Monday 28 February 2011

Looking Back at February's Past.

Those of you that have been following me
from the start will know that this was my workshop
in the back garden in February 2008
Pottery was still only a hobby then and it was all done
in a 10 x 10 ft summer house. 
Then in Feb 2009 I got a small workshop at Barrington Court.
and in February 2010 I moved to this workshop.
This time last year the workshop was looking like this.
and I can tell you it was a daunting task turning it into a
workshop and showroom.
But we did it.
Marion designed the showroom
and I had complete freedom to design the workshop.
This year I have finally had January & February free to make
some stock for the showroom.
This week sees the end of my Financial Year,
and the start of a new season at Barrington Court
and I'm happy to report that I'm 25% Up
on this time last year.
I've never worked so hard in my life before
It's only the end of  February  and I'm feeling wacked out.
I think I just need to see some more sunshine
and some warmer weather.
Thanks for all of your help and support
over the past few years, the blog has been a great help
and I hope it's inspired a few more of you
to Go For It !.
It's the best move I ever made.

Wednesday 16 February 2011

Photo Session in Barrington Court

What better place to take Pictures of my new pots
than Barrington Court.
Today I was able to use the house as a backdrop to
take pictures intended for my revised leaflet
that I have planned for 2011.
The combination of mature timbers and the beautiful local hamstone
seem to suit my pots perfectly. 
This is the magnificent walking gallery on the top floor.
Hundreds of years ago, Ladies would have taken a turn around the room
in their magnificent gowns during the winter months
so as to not get them dirty outside.
You can almost hear the rustling of the crinoline fabric. 
and these pancheons look right at home
on the Kitchen window sill. 
I also had to take some of me on the wheel. 
I'll have to do something about that hair. 
I've got some great shots for the leaflet and it was really exciting
having the court house to play with.
Thanks to the National Trust Team for letting me loose.

Thursday 10 February 2011

Pots for Stock.

I have just unloaded the Glaze Firing this morning.
and I'm happy with the results, because most of the pots
are for Stock in the showroom.
This Pancheon is 15" wide.
This green bowl although Ok the Idea needs working on. 
These are my small bowls that sell for only £5 each.
I now have around 40 in the showroom. 
This tall jug is 14" Tall. 
and these are the pots I had on previous post
as they were being made. 
Inspired by the Michael Cardew Jug. 
I like this one. 
and I now have garlic pots back in stock.

Friday 4 February 2011

New pots.

These are the slipped pots I decorated
this morning.
The one on the left was a trial, the middle one
my attempt that I was not happy with
It only goes to show that some designs only lend themselves
to a certain size.
That's what decoration is all about,
That instinctive feel of knowing what looks right.
and the one on the right is me crawling back
under my stone and saying that's all it needs.
To me this one feels and looks much better.
This bowl was not as good as I would have liked
but the only way forward is more practice. 
My Kiln had cooled down very quickly in this cold weather
so I was able to open it this morning. 
This is the entire kiln load on the table. 
the lids are for pots already made. 
This is one of the new pancheons, made with a mix of local clay. 
one of the finished salt pigs. 
and my larger baking or serving dish. 
and this large bread crock which has been made to order
with an old fashioned style wooden lid.

Thursday 3 February 2011

Stages of a pots development.

These lidded pots were all going to be
Garlic Pots.
But I had seen a picture of a Michael Cardew Jug
That made me want to decorate them
in a different way. 
So these two are not having the holes drilled in them
which I do with a normal drill bit. 
As I need the stock these three get the hole treatment. 
But these two get dipped in black slip. 
I want to try this decoration on them
There is something about Cardew's work
that I feel deep down inside, but I can't explain it
I only know it gives me a warm glow inside. 
Practising slip trailing on a piece of board before
I tackle this large bowl. 
I haven't plucked up the courage to do it yet
maybe tomorrow.

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Make Time for a Cup of Tea.

This Year i have decided to make some things I had shy ed
away from in the past.
One of which was Cups & Saucers.
I know they are not a great seller, as Hollis said,
"they don't sell in the USA either". 
But I have decided to make these for myself in the workshop
Something else I've decided is to give myself
a proper Tea break in the day, Half the cups I make
end up going cold and not getting drunk.
These Pie Dishes also came out of today's Kiln. 
These are going to be Garlic pots. 
I also slipped this tall jug this morning, it's 14" tall. 
and this picture was me trying to dry pots on the kiln
as it cooled down yesterday.
It's milder today but still freezing cold in the workshop. 
This was a lipped bowl that I noticed was cracked just after I glazed it. 
I was able to pull it apart and was pretty chuffed at the cross section.
Hope you are enjoying your tea break
I am.

Harvest on the Farm TV appearance

It’s great to be back on the Blog! The most exciting thing that’s happening right now, is that I’ve been asked to appear on Channel 5’s TV s...