Tuesday

A few words and some pictures, I'm tired and dirty and need a bath then bed.
I threw a couple of these tall harvest jugs today. They'll have scroll handles tomorrow. I want to make six of these.
And I made some 5lb jugs - an unusual size for me, I usually make 3lb and 8lb jugs, but I seem to make too much stuff the same size, so I thought these would make a change.
The crazy jug from earlier in the week is no more. Slipped when too soft - silly me :(

The following are pictures from yesterday. It was a Bank Holiday here, so Marky Mark had the day off work and chose to spend it at the workshop, which was great. And the sun shone!
We tidied up the corridor between the workshop and my friend Matt's workshop. This area is going to be used for clay prep and will house drying troughs and a large vertical pug mill. It's a pity that we're getting to the wrong time of year to dry clay, but it'll be good to have it set up at last. The blunger is going to be installed tomorrow evening - it weighs a tonne, so I've enlisted the help of a local farmer with his tractor.
The cider apples are being taken from the orchard, this trailer had a wonderful appley aroma as I followed it along the lane on the way home. Cider, mmmmmmmmm
Sprigged mugs
Marky Mark at the wheel
I've been working on a number of tile orders in recent times, these are a few of the finished tiles. I have a big pile ready for glaze firing. I still need to make a few more which I'll fit in around pot making in the next few days. The workshop has been full of them, they take up a lot of shelf space and it got to the stage were it was impossible to work. I'm really enjoying making tall stuff again, I thought I'd forgotten how to do it!

Well that's all, bath and bed and bye for now

Nancy and Tim

Hi folks

Last week we had a visit from some friends from across the pond, Nancy Gallagher and her husband Tim. I met Nancy at the workshop Hannah and I gave in Virginia, back in the Spring, so when I heard that they were coming over to visit British potters, we invited them to come and stay. It was great to spend time with them, we had a lot of good fun. They're high in the sky on their way home as I type this blog.

I'm afraid the pictures are a bit blurry, my camera is on its way out - too much clay dust. Here they are in my local pub, The Half Moon Inn......

....which boasts a fine skittle alley, typically found in Devon country pubs - it's a bit like ten pin bowling - but it's free and must be played with a belly full of cider.

We toured round various potters, I didn't get pictures of all of them. Here's Hil at Svend Bayer's pottery - she liked this big pot - we have one at home, but at the moment it lives in our garage as it's too huge to fit in our tiny house.

Svend's a great master, his forms are wonderful irrespective of scale, the hugest of jars like these, or the smallest of jugs, they're always bang on. What a great way to display big pots.

This is Nancy making a selection at Clive Bowen's pottery. I used to spend a lot of time at Clive's place, he's been a great influence on what I do.

And here with Harry Juniper, a slipware potter from Bideford, who specializes in making commemorative harvest jugs.

Also while in Bideford, we went to the Burton Art Gallery, which is full of many beautiful, old traditional West Country pots. This is a wonderful museum and has to be one of my favorite places.

Digging clay from the stream at Hollyford. Some of this lump of muddy Devon has gone back with Nancy to the States.

I'm back to work now, trying to get back into the swing. It always takes me a while to get going again, so I started with mugs....

and this crazy 9lb jug. The next firing is going to be contain a number of very large pieces, so I'm going to have to warm up my skills quickly this week and build up to making them.

That's all for now, back soon

England

Dutch pots

I bought this little old pot in Delft, photographed here in our holiday cabin - it's really sweet. The following pictures are of pots that were on display in cabinets in a multi-storey car park in Delft, cool eh?

Home

Hello all

We're home again after a great holiday in the Netherlands and a 1200 mile drive. What a beautiful place Holland is. A couple of highlights, watching Spoonbills and Herons on the canals and a trip to the Van Gough Museum in Amsterdam, which was amaaaaazing. Saw some fab pots too - I'll stick some pictures on later.

A sign on the wall in Amsterdam - is that Paul Young or Paul Jessop?
This was our home while we were away. The wheelbarrow contains logs for the campfire. We went with our friends Phil and Heather and their kids. Their two are the same age as ours and have grown up together, so are like extended family. Not that they're really kids any more.
Back in the workshop, the tiles I made before I went away have dried ready for firing.
I've got two big orders for these type of tile and they're nearly all made now, so lots of glazing and firing to do to finish them. I need to make a few more spares this week.

This tall jug was made before we went away, kept soft under polythene, then decorated yesterday.

These three pictures were taken at Kigbeare Manor, just before we left, at the private view of the Potters Tea Party Exhibition. Here are some of my teapots and 'drinking cups' that are in the show. You can see better pictures of the pots by all the makers in the gallery section of the Kigbeare web site, here.
This is the beautiful manor house
Lunch in the sunshine. That's Clive Bowen far left and Nic talking to Hil on the right. It was a lovely day, thank you Maddy and Lisa and thank you to the people who bought my pots too.

Lots of things happening at the workshop at the moment, more about that soon. Many pots to make for my solo show at Thoresby Hall too, so I'll be back with lots of pictures.

Have a good Monday all.