New Pots and Potfest South West 08

I had some new pots come out of the Kiln the day before Potfest
These were the first two plates I had made since 1982, Well they were worth the wait !!!

This Big chap started life with a lid, but it did not pass my new quality control Hammer !

I finally glazed this Harvest Jug.

These new Handled serving dishes are a treat to make and use.

This was the stall at Potfest in what turned out to be the coldest part of the whole show

this corner just did not get any of the sunshine.

It was certainly different from anything else on show. I'm not sure the public were ready for me, but I was very encouraged about the comments People made.

Although I didn't sell a great deal I still came away feeling pretty positive, I wasn't sure that pot fest would be my kind of show right from the start.

But I loved meeting people and talking about my pots I am sure that my work will prove to be the pots people want to buy and use

"They just don' know it yet".

Harvest corner. I had lots of people ask me if I made casserole dishes and I told everyone that I had made one before I had come to the show. so just to prove I was telling the truth here it is.

The Lady on the stand next to us was doing her first pot fest as well , Sally Gardiner she makes stoneware animals and she and Marion got on great.

This is Sally Gardiner's stand with a great backdrop.

What would pot fest be without Mr Paul Young

another stunning display of top class work.

all in all a good experience but the major factor was the lack of customers

around 350 on the Friday 500 on the Saturday and about 400 on the Sunday.

Of course I was a name know one had heard of or seen before.

with 80 well know potters there I did well to sell anything.

PotFest - South West

I am going to be at Potfest this weekend, courtesy of Doug Fitch,

Doug had booked up a stand but is unable to attend this year due to commitments

so Doug Kindly offered me his stand space.

The organisers have agreed to let me stand in, not something they would normally do

but due to the short notice and possibly the promise that I will take my own stand next year they have let me .

So the kiln is on, to get one more glaze firing out before the weekend.

This will be the first pottery show that I will have ever done

so I'm a bit worried about how my pots will stand up against

all these other potters.

At least my pots will be different!!

A Busy Week

Marion's Son Nathan came down on Wednesday

with his wife Louise and little lad Joshua.

luckily for Him he arrived just after I had moved the Ton of clay off the road and into the garden.

On the Thursday we went out taking pictures of the village for my web site and some leaflets I'm thinking of having made up.

This is Barrington Court the big National trust property that is at the other end of our village, they get 60,000 visitors a year. I would love to get a workshop set up down there, so I'm going to go through the official channels and see what I can do.

This was one of my snap shots Nathan's pictures are just stunning, but you'll have to be very good this weekend if you want to see some of those.

These Rhubarb Forcers were in the kitchen garden.
And this veg looks Stunning, isn't it amazing how nature can produce such fantastic colours.

We also found time to visit some more open workshops during Somerset Art Weeks

We thought this place was great and I met a fellow potter here, a guy called Paul Stubbs so that was very interesting for me, we had to leave a bit earlier than I would have liked because we had the dogs with us and they had been sat in the back of the truck for too long.

We also met this Guy Tom Clark - Stone Mason and also there was Ben Leach

son of John Leach they had a fantastic workshop and gallery area.

We took the dogs for a walk and I just love these classic Countryside Views.

and then when we made it back to Barrington we caught sight of this hot air balloon just taking of at the top of the hill.

A Ton of Clay & New Pots

I had a ton of clay delivered today, it was quite amusing, the lorry driver rang me early in the morning to say he had my clay on his lorry and would deliver around lunch time. sure enough at lunch time this huge lorry turned up outside the cottage, Ian my next door neighbour came out to have a look at what a Ton of clay looked like. The driver opened the back of the lorry and there was no clay on there just five pallets of boxes, well we just fell about laughing.

apparently it was still at the depot, anyway they put it in a smaller van and delivered it two hours later, but we had to unload it by hand.

I opened the kiln a bit early today because a visitor wanted to have a look

and here are some of the pots
This is a large bowl 12" wide

and a small Harvest jug, I wish this one had come out of the Harvest of Jugs firing its much better than the one that did come out.

These are some of my new serving dishes with handles.

I had pretty much given up on this glaze until I saw one of my bowls that came out of the Harvest of jugs firing that was fired to 1100, so I fired my kiln to 1100 this time and I think I got better results all round.

Door Envy

Do you ever suffer from Door Envy ?

at lunch today we went to Hinton St George a village a few miles up the road from Barrington to see Jane Phillips paintings and prints, as part of Somerset Art Weeks, and this is her house.

What a fabulous front door.

It looks like a painting it's self. Having had our fix it's back to the potting shed to finish glazing ready for my glaze firing on Tuesday. so some new pots to show on Thursday.

The Morning after the Night Before

This is what we woke up to this morning after an evening of dinner with friends.

as you can see from this second shot taken just after everyone had left last night a small amount of alcohol was consumed and despite the fact I was the only potter, my new Sid Tustin bowl was greatly admired by everyone, you might just be able to recognise on the dresser Ron's Pirhana bowl and a Mr Fitch bowl which were both used for sauces.

No work for me today !!

Somerset Art Weeks 08

Today is the start of Somerset Art Weeks 08

Unfortunately for me I was too late to enter this year as entries had to be completed by January 2008 and at hat point I was not aware that I would have become a full time Potter by then.

Never mind I have now registered and will be in future events.

I have copied a page to give you a flavour of the booklet with over 200 makers listed with open workshops, one nice thing about it this year is that Marion and me can go and have a look at some of them over the next few days.
My workshop will be open so I might pull in a few customers along the way.
While writing this blog I popped upstairs and the view from the bedroom window made me stop and realise just how lucky I am.
so I just thought I would share it with you. Yes that is a blue sky you can see!!


It was sunny most of Friday as well so I fired the Bisc and made some pots.

This is one of the gas burners.

I bought this small Sid Tustin bowl of Ebay earlier this week I feel very proud to own one of Sid's pieces.

It's Thirsty Thursday

I still can not find my PJ stamp for my pots, I've had three attempts at making a new one but to no avail. Does anyone know where I can get one made up because I would quite like to get one made for Barrington Pottery ?

This may be the time to get a new one anyway as a part of my wanting to up my game.

I feel lost without it !

I have a kiln full of pots ready for biscuit firing on Friday but none of the pots have my stamp on them, including this Harvest jug.

Third attempt at Tankards, at least these one's will actually hold a pint!!.

Fresh Jugs

anyway it's Thirsty Thursday off to the pub tonight for a well earned drink or two.

Bideford and Before

It just hasn't stopped raining here in Barrington, but it hasn't dampened my spirits.
OK it did stop on Sunday for the Kiln opening at Bideford and I got the chance to put the handles on these Harvest Jugs just before we set off for the Kiln opening. I was awake at 6am like an excited school boy.

John and Doug

This is just before the kiln was opened with Phillip Leach in the middle there.

Notice the classic Morris Traveler in the back ground.

The door is opened to a round of applause, The dish on the left hand side as you look in is one of mine, used as a space filler.

A selection of jugs

and some more

This was my one, Totally different from all the rest.

and I must admit I came away thinking I've got to up my game.

The three Amigo's

And the very nice Mr Henry Sandon holding one of Doug Fitch's bowls.