Dodgy sketching and slippy pitchers

Here are some pictures of the four baluster jugs that I decorated on Friday.

After I'd decorated the jugs, I found a sketchbook with scribbled ideas from back in November - I'd forgotten about these scrappy drawings - as it turned out, they're pretty much the designs I used for the jugs.

It's dreadful drawing I know, but I understand what the scribbles mean. Drawing is so important, I try to scribble something every day. Roll on springtime so that I can start my day with the ritual of a cup of tea on the bench and a scrawl on some paper with a permanent marker.





This one's going to be predominantly bare clay, with a bib of slip and glaze and a dusting of copper carbonate for a green speckle. I plan to put this at the top of the kiln where it'll get a good blast which will hopefully leave interesting flame marks on the naked clay.




This one has a black slip, which is combed through to reveal the white slip beneath.





This is a green slip, over a black slip, with combing through the green, back to the black.





And this is a white slip, combed back to the black - the drawing looks like I intended to use sprigs, the jug has 'deer prints' instead.

Then I remembered that I actually made these designs in the last firing - (thought they seemed familiar!), but some of those pots turned an unpleasant brown and wound up in the Christmas sale - the others have been at my photographer friend Johnny's place ever since.

So, I went and grabbed the pots this morning and took them to Bideford to the Burton Art Gallery, where I have a showcase until 22nd Feb. It felt like having new work, nice. Unfortunately my chum was on his way out so I didn't get time to get the images, I'll post them when I do.



Not quite sure what was going on here - good job I only made four jugs I think!