Two New Pottery Videos and Ceramic Shows update.

Here is a link to our New Video

Shot and edited by Marion's Son Nathan

https://vimeo.com/130684985

I've put the picture here of the jug featured in the video

when it came out of the glaze firing a week later.

While Nathan was here we also updated  our previous video

to make one for the lessons 

in the Pottery school.

Here is the link to the school video

https://vimeo.com/130751269

The old workshop  it all started in 7 Years ago, is having an overhaul 

at the moment.

Not everything is going to plan

These 4 large pancheons made for a new customer

cracked in the biscuit firing.

It's a combination of me drying them out to fast

and the bottom of the kiln heating up to quickly

with deadly consequences.

Where the hell was He when I needed him?

After many years of me resisting the purchase of a rubber stamp

to print out own bags as suggested by Marion over two years ago

I finally gave in and let Marion order one.

I hold My hands up and bow to the superior Power

that is Marion Lewis

I love the new bags

and they have already proved a big hit with our customers.

The Day before we set off to the Earth & Fire show at Rufford Abbey

in Nottinghamshire, we had no idea what to do as a stall design.

We had been working so hard that I just hadn't had time to think about it!

So we went off to a coffee shop

it's much easier to think about stuff when you are away

from the workshop sometimes.

we drew up a sketch on a napkin

and designed a stall using stuff we had found in a skip earlier in the week>

This was the result

But in fact it didn't work to well, the top tray was too far back for customers

to reach the pots easily

and it proved to be our worst Rufford ever!

Back to the drawing board for the next show.

We at least gave our new tent an airing.

It's a stunning setting for camping and we do love the show.

We attended the Richard Godfrey Exhibition

in the art center.

It Proved to be a very emotional event, and made us all think about

our own mortality. 

The following day the event continued with the 

Potters Games.

always a great way to show the fun side of pottery.

and demonstrations

I especially liked watching Niek Hoogland's

demonstration.

he decorated this dish

and later that day when we were both clearing away

he wrote this on the back

and presented it to me.

Very Special.

in fact I was so over whelmed I had to have a nap in the shade.

Our banner proved to be a popular meeting place

for potters.

Our sales at Rufford were not great, but we both came away feeling

that we had enjoyed ourselves, learnt a lot

and were both very excited about what the future may still hold.

so in that respect it was a good event.

We were only back three days and then we were off again

 this time to Art in Clay

our first time as a stall holder.

and one of the boxes ticked on my Bucket list.

By the time we were set up we had behind us the moon rising

and in front of us the Sun setting.

New show = New Stand

We had learnt the lessons of our Rufford stall

This stall was all about letting people know who we are.

As a Kid I used to live in Stevenage which is only about

12 miles from Hatfield

and My old art teacher from The Nobel School

Mrs Thomas came to the show and wondered if she might see me.

I used to sell pots at pottery parties

when I was about 16 to fund my school and college pottery

Mrs Thomas still uses a pot she brought from me in 1978.

The one thing about being Me is that I do seem to be able

to say things to people and get away with it!

I'm told people are surprised I'm still alive with some of the 

stuff I've said to people, but my cheeky approach 

certainly paid off with my Cider beakers, 

I sold a lot to ladies that were looking at Them when I said

Up here there Gin Beakers!

SOLD.

We had a great show at Art In Clay,

My Demonstration on the Friday morning was well attended

and got rave reviews from those who attended

and it was very well attended.

To cap a great weekend Marion brought me this great book

from the Ceramic review book shop stall.

One Happy Potter
well Two Acually.

Mixing Business with Pleasure

It's all systems go at the Pottery at the moment,

but it seems like it's been that way since January,

where have these past 5 months gone.

I love this picture

it's a screen grab from our latest workshop video

that will be live soon

so watch this space.

We are working so hard that we really need our day off

to unwind and relax a bit.

Last week we went to Bridport

to look at all the Antique shops,

This pic was taken whilst enjoying a piece of cake

and some builders tea from the red brick cafe.

We also popped down to West Bay

for a stroll along the sea front.

we came across our pots in the Old Custom house.

We have also been working on some exclusives 

for the National Trust

I'm liking this new Blue/ Grey colour.

Sales in our showroom are continuing to grow

with more visitors seeking us out

which is a really nice feeling, that people are

making a visit to our workshop a part of their holiday experience

and we hope we always make them feel like it was

worth it.

The Article in Country Homes & Interiors Magazine

really has been a great boost to us this year,

with visitors coming from as far away as Kent.

I was reading the latest copy of Ceramic Review this week

and spotted a small feature on ourselves. 

We ordered our third tonne of clay so far this year

last year we used 5 tonnes

looks like it's going to be six this year.

The new kiln is still firing a bit to high

but people seem to be loving the toasted look.

Me I'm not so sure!

I fired this very large jug in our old kiln just to make sure

it came out how I wanted it.

I've spoken to the kiln makers and I think I can sort it out.

This was a very dramatic sky over the workshop

the other day.

So over the next few weeks we shall be at Earth & Fire 2015

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/enjoying/artsandculture/arts/earth-and-fire/

at Rufford Abbey Nottinghamshire

followed by

Art in Clay Hatfield House

http://www.artinclay.co.uk/

We hope to see you there

So whats been going on @ Barrington Pottery

It's been a while since I last posted a Blog

almost a Month.

We have been very busy, and I'm not sure where the time has gone?

But since I last posted a number of things have happened.

So here is a brief update on where we are at!

In the showroom I built a new table from old scaffolding planks.

We have a friend in the Village that owns a scaffolding company

so I asked him one Sunday night in the pub

" what do you do with old planks you no longer use?"

He said he would get some of his lads to drop some down to us

when they were next in the area.

All I did was put it together and sand it down afterwards

Just Perfect!

We have also made some more pots for a medieval style film being made by

20th Century Fox.

Being filmed in Cardiff at the moment.

The new Large kiln means I can fire lots more Pancheons

at any one time.

Here is one of the new finished pancheons out of the new kiln.

and I've re subscribed to Ceramic Review!

I still am amazed as to just how many pots I can fit into the 

New Kiln.

It's still firing hot at the bottom but I'll sort that.

I've been extremely busy making pots 

this is a Sunrise when I turned up at the workshop one morning.

I'm sure I will soon work out the best way to get 

the most out of the kiln.

It's taking much longer to load a glaze firing

but it's also taking an extra half a day to cool down.

We are now on St Mary's Church Key rota

and we have had our first two weeks.

I love opening it up in the morning and closing it up at night

it just gives you a bit of time to appreciate

it on your own. and capture some of the sunlight.

These Cereal bowls were fired at the very bottom of the kiln

you can see they are much darker.

But all the dark ones sold first!

A Bit higher up the kiln our Honey glaze looks great

and this ramakin is what the bowls above should have looked like.

Here  we have some new Pancheons 

on my new showroom table.

We  have supplies two new shops

one in west bay called the Lobster in the Cupboard

and one in Lyme Regis called Found ( Ryder & Hicks ).

and then we set off to Scotland for Doug & Hannah's Wedding

we went Via the Lake district 

Strange to see Snow on the hills in May! 

But it all went brilliant!

One of the few shots that was taken of us both.

Now we are making pots for 

The River Cottage Spring Fair.

https://www.rivercottage.net/dining-and-events/spring-food-fair

See you soon.

Fired with new Enthusiasm.

My Plan this year was to buy a new bigger kiln,

we were hoping to get our hands on some grant money

that would pay half the costs.

But the Grant we are told is not going to be available 

until September at the earliest.

It all felt a bit Rubbish for our plans.

But I decided not to worry about it, these things always seem to sort themselves out.

Then a few weeks ago I had a message from Hannah McAndrew

up in Scotland.

There was a secondhand Kiln for sale up in Dumfries.

I checked it out and it was just the kiln I wanted

3 Phase 24" wide 30" Deep 36" Tall

So I Hired a 3.5 Ton truck with a tail lift so we could move it

and my Best Mate Martin came up to Scotland with me for two days

to help me shift it.

I took this video while i was waiting for them to deliver the van.

We stayed up at Hannah's house for the night

and Doug Fitch cooked us a meal.

Thanks Doug.

The sun set was stunning.

I was up bright and early and shot this video at 6am

I could hear the suction pumps from the Dairy farm

but couldn't see it through the mist.

Then we finally got to see the kiln for the first time

it had been made especially

and is made in two halves so it would

fit through the door. 

 Martin set about taking it apart

It looks immaculate.

it turns out to be 24 years old

But Has Only been fired twice in that time.

 The elements were so supple still

that we decided to leave them connected

but just release them from the grooves. 

Getting it out of the door proved to be a little bit tighter

than we expected.

A Stair lift had been installed in the hall way

since the kiln had been installed. 

 We got it back to our workshop 

Normally at this point I would say

 " In one piece"

But actually it was in two bits!

 it took us 8.5 hours to drive it home.

 We put it back together

and we are just about to wire it up.

We have all of the paperwork for it

look at this original Invoice.

I can't wait to start using it.

Yet again we have been blessed.