2 days to firing time

Not long in from work and really tired so this is very brief
Biscware awaiting glazing. The jug that WPA decorated is there in the middle with leaves and birdies on.

Marky Mark glazing his pots

And me doing mine

Some glazed pots. There are a few more to do in the morning, then MM and I will pack the kiln tomorrow evening, preheat overnight wth a gas burner and start firing with wood early on Saturday morning. There was talk on the local radio of the possibiliy of snow this weekend - I really hope it doesn't - does that make me a miseryguts?

Back soon

Bye

PS Anon, I measured the 8lb jugs, they're 12" high

Goodnight

Happy Birthday Alex

Today is my good friend Alex McErlain's birthday - it's a special one too.

Happy Birthday Alex!

Jugs

This is the cover of a stunningly photographed calendar, featuring some of the beautiful mums who live in and around my home village, Cheriton Fitzpaine. They courageously bared all in all weathers, including snow, to raise money for local charities.

If you click on the photo, not only will you have the delightful pleasure of seeing these fair maidens in more detail, but you'll notice a number of my jugs that were strategically positioned during the photo shoot.

The calendar was shot by my very talented friend, photographer Dawn Hannemann , who cleverly, artistically and tastefully composed the images in various locatons in the neighbouring countryside. She used carefully positioned props to protect the ladies' modesty. It's a fundraiser aimed at providing money for the various charities in the village that benefit local children. There are further images from the calendar and a report from the newspaper right here. If you'd like to support the cause and purchase one, you can buy it right here.

My word, such excitement boys and girls, now back to the brown mud.

I went to work this morning with Marky Mark. These are the dishes I made last week - they're about 14" in diameter. I threw the footrings on to them yesterday. Today I handled and decorated mugs and worked on moneyboxes. I'm making all the last minute small stuff for the firing. This time next week, we'll be in full flame.
This sprigged mug will be green
this one, black and yellow
and this one black and amber. I've made two dozen mugs so far, each different. It's a great way to try out different decorative approaches, without risking making a mess of a large pot.
Here's a haystack and cockerel moneybox. I've made some other designs that I'll show you on a later post when they're finished. These are inspired by similar boxes made in the country potteries of England until the end of the nineteenth century. As they're supposed to be for saving money, in common with the old ones,they have no bung, so you have to fiddle around their slots with a knife, or smash them to get the money out.
Here's Marky Mark painting one of his pots. The orange slip is made from the stream clay - it's going to be interesting to see how his pots come out, because he uses the same materials as I do, but in a very different way.

That's all for now, off to my mate Clarkey's for home made pizzas - nice

Wet slip

Yesterday's pictures

Stuff from yesterday

Here are a couple of good lookin' boys - Marky Mark accompanied me for an interesting evening in the workshop of loud rock and roll and tea drinking.


7lb dishes

Big jugs

Big bottle

Drawing through wet slip.

Lots more decorating to do today, all after an inspiring three mile amble to work through the muddy lanes, in the rain. Oh well, I'd better go or I'll never get there, have a good day everybody, back later.

Tuesday on Wednesday

Evening all

Well I loaded these pictures up last night and didn't have time to write a post, so here are yesterday's pictures, today. I may put up today's tomorrow



This fat 8lb jug will be green when it's fired
and this will be yellow

Mr Nuthatch who has been a daily visitor in recent times
Some big pots - these will fill the kiln up. I've got six of these jugs and three bottles, I doubt that I'll fit them all into this firing, but I'll be ahead of the game for the next.
This is my friend Barry who lives and works a bit further along the lane from Hollyford. He's a fantastic wood carver and makes beautiful Arks, check out his link. Here he's carving a camel for a nativity group.
Barry kindly let me sharpen up my wooden tools on his sanding belt. I don't use many tools, but I can't do a thing without one of these. They're made of beech wood and after a while, they lose their edge as my clay is very coarse and gritty.
Some frosty stuff on the walk to work yesterday
and some more. Pretty.
Well that's it for now, back soon, bye

Monday

Hurrah, my camera is working again after the sugar mishap of last week. Here are some pictures from recent days - it'll only take sweet photos now, ha ha

Well maybe not
Slipped pots, drying in the workshop. I'm having real difficulty getting pots dry at the moment, in spite of the wood burner being cranked right up.
More of the same
A tall bottle, about 20" in height. It's more slender than some that I've made in the past. A couple more of these tomorrow.
Some big jugs - 18" in height. I've made five of these, I'll get the sixth made in the morning. These will fill the bottom of the kiln.
A frosty field along Hollyford lane this morning
Beech leaves, beautiful whatever the season
Frost. It was a stunning day today, warm sunshine this afternoon.
Firing a week on Saturday, then new pots, woohoo

Grrrrrr

On Sunday our washing machine stopped working, today a bag of sugar leaked in my bag and destroyed my camera grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

So no pictures tonight, and instead, a short video of what I'd love to do to our washing machine, if only the stupid thing would spin.




Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

Monday

It's been a bit frustrating since last time I blogged, as I had a really nasty migraine attack last week that knocked me out for a couple of days. It's taken a little while to regain the motivation and inspiration, but things are starting to take off again now thankfully. Here are some pictures of stuff that's been happening in recent days.

I made half a dozen of these tapered jugs, each a slightly different shape and with a variety of styles of rim. Here I'm giving the jug a good blast, prior to taking it off the wheel. The two small yellow jugs on the shelf, just above my lovely hat, were made by Michael Cardew at Winchcombe Pottery in the 1930's.

These are eight pound fat jugs

Some wet slip decoration on a jar

Here it is, middle front, dried out, alongside its siblings.

I made some big cider tankards last week, tall and softly thrown. Big Harvest Jugs to make tomorrow.
And to end tonight's brief trip to Hollyford Pottery, a picture of a tractor on Hollyford Lane, ooar ooar.

Speeeeeeeeeedy post

Evening all. Well here are the lids that I made yesterday, turned and knobbed.
The place is starting to look like a proper pottery again, for what seems like the first time in ages with lots of wet pots on the shelves. After finishing off yesterday's pots, I made a batch of softly thrown tankards. I'll put pictures up once they're handled. Tomorrow will be a big decorating day and I'll be working late with Marky Mark, so I should get a load more making done too I hope. The firing date is 27th November, so I need to keep up the momentum.
A couple of autumnal pictures from the beautiful walk home, this is the top orchard
and the little bridge over Hollywater. It's mighty pretty out in the countryside at the moment.

Well I have to dash because it's pantomime rehearsal season again and I have to be bathed, fed and out of the house by 7.30. Bye for now

Happy Potting

I got back in the groove today, using a blend that included the new, gritty brick clay. It took a while to get going which was really frustrating, because I was feeling greatly inspired after my museum visits of recent weeks. The clay was too soft for the 8lb jugs that I was trying to make. When the clay's too soft, it's impossible to throw it thinly enough(Apart from lids and footrings I don't turn my pots). The forms lack tension and the clay looks overworked. So I decided to prepare a pile of clay for use later in the week, which I've left on the bench to toughen up, then I cracked on with making some smaller stuff instead.

These are some 3lb lidded jars - I made six of these. The lids look a bit odd because they have yet to be turned and have the knobs thrown on - I'll do that tomorrow. You can see the gritty nature of the clay in this picture. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like under a thin slip.
This funny little jug is made from a blend of Hollyford field clay and brick clay. It's fantastic to throw with, beautifully plastic. I'm excited about getting this working for me. I hope to have a good percentage of the pots in the next firing made from this clay.
Here are some more 3lb jugs that I made on Saturday. I made a batch of tapered 3lb jugs today, but don't have a picture of them, I'll put one on here tomorrow along with a shot of the jars with the lids finished.

It's great to be making again, better still to be enjoying it. For a while I wasn't enjoying my potting at all. I guess that's the problem of doing the thing that I'm passionate about as a job - when it's good, it's really good, when it's bad, it's desperate. Sometimes it's hard to sustain and forcing it only makes for laboured pots that I'm dissatisfied with and that really, really gets me down. But things are feeling good right now. I like this time of year for making, the autumnal, earthenware tones in the countryside are stunning and when I light up the wood burner in the morning, it doesn't take long to get it toasty in the workshop. I even quite like the dark evenings now that the clocks have changed.

I've spent a lot of time building sheds and sorting out the workshop in recent months rather than making pots, which needed doing. It's been so worthwhile because it's a much easier space to work in now. I needed a break from making, but now I'm really happy to see wet pots on the shelves again and pots that I'm pleased with too. More lidded jars to make in the morning, woohoo!

Happy Tuesday all