A Very Nice Place to Live a Life.

I put a comment on Doug's blog earlier, about living in beautiful old English villages. so I thought I would put up a picture of our Cottage. The shot below was taken from just inside the garden gate looking to the right. I didn't get a shot looking left towards the church as there was an oil tanker parked out side, and it was hiding the iconic red phone box. When I get the web site up and running I will add more pictures of the village and our cottage, complete with flag stone floor.

What makes a good pot good ?

OK, this is the down side of reading my blog. You get the downs as well as the highs, and this weekend, having opened the Kiln on Friday evening and found it to be my best firing yet. I have been on a downer ever since. Whats it all about ?.
I wish I knew , but this is all stuff in my head, about the type of pots I make, the shapes, the quality and the Glazes.
I think it is all linked with my trip to China the other week, I didn't want to go, I'm not a great traveller, and having come back I am totally disillusioned with the whole world.
I have always said " you have to create your own world" and having seen how some people live in their world, I am even more convinced I need to create my own little world to live in.
My problems all stem from looking at pots I was making at the age of 16 ( like the teapot ).
I started potting at the age of 11 and by the age of 16 I was making good quality pots, but I was in a world where I was the only potter I knew, none of my family were artistic in any way shape or form. I was an Island totally on my own. I spent all of my teenage years sat in my small workshop making pots. If I had carried on then, I am sure I would have been at the top of my game by now. I don't want to make mediocre pots, I want to make the best pots, one's that other potters would look at,pick up, feel and honestly say that they are good pots. I've been comparing some of my pots to a John Leach signed jug that Marion bought me a few years ago. In lots of ways, there wasn't that much between them. But I know I can do better and I know that in time I will get better. But once you get this sort of stuff going around your head, it's hard to motivate yourself. I have pushed myself this weekend, I have made three very large bowls, shape and form being my main points of concentration on these. I made three 3lb jugs, but only one survived my critical eye. but today I have made 13 small lidded jam pots, of which I think 6 or 7 will survive. The stupid thing is I know what makes a good pot good, so why don't I just make good pots!!.

Latest Glaze Firing

Finally found some time to do my glaze firing, and here are some of the pots.

This was the most sucessful Firing I have had so far.

It's been a year now since I built my first smaller gas kiln, which I knocked down and incorporated it into the bigger one I am now firing.

One of the things I am pleased about is that over 90% of the pots came out OK, and for the first time since 1982 I have a range of colours that I can play with.

A Real Potters Mum

My Uncle Ken died two weeks ago he was in his 80's and worked on farms all his life. Never married no kids or anything. anyway I missed the funeral because I was in China, but I was talking to my Mum yesterday while I was on my way back from our factory in Stoke. She was telling me that they scattered Ken's ashes around some oak trees on the farm were he spent all his working life.
Here's the good bit, my Mum said " I couldn't believe how much ash there was, they were able to put it around 8 big oak trees. I thought Paul could have made a nice glaze with that lot". We both had a good laugh at that. I'm of the opinion that when some one dies you should celebrate their life and remember the good times. moping around and being miserable won't do you any good. Let's face it we all go some time.

Trip to China

I have just got back from a week in China. It was all work related. I was trying to find a new supplier for some 600x600 Porcelain floor tiles for one of my Customers.

The factory's were just enormous, one of them was producing 20,000 sq mtrs per Day.

They all use roller kilns these days, and the last picture shows 600x600 tiles just coming out of the polishing machine at the end of the production line. I must admit I was not a big fan of China, we didn't get much free time in two days I went around 10 Factories and a trade show,

with an overnight stop in Hong Kong on the way back.

At least someone is working !!

We all seem to be busy doing other things, with very little potting going on this week. So I thought I would buck the trend this weekend.

My Glaze firing is all loaded up and ready to go, but due to work commitments this week, it's going to have to wait until next weekend. I have a mischievous squirrel hanging around the kiln shed at the moment so I just hope he doesn't get in a cause Havoc. I thought I would put this picture of my kiln when it was nearing completion. as you can see my steel work to support the arch is very simple. and it works.

Details from Doug's Exhibition

I thought you might like to see the sale document John Edgeler put together for Doug's show.
I went down with some kind of virus on the Saturday, so I have been unable to Glaze my pots for a firing, it will have to wait until next weekend now as I have a very busy week lined up at work. I'll try and do a bit each evening to catch up.

The Day after the Night Before

We went to the private view of Doug's first One man show last night at the Long Room Gallery in Winchcombe. which was Excellent, we really enjoyed ourselves and got to meet blogger Matt & Andrew.

No pictures but plenty were taken by others, so I'm sure you will get to see some soon.

I opened my Bisc firing this morning, and got quite excited about it. just because for the first time I have a range of colours and designs, that I will glaze on Sunday.

Beautiful Day

Biscuit Firing today, all went very well, Made loads of pots today, including these three Jars with Lids, It was such a beautiful day I was able to dry them out in the garden and turn the lids today as well. Marion spent the day gardening and found a great little toad. She gave him a new home in a jug in her vegetable patch, he seemed to love it and is still there. As you can see it took it's toll on Marion.

Buzzy Bees

A week off from work, and time to do some serious potting. The tally so far is as follows.

Replaced 5 willow fence panels. Laid one Path. Erected 1 gate and fence. Made 4 large jugs, 14 mugs and 3 new design salt pigs. and Loaded the Kiln ready for a Biscuit firing.

Monday was a bit manic but we had planned to do these things at some point over the weeks holiday. Marion is a great help and we work well as a team. The fence will help to keep the dogs off the grass while I dry my pots in the summer, so far we have had two beautiful days weather. I was very tired today, so I hope to get more potting done tomorrow.