Farnham Art in Clay

I enjoyed a day out at Art in Clay today.It's good to see other people's work but also it was good to meet up with old and new friends. I was able to meet Andrew which was good as we follow each others blog.
This is for Hannah just to show that we met Niek and Pim and passed on her regards. That's an excellent jug there just in front of Pim. It's always motivational to see other potter's work.

photographs

This week has seen me trying to get some 'good ' photographs taken. I know almost nothing about photography but I didn't let that deter me! I set up a backdrop in the studio and gathered all the lamps I could lay my hands on. If a good photograph could be taken by sheer determination I was going to get one. But I have to say for all my determination the photographs weren't very inspiring. (I've seen those ones they use in food photography where an egg and a cracked bowl look good.You know the sort).
Anyway, after spending some time on the enterprise I packed up. Then a glimmer of sun came out and in my welly boots I rushed into the garden armed with camera and pots. I was sliding about in the mud but still determined took a few pictures.
Today I have been throwing and slipping. I've had to finish for the day as I've run out of space. My studio is quite small. It's fairly damp out there today so I am hoping the big bowls will hold up now that I've slipped them. I don't think I'll get them into the kitchen like Paul as given damp in the studio versus three boys in the kitchen I know where they are safest! There will be plenty of turning and slipping to do tomorrow.

Where do all the feathers go?

Although we live on a council estate I still see plenty of birds. Just in the last day I've seen wrens,robins, magpies, blackbirds, bluetits, crows, pigeons and the lesser spotted woodpecker. But I still see very few feathers. I decided that I would record all the feathers that I found but as yet the sheet of paper is hardly half full. I am then drawing the feathers onto my pots.
Well I'm doing this in my lunch break got to get back to my last casserole now!

casseroles-again

I had hoped to post some better pictures of the pots that came out of the last firing but the natives(three boys) in doors got restless and I had to pack up for the day and go and feed them!!
I am often very critical of my own work and think it is not good enough but I was quite pleased with the casseroles. Also I liked the tiny bowls with feathers! If I can I'll do a better photo of them and some of the others. The boys are home for a week now for half term. I have rather a lot of pots in the damp cupboard under polythene-3 more larger casseroles and 8 plates plus some new shapes I am working on for orders. I am not sure how to plan the week out yet and share the time out between some work and activities with the boys.

Glaze firing

The kiln is working hard at the moment. No sooner is it cooling than I am packing it up to refire. Being a top loader it couldn't be easier!! Here are few pots that came out of the kiln in the last few days. There is another glaze firing on at the moment and I'm looking forward to seeing how the green glaze performs on a pot. One of the tests looked good on the test tiles but it can be different on a pot. I'm working on a batch of plates tomorrow that may go with the colanders. They will need slipping in the morning.

casseroles

I thought I would quickly take a photograph of one of the drying shelves as I was dashing out of the studio this afternoon. Mr. Sainsbury was in his van with my weekly shop and I was heading out to a parent's evening for one of my boys.
These are made from 2kilos of clay so they aren't massive. Biscuit ware is mounting up in the studio -there is now enough for at least 3 glaze firings so I need to get a move on.
As I have 3 boys in school I still work with the rhythm of term times. I hope to get as much glaze firing done by half term so that I can. I will then try to assess what I have done and where I am with my work and plan for the next half term leading up to Christmas.

slips or oxides

Here are some bowls I've been working on today that may illustrate the different decorating materials I use. I first map out the design roughly with food colouring. Next I have painted in some slips. If I use slips I put them on before I sgraffito because they are opaque.
Once the slips are on I can do the sgraffito. In the first picture I think you may just see a corner of a natural history book I am working from. (Fairly freely I must admit so that the fish don't look too rigid).

After I've finished the sgraffito I add another lawyer by applying oxides. (I usually grind these to get them very smooth). Finally I insert little details with the slips!! All in all quite a time consuming process. Here is a finished bowl that came out of the firing on Saturday morning.


This is an old bowl I did some time ago but I was looking around for something I had painted with oxides. The oxides are enjoyable to use and I wash them on in a similar way to using watercolours. I also supplement them with a few underglaze colours. I wash these on after I have done the sgraffito because they are transparent colours. I do this at the leather hard stage which means that mistakes cannot be corrected but on the plus side they get fired on so they do not move when the pot is immersed in the glaze.
One of my students did some of her work using this technique but unlike me she deliberately went out side the lines and it had the effect of making her work look very fresh and spontaneous.
Andrew Gladwell was asking if I have any fairs booked in before Christmas. Unfortunately NO!! I knew that I was going to be spending time with the three boys this summer and thought that I may not have much stock. Of course now I am working away again the shelves are filling up with things to be fired. Even allowing for the slow nature of the work soon I will have more stock. People are very welcome to come and visit if they are near Redhill in Surrey!