Thursday 13 March 2008

Thank you Michael





I had a parcel today from Michael Kline in the USA. Inside was this beautiful little beaker and a clay sample from Michael's place in North Carolina, thank you Michael very much.

The unsavoury picture shows Michael's clay on the right, a real piece of America and the smaller lump on the left is Hollyford clay. I'll have to get a piece of Devon off to you some time soon Michael. A strange and wonderful feeling to have a lump of North Carolina in my hand.

Things seem chaotic at the moment and I'm so tired. It's been hard work getting another kiln load of pots together in such a short time, but I've done it and more. There are pots everywhere. Today was the last making day, finishing and decorating tomorrow.

Mark's coming up on Sunday and we'll start to pack the bisc ready for firing on Tuesday.

I'm worried I don't have enough wood. I've got loads of it outside but the high winds of the past few days have blown my tarps away and so any back up supply is soaking. Nic's going to come on Tuesday to help and he's bringing his oil burner, that'll save on wood, I'll be interested to see how it works.

Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

4 comments:

Paul Jessop said...

WOW !!. That big jug looks fantastic.
Typical : the American clay is three times bigger than the English clay.don't they know we have enough complexes to deal with just by being British, without sending them to us in the post.

Ron said...

Well Paul you know what they say, "bigger isn't always better". Thank goodness! I say, " better is better". In the case of Doug's jug it fits into the bigger is better and better is better categories . Ron

Hannah said...

That little beaker is beautiful, very very nice. Can't believe you've enough pots to fill another kiln load so fast, that's amazing. I need to stop messing around with little things and throw some big stuff! It certainly wouldn't dry out in that sort of time though, is it that much warmer down in Devon than here?
Can't believe you went the wrong day for the BT thing! Fab. Maybe the galena has gone to your brain.

doug Fitch said...

Hi Hannah
It is a lovely little beaker, special. The clay's exciting too.
I guess it is warmer down here, but it's been very damp. I have to crank the woodburner up in the workshop, until I'm nearly passing out. My workshop's super insulated so once it's hot, it stays hot. I also carefully use a gas burner to dry stuff out. Teapots are blasted then the component parts assembled pretty much straight away. Some of the pots were pretty damp when they went in but I'm giving them a slow pre heat - fingers crossed!

Big stuff has certainly helped fill it quickly, it's harcore on my spindly wrists though.