Making a puzzle jug #1

I made a puzzle jug earlier in the week for firing in the Bideford kiln. I haven't had any wet clay on here for ages, so here's a whole making sequence to make up for it.

The following three images show how the rim is thinned, then folded over, then tucked in to form a hollow rim that the fluid will be sucked through later. It's quite tricky getting this bit right.

The mystery of the bottle

Thank you Linda for solving the mystery of the maker of the small bottle(jug) on the Somerset recipe book. It was Linda's husband Paul Wilson.

Paul runs a pottery here in Devon and makes a whole range of traditional cream and brown stonewares. He specialises in cider bottles and cider drinking vessels - the West Country's famous for cider. I've never been to his pottery, but I'd like to pay him a visit sometime.

I used to work with Linda at the Uni, she was the ceramics technician - a very clever lady who can turn her hand to any ceramic process. Not just that, she can give you the answer to any technical question you may have - I think we need to get her blogging, it'd be a hotline I'm sure.

Here's a picture of a couple of Paul's customers with one of his mugs. I'm sure that lady's wearing my dad's old driving gloves.

Coooooooooook Boooooooooooooooook

I bought this recipe book while we were in Cheddar yesterday, featuring recipe's from Blogger Paul's neck of the woods.

It's a pressie for Nic because there's one of his fine jugs(pitchers!) on the cover. The pot in the middle's one of Johnny Leach's, I don't know who made the bottle(jug)on the right.

A Harvest of Jugs

More info later. Off for a day out to Cheddar Gorge.

Earthworks opening on Sunday

The Earthworks exhibition opens at the Imagine Gallery in Long Melford on Sunday 12.00 noon - 4.00pm.

If anybody can make it along I know John Foley the gallery owner will ensure a warm and wine-fuelled welcome.

Here are some pics of the invitation.

It's going to be an interesting show and I feel very privileged to be sharing the company of my fellow exhibitors.

There will be work by renowned painter

Michael Carlo

and potters

Clive Davis

Adam Frew

Mark Griffiths

Lisa Hammond

Back to work - just for a day

Got back in the workshop today, tidied up with Hil's help then worked on this evening with Marky Mark. I didn't get as much made as I would have liked, but I did manage to get this puzzle jug thrown and assembled for the Bideford event. Off tomorrow for a day out with Hil and the boys.

Holidays in the sun

Well we did get one day without rain, here's a picture to prove it - the rest of the week was a wash-out, so we got very good at Monopoly.

Soggy but back

Well the weather wasn't very kind to us while we were away, but we had a great time nevertheless. I'm still on holiday this week, although I have to work today in order to get some last minute pots together for the Harvest Jug event in Bideford in a couple of weeks time. I'll post more details about the event later, it's going to be a good one. I've a whole stack of emails to reply to aswell, so please bear with, I'll be getting up to date later on.

These pictures are from my friend and fellow Love Daddy, Paul Cook's workshop - Johnny took them for him. I'm going to be doing a show with Paul in October so I'm off to his workshop shortly, en route to mine, to plan a collaborative project - more details of that later too. His workshop is about three miles from mine, down the leafy lanes. Marky Mark's coming up this evening and we'll work on into the night so that I can get the rest of the week off with the family - various outings are planned.




The timber in this amazing carving is an old lintel from an ancient dwelling which was listed in the Domesday Book, so just imagine how many hundreds of years have passed since the tree was a sapling. Anyway, got to fly but I've lots to report so check back later. Have a good day all.

ps Paul Has a blog called Wood Art Words but he's currently off-line. If you would like to contact him, drop me an email and I can put you in touch.

Imagine Gallery

Here's a crazy pot which is going to my next exhibition at the Imagine Gallery in Suffolk, opening on Sunday 24th August. I'll post more details of the show later.




Pots like this were used in the houses of medieval England, to keep the dust down on the earth floors. I can't imagine my ones ever getting used, but they're good fun to make and some folks seem to like them. Medieval pots are so full of character.

One of the bowls in the World of Interiors Mag is going to be in the Imagine show too, one bowl's going to My Auntie Daphne for her eighty-first birthday and the other to my brother tomorrow for towing a caravan to a site in South Devon for us, because tomorrow we're off for a rainy week by the seaside - woohoo, happy holidays!!

Claim to fame

I've not updated this for few days, it's been a bit of a time of recovery from the last few weeks of hard toil in the workshop - time for the family and for sleeeeeeeeeeeping.

Yesterday I bought a copy of the September issue of World of Interiors Magazine. Here it is open on the page with pots by Paul Young, Hannah McAndrew and me - what a posh mag for a bunch of ruffians like us!

Gnarly dudes for sale

My great friend Nic Collins has just added a saleroom to his web site.

Nic's my favourite potter, always ground-breaking and never compromising, I love his pots.

Although his work is made by processes typical of the Orient, I think his pots are much more about his rugged Dartmoor suroundings.

I find his work and spirit really inspiring, he's the geezer.

Check out his saleroom here.

more

more

more

and more

Big jugs

Some more

Some pots

I went to see my friend Johnny today to collect a disc of images that he shot the other day. Here are a few of them.

Slipware potters

Here's a shot taken yesterday morning.

The lady on the left is the wonderful Mary Wondrausch, the queen of slipware.

It's always a pleasure to see her, she's a fine old lady and a remarkable character - eccentric to say the least.

Next to her is my very good friend Paul Young.

On the right is the great Dutch potter Niek Hoogland.

I'm not sure what the collective noun would be for a group of slipware potters - I know Hil calls a group of potters a 'bore' - any other suggestions appreciated.

Home again

That was a brilliant weekend, thank you so much to everybody who bought my pots or took the time to chat. It was good to meet people who tune in to read this rubbish! I hope you enjoy your new pots, your kind support is greatfully appreciated.


One of Ron's friends from North Carolina who was visiting England, came along and delivered me a package that Ron had sent for me. In it were two of his superb pots, a plate and a mug modelled here by myself and Blogger Andrew. It was good to see Andrew again.


Here's another shot of Ron's mug being put to good use by my friend Dylan Bowen, a potter whose work I know Ron is very fond. More pictures from Hatfield later.

Hatfield here we come

Hil and I have just made a flying visit home from my parents' to collect our car and to ram it full of pots ready for Art in Clay at Hatfeild this weekend.

Much cleaning and polishing to do, got to fly, look forward to seeing anyone there who can make it. Bye for now.

More blurred pictures

Pics of people and pots

Here are my friends Johnny the photographer and Different Dave the electrician at the workshop yesterday. I'm looking forward to getting the pictures back that John took, he's a really good photographer. Great to have that kiln working too, it was such a good day yesterday, thanks chaps.


These are a couple of blurred pics I took - I'm not such a good photographer!


Off to my parents' place shortly, back Monday, have fun.