was glad to sit down and read The Ceramic Review and chat to people as they passed by. So I quickly snapped these few stalls on my way out tonight. Clever Nicola Gladwin is actually in Rufford so her sister-in-law was caring for her stall.
The bottom stand is Philip Revell's and I must confess I succumbed to two of his mugs.
We came home promptly to get son number 2 to the leavers ball. Son number 1 organised himself to get to an 18th birthday party!!
Aylesford is still on Saturday and Sunday so I am hoping this weather holds up.I would have liked to get to Rufford which is also on this wek-end. Hannah and Doug are there. Also one of my pottery heros is there- Geof Fuller. I would have liked to see his work.