Week-end sale

I've spent most of the week-end in The Palm House nursery in Ham. It's been an enjoyable time in spite of the weather. The owners of the Palm House did an excellent job of organising a fun week-end but who would have guessed we could have such weather in April. The M25 was mayhem this morning as it had not been gritted and the snow, ice and fog were leathal. Anyway, with the weather being so bad we moved our stalls into the glass houses. Most of my customers were people who had bought my pots before and it was good to meet them all again.

This wonderful Griffin is on the roof of Emma and Martin's cottage at The Palm House. You can just see some of their olive trees in the foreground they were very attractive. I'm now recovering with a glass of red wine and planning my next batch of pots.(I liked that mug by Cardew that Andrew had on his blog).
Has anybody got any pictures of Doug's show? It sounded excellent.

This week's pots

This is my notice board - if you look closely you can see my invitation to the private view of Doug's show at the Harlequin Gallery next week. I'm looking forward to that.
I took this bowl out of the kiln this week and thought I would share it with you as I showed it earlier as I was working on it.

These two jugs came out of the same firing. I am not sure if I like this shape as much as the jug below. The one below is the last left from a batch I made before Christmas and I think I prefer the taller freer shape where I have left some of the throwing lines. I like to have some of the brown clay showing through the slip even if it is just in small breaks. I haven't got to grips with taking photos yet but it gives some idea of the work out of this week's firing. Infact, because I teach some classes from my studio, I am firing my kiln 3 times a week at the moment.

A blast from the past

Yesterday I threw the parts to make some teapots so I've got to get a move on today and get them all assembled. I dug these old teapots out that I made in about 1976. Not anything like my current work- except maybe that rabbit on the lid!!

Yet more children's work

Here's a template I've cut ready to decorate a large bowl. The drawing below is where the idea started. I use templates for the more illustrative images as I can be sure to get them in the centre of the bowl.

When I felt I couldn't draw another bee, beetle or butterfly I went out for a walk to find some feathers. I didn't manage to find many and the rain came down in the bargain so I got quite wet. We live just five minutes walk from a nature reserve with three lakes. The lakes were created by excavating for sand. Now the excavation is finished there are some attractive lakes and-here's the point-birds! Anyway they weren't obliging enough to leave any feathers. I think the few I did collect were once pigeon.
The feathers I drew into a sketch book and then worked directly from the drawings onto a few bowls.


The children who came to my pottery class made these Easter baskets. It was a bit of a rush last week to get them all fired and filled with chocolate eggs and bunnies in time for Easter. I was dashing around Thursday afternoon delivering them.
This little chap is by a 10 year old boy who has never used clay before. For a first attempt I think it is delightful and it was a joy to see his face when he saw it fired and glazed.

More bowls

Our computer died on Monday so there wasn't much blogging last week. (Possibly two minutes silence will not go amiss here!) The good news is that my husband did his knight in shinning armour thing and came home on Wednesday with a wonderful new computer. I haven't quite got to grips with it yet but I thought I would put on another of my insect bowls. I originaly got the idea when I borrowed a book from the library called 'Cabinet of Natural Curriosties' by Albertus Seba. Gay asked if I draw it out first-but on these I don't I just draw straight onto the bowl. When it comes to the lettering though as I get near to the end of the space I fill in the letters in felt tip pen to make sure I don't end up with an unfinished word. Of course the felt tip burns away in the firing being water based.

working methods

This is my work table this afternoon. Last week I realised that this bowl with the insects was the last I had of it's kind and thought I would make some more. When I sgraffito these I work straight from the pictures in the book and don't do any preliminary drawings.
The very fact of thinking about these to put on the blog has made me aware of just how long each one is taking to complete. I think that just to decorate each one is taking me in excess of two hours! I still have at least 5 bowls in the damp cupboard and as many jugs. I may have to give this more thought!!
I am really looking forward to getting back onto the wheel next week. Maybe making somethings with less decoration.
I took an hour off this morning to visit my local gallery and pick up a copy of Ceramic Review. The most interesting thing I've noticed so far is that Hannah won a book! Maybe I need to give it more serious attention when I haven't got a glass of red wine to hand.

Ceramic Art London

I visited Clay Art London on Saturday.It was fun to be released from the studio for a day and see lots of wonderful pots. I had hoped to take photos like our roving reporter Andrew as I had enjoyed his report from the week before, but photography was not allowed! Anyway I enjoyed myself talking to potters and looking at work on all ends of the ceramic spectrum. I met Paul Young again and thought his stand was superb. I bought I small jug by Josie Walter as I loved the creamy slip against the dark grogged body.I've put it here with some of my jugs and of course one of Doug's. Sorry the photo doesn't do justice to the pots. My favourite pot of the exhibition wasn't for sale it was a wonderful, very large jug by Clive Bowen on the information desk.