Thanks to a great team

Everything went really well I think - tomorrow I'll know.



I had help from a great team - Matt and Different Dave chainsawing



Alex



and Jessica stoking



Too much smoke I think



Cones over at about 10.30

Thank you to a great team.

Tired out today zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Packed!

It's been another very long day today, glazing and packing the kiln.



It was fantastic having Alex's help.



By the time Marky Mark arrived this evening, we'd finished stacking the back which is the hardest bit as it demands lots of climbing in and out of the kiln.



Then we worked hard to finish the front. It's full, - there were a few pots left over, so they'll make the next firing in March.

The gas burner's in overnight to drive away any moisture and we'll start first thing in the morning.

Matt's coming down to help. Check out this great page all about him on the Ceramike site.

Marky Mark is joining us later in the day and Jess is going to come up in the evening for a shift. During her time with me she'll have dug and processed clay, made pots, mixed slip, mixed glaze and fired the kiln.

Off to bed, cross your fingers for me!

Late night glazing

Well it's been a looooooooooong day's work, fourteen hours in fact, so a quick post and some pics before bed.



Jess decorating the bowls she threw last week.



Alex with the collaborative jugs he's working on with Alice Kettle




Lots of pots glazed - many more to do in the morning and a kiln to pack.

I've got lots of replies to post on here, sorry, I'll get to it this weekend, thank you for taking the time to place comments.

Hollis(who was asking about Hil's soup), I'll get that recipe sorted and Adam(who was asking about my clay), go for some red mud! I use clay from the woods near the workshop for the smaller stuff, and a blend of Valentines red and Exeter brick clay for large pieces.

Happy Thursday all

Yesterday's news

Off to work in a mo, but here's yesterday's news.

Life's craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazy at the moment, preparing for Friday's firing and desperately trying to pull together my paperwork to submit my tax return before Saturday's deadline - nasty!

Jessica is with me today and Alex will be arriving just after lunch, so we'll be in a frenzy of glazing.



Here's a little sgrafitto jug





The place where I went yesterday to get my hardwood. Got to fly, my lift's arrived.

Happy birthday yesterday little sis

Bye for now

Happy New Year!

To celebrate Chinese new year, Hil got the wok out and cooked up some tasty Oriental style chicken and sweetcorn soup, served here in a bowl made by my great friend and hero, Clive Bowen.

Happy New Year China!

Sprigs and slips

Wonder what this mad looking pot will come out like. Maybe too mad? Time will tell.



Here's the wet slip on the sprigs...........



and here it is as it's drying.

Dishes

Here are some shallow dishes due for Friday's firing



Not sure if this'll work, it's simply three dandelion leaves. They look like spearheads or fish.



More leafy stuff.



Fingerwiper lines through white, to black slip beneath.

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!

Thursday

This is one of my shallow dishes, a tribute to my hero Michael Cardew. The little yellow plate in the back ground was made by Elijah Comfort at Michael Cardew's Winchcombe Pottery in the 1930's. I've told this tale before, but here it is again because it's relevant.



Elijah refused to decorate his pots and so his pieces were always decorated by either Michael Cardew or my old friend, the late great, Sid Tustin. I showed the little yellow plate to Sid once and another I have that was decorated by Cardew. The decoration on the Cardew one had much more of a flow to it than Sid's. Putting the two pots side by side, Sid said to me 'Ah, Michael always could lick me with a comb!' - Well, me too I'm sorry to say!

Elijah's great, great grandson, my good friend Blogger Matt Grimmitt has an exhibition of his great slipware in amongst the historical pottery collection of Worcester Museum. Try and get along if you get a chance. Here's the info:

7th Jan - 9th March 2009 - Solo Show
Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum.
Forgate Street,
Worcester
WR1 1DT
01905 25372



It's been another long day for me today, but a good one, with Marky Mark joining me again for the evening session. Amongst other things, I managed to get three of more of these baluster jugs made, blasted with the gas burner, handled, blasted, then slipped.

Now to try and dry them and bisc fire them succesfully in time for next week's firing. I like these ones. Every shape has its own challenges - this one, how to make the pots so that they're not too heavy at the waist, but robust enough so that they don't start to whip during throwing as they're narrow footed, but tall and slender. It means getting to the shape as quickly as possible, without messing about too much and tiring the clay. The necks are thrown seperately, then added and rethrown on the toughened pot - itself a tricky process, but the more I make, the 'easier' it becomes. Practice. It went well today so I'm feeling happy. The pots I made last Saturday were so important, not because they were particularly great, but because they ensured that I would have a full kiln load of pots ready. Now that anxiety has been extinguished, I'm enjoying my potting much more - typical, I've got to stop making tomorrow and get on with organising other things, glaze etc, timber etc.

New pots soon woooooooohoooooooooooooo, got no pots, got no money, can't wait!

Happy Friday all

Wednesday

Frosty again this morning on the seat of learning.



Leaf resist was order of the day again - It's a simple and effective technique.



Jessica was with me today. She's worked very hard at her throwing and it's been paying off. I was so pleased with her, she just got straight on with it and made some fantastic bowls. It was lovely to see her dad so proud of her too when he picked her up this evening. For me it's been really rewarding watching her skills develop - as a traditionalist I feel a need to pass my knowledge and experience on, for what it's worth.



I made this big baluster jug this evening. It might make the firing - I'm going to carry on making this week, maybe some more of these tomorrow. Anything that doesn't make this firing can go in the next one in a few weeks time. It's important to keep the pressure on, I've a lot of commitments to shows etc. this year and it will be so good to get some stock together and for once be really ahead of the game - ha ha, fat chance.



I spent ages adding all this applied deco to some jugs yesterday and managed to destroy one this evening by force drying it too fiercely beside the wood burner. This one's survived so far.



Pots in the kiln mouth. Not many days to go until Fiery Friday.



Worked a long day today, Marky Mark came up for a few hours this evening, same again tomorrow. Nice jumper mate.

Tuesday

Still finding inspiration in much of the plant life that's in the nearby meadow - these ended up in some of my applied deco today in their own little way.



This is the field where I walk Digger every day. You must be getting bored of pictures of winter grass, but I love it in that meadow. There aren't many places that are just left to go wild these days.




Been slipping today. These pancheons will be unglazed on the outside and then fired rim to rim at the top of the kiln so that the outsides get the full benefit of the marks left by the flame. I'll put little wads of clay around the rim to keep them apart, hopefully the marks left behind when these are removed will create an interesting decorative effect.



The sun shone and for the first time in ages(although it doesn't look like it on this photo), I was able to sit on the bench and do some drawing.



Snowdrops in the workshop garden.

That's all for now except to send....

BEST WISHES TO ALL MY FRIENDS ACROSS THE POND ON THIS HISTORIC DAY.

Let's hope for a better world.

Monday

A quicky as I've promised Joe I'll play Cluedo.

Here's today's efforts........



Made some tall 'medieval' jugs.




Lots of applied deco



I look like some crazy tramp! Came home, had a shave.

Weekend working

Just in from work, quick bath, then out again to my brother's place down near Plymouth. Here are a few random shots of stuff that's going on in the workshop at the moment - it's looking a lot more likely I'll get a kiln load finished in time for the firing on 30th Jan after today's efforts.



This is today's make, pancheons and shallow dishes of various size and proportion, the largest dish is about 16 inches across, which is as wide as will fit in my bisc kiln.



Finger wipe deco on a 3 pound jar.



Green slip combed on a 6 pound jar



Big tankard with applied deco



Force drying a pancheon - lots of that going on at the moment.



And another big tankard, inspired by my walk through the orchard.

Got to go, more soon

Happy Sunday all.

All's good

Hi there boys and girls.

Just to say everything's good here - mad busy and working long hours, hence a bit of an absence from the land of blog recently.

Normal service will be resumed shortly.

Happy weekend all

Tuesday

It's been hard getting things to click into gear in my head. I needed a break so badly at Christmas, although it took until a couple of days after the event to realise that.

I really struggle to get going from a standing start, with empty shelves - not that they're ever really empty, they soon fill up with mouldy mugs and other debris that become a metaphore for my chaotic and disorganised lifestyle - but that's what makes me who I am I suppose, whether that be a good thing or not, and as a consequence, my work turns out the way it does.




Today the sun shone and on my way back after walking Digger I stood and looked at the workshop for a moment. I was very briefly back there in the summer, looking at the beautiful rose that rambles across the gable end. I love weather whatever it is these days, as long as I'm dry and warm, but it was wonderful to get the realization into my head that Spring and Summer are to come.




So a bit of sunshine and gradually refreshing the shelves has warmed and lifted my spirit and with that comes the inspiration and energy that has felt lacking lately.




I've started making batches in mulitples of six again - it fulfills me and lends itself well to the variety of slip combinations and techniques that I employ - I can afford to lose a couple, so can take more chances with decoration, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. (There are actually six of these three pound jars although only five in the picture.)





There was an extraordinary double rainbow today. I guess I could have moved so that the end was on the workshop, but I have no yearning for gold..........well maybe a little - rats, I blew that.

Right, off to see the Buzzcocks - Rock & Roll!!

Monday

Happy birthday Amy G!!


I made a load of jars today, then forgot to photograph them. Also decorated some of last week's jugs - this one is with leaf resist, the leaves are still on at this stage and will be peeled off once the slip has dried out some.



Off to see the Buzzcocks tomorrow night with Luke. I've seen them a couple of times before, once years ago when they supported the Pistols. Don't imagine they look much like this any more.

Fired and finished

Remember these fine pitchers? They're made by Alex McErlain and decorated by textile artist Alice Kettle.

Here they are fresh from the kiln.

You can see them at earlier stages during their production by clicking here.

Frosty Friday

Pictures from my walk to work on Friday

Late night working

Worked late tonight - pooped so just a quick post.



Put the handles on yesterday's jugs.



Did some with scrolls.............................



........and stuck sprigs on others



Finished the last puzzle jug - woohoo!



Had a great visit from Blogger Andrew and Sally Anne who have been firing up at Nic's. They made a few pots that will go in the next firing which is scheduled for 30th Jan, good to see them.



Marky Mark came up this evening so we worked on late.

Many thanks to all of you who signed the petition about Harrow and to those who tried but aren't British citizens so couldn't. As Christine said in response to my last post, 'I despair of this aesthetically blind market driven world we seem to be inhabiting'.

Bath and bed.

Happy days.

SAVE HARROW CERAMICS -'the trouble with clay is you can't store it on a memory stick'

I received the following information today from Alex regarding a petition to halt the proposed outrageous closure of the Harrow Ceramics Degree course.

The quote in the title is reportedly a comment passed by a senior manager in justification of the closure.

Please would you help oppose the closure by following the link at the foot of this page and signing the petition.



'It should be of great concern to all of us who love ceramics and pottery. We have seen over the last few years pottery as a subject fast disappearing from our school time tables.

The understanding of pottery and ceramics is in my opinion a vital part of understanding the world, our culture and our past.' Alex McErlain



The University of Westminster are proposing to close their highly acclaimed Harrow Ceramics Degree Course.

Recruitment of new students has been suspended and there are plans to close the course by 2013, which will coincide with the 50th Anniversary of ceramics teaching at Harrow.

The decision has been made despite the courses’ long held outstanding national and international reputation; first class academic standing and a distinguished assembly of professional expertise including

Edmund de Waal,

Emmanuel Cooper,

Kyra Cane,

Professor Christie Brown,

Professor Nigel Wood,

Steve Buck,

Clare Twomey

and a roster of world famous ceramicists as both alumni and staff.

Its closure has huge significance for British art, craft and design. We call on the University to reverse this decision, reinstate the recruitment of new students and SAVE HARROW CERAMICS.


Please click on the link and sign the petition today.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/CeramicsHarrow/

Thank you

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

You can call me a soft Southerner if you like, but last night it was so cold that the frost even managed to get into the workshop.



Everywhere the puddles are frozen solid. The duckpond at Hollyford has a thick sheet several inches thick, with confused ducks sliding across its surface.



In spite of the insulation in the workshop walls, floor and ceiling and the fact that the fire had been alight all day, it got so cold during the night that the pots I made yesterday froze and cracked. I've certainly never, ever had frost in the workshop in the last five years and I don't want it again! Today poor Jess had to have a plastic milk carton full as a hot water on her feet while she was on the wheel, as her five pairs of socks weren't doing the job.

In some parts of Devon, the temperature dropped as far as -12. Nic must have been feeling it up on the Moor.

I guess where Hannah is up in Scotland it's not that unusual, but it's something that doesn't happen very often in the relatively mild South West of England - thankfully!

Tuesday

The first pot of 2009! I feel much better for getting some new pots made.



It took me hours to stick all this stuff on the puzzle jug today, there's still one under polythene to do tomorrow. They take so long, I wonder whether it's going to make them prohibitively expensive.



I got the top coat of green slip on this big tapered jug and combed through to the black beneath.



And this one top-coated too with white. The black slip beneath will break through on the high points of the decoration.

Jessica with me tomorrow and lots more pots to make, bye for now.

Monday!

It's been a cold but beautiful day at Hollyford today. I've missed the view, things are changing in the countryside. Marky Mark was feeling the cold after his month in the sunshine - ha ha, no sympathy! It was so good to see him.



We got the roof on the little shed and sorted it out so that tonight there's Hollyford clay slip drying out in a makeshift rack. There's still a lot to do, but at least the clay prep now has a designated space.



There was quite a bit of work in progress left covered in polythene over the festive period, so I had slipping to do today too.



This is a black slip, I'll pour a green slip over it tomorrow. Looks like the slip needs to be sieved, there are a few extra little lumps on there that shouldn't be, oh well, you don't get much for free these days.



This jug had a coat of black slip last year, then a covering of white slip today, with a floral design drawn through to reveal the layer beneath.



There were two puzzle jugs under wraps too. My head was a bit all over the place just before Christmas, I really should have finished these then, but I was so burned out and in need of a break after last year's busy schedule, that I just wrapped them up in poly bags and left them. I assembled them today and they'll get their holes and deco tomorrow.

Now I need to make a lot of pots very quickly - two weeks to make a kiln load of pots, so busy busy with some urgency. I feel more inspired than I did last week, hopefully the sight on new wet pots on the shelves tomorrow will get me excited and thus, motivated - it has to!



And speaking of shelves, this picture is for my buddy Paul Jessop. He's been asking how different potters go about sorting out their shelving. Mine is very simple, just shelves with short boards of about 3'6" in length that I slide on to my racks. There's little point in me having longer boards, my workshop isn't wide enough to safely manoeuvre anything with more length - plus it saves me straining my poor old back. As the shelves are solid, the boards are just half inch chipboard and that works fine. I also use a lot of little square boards or bats onto which I put individual pots.

Well, it's good to be back, new pots tomorrow I hope - jugs probably, why not just for a change? - wooohoo, catch you later!

Back to work

Back to work today after a lengthy, relaxing break. Time to get my head back into potting mode - that may take a while, I don't know yet. Marky Mark's back from Mexico and is going to pick me up shortly as he's got a day off work, so we'll crack on together and maybe even get that roof on the clay shed. I haven't seen MM in weeks, so it'll be great to catch up and hear of his adventures.

Last night I came across this wonderful blog. It's about wood rather than pottery.

Here's Mr Robin Wood doing his thing, making beautiful bowls and talking with passion about the history of his craft and his great hero, George Lailey, 'the Last Bowlturner', who died fifty years ago. I know you'll enjoy it.



Have a good Monday, catch you later.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is a brief post as there's a lot going on here at the moment. I'll be back to work on Monday and back to blogging too.

I hope you all had a good Christmas, mine has been really enjoyable, a much needed rest and some quality family time.

Thanks to folks who have left comments here or sent me emails, I've lots to catch up on and I'll be in touch very soon once the Christmas festivities have passed, my apologies, thank you for your patience.

In the meantime, here's a picture from Christmas Day of a lovely little something 'Secret Santa' Hannah sent - it held my sprouts a treat.

All the best to everyone out there, and here's wishing you all a successful and prosperous 2009.

Back soon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!