Thursday 1 March 2012

Wet slip is the best

Morning blog folks

Today's the day when my new camera arrives, so normal service will resume at last.

Yesterday was a very, very long day. I had to get as many pots finished and drying, as I could before going home. Marky Mark came up after work, so I had company for most of the evening and he tolerated my cursing and moaning(of which there was much) as I attempted to decorate lots of pots.

Decorating is the thing I struggle with more than anything and I'll leave pots under polythene for days, keeping them damp as long as possible, to avoid the moment of having to decorate. I find none of it comes easily, although it may sometimes look simple. I aim to have everything finished and drying by 5pm this evening.

Today is my older son Luke's birthday - nineteen years old, where did that go? So tonight we'll be celebrating that with a curry and a beer. Tomorrow morning I'll be heading away up-country with my brother to visit my parents, as it's my Dad's birthday on Monday. I'm looking forward to seeing them.


Here's some footage from yesterday. There's a short clip in the film of beautiful, battered North Devon harvest jug from 1774, which somebody brought to show me yesterday - what a beauty.


Here's bit more film of the jug - ooooo, lovely.

Right, I must away to work. Happy Thursday everybody

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Doug, great vids, every one is a complete story. That harvest jug in the video is insane.We just don't have things like that around here. There are no ceramic traditions in Nova Scotia to speak of courtesy of British export policies to colonies way back when. I were a few stoneware potteries making ginger beer bottles etc. but I haven't seen any locally made earthenware.
I find when I am intimidated by a big pile of undecorated pots, I cheat a little and do the first few with patterns I know so well and bored of. This at least gets me decorating and I quickly think of better things I can put on the pots. Sometimes you just can't though so I just wrap everything up and go walk the dog and come back later. ah the creative process!
Kids grow up crazy fast, my step-son is finishing up his second year at university. Its hard to believe! I just wish he would communicate with his mother more. I hope your oldest has a great day.

klineola said...

I can't imagine the pressure of raw glazing. I tried it for a while. Maybe I should again, as I now face 300 bisqued pots wanting decoration! Yikes.

I agree with Andrew. Each little film is so rich despite its brevity (or maybe because they are brief).

Dunno. But I do know I can't wait for each "day" Thanks!

doug Fitch said...

Hey Andrew - that's exactly what I did - I stuck to the things that I know and I just got on with it.

I'm very lucky to live in an area rich with red clay an thus, an ancient tradition, so there re some wonderful pots around in the museums of Devon. Check out this link

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.382856442129.169287.696677129&type=3&l=145cdeb34c

Thanks, my boy had a good day, we had a curry, a beer and then he went to bed. I think he's saving himself for the weekend.

doug Fitch said...

Hi MK
Well I'm really glad you like them - I don't have much control over the edit, it's just a button on the flip software that cuts it all together, but it's quick which makes it easy to do every day. We need to have a chat some time soon about you and RP coming over here - that would be amazing