Stop Procrastination, Start Working!

This week has been a slow week for making pots as most of my time seems to have been taken up by learning how to pull handles. It has been a big learning curve as I have never been taught how, I have watched the University Technician from across the room pulling some for his mug and of course I have read books like the one by Phil Rogers and watched various videos by Simon Leach but nothing compares to when you get your hands around that clay and try for yourself.

I wish I had some photos of that but alas I forgot my camera and I forgot to put my wife's camera back in her bag too, so no photos of this weeks work, but I do have photos from previous weeks
















I have thrown about twenty of these bowls so far and I am hoping to sell them off at farmers markets later in the year when I have officially set up as trading, as my business studies teach has been going on about the whole necessity of doing that.

They are about 600 grams of clay and are going to be decorated like my other work, with white glaze and oxide decoration, not sure about whether they will be oxidation or reduction yet.

They are based on soup bowls I saw at Gretna Services on my way back from Scotland.















On the left is a one kilogram bowl, it has much thicker walls as I thought about it being used in the oven, I have considered throwing a lid for it, but that is a whole new skill that I have yet to learn. Though I attend a university, neither of the tutors that I am working with this year can throw, both have interesting ideas but not being able to throw is a major set back when teaching someone who is trying to improve throwing.

Need to either buy or make a huge batch of white glaze this next week, though the baby was sick yesterday and if he is sick again today I won't get back to work until Thursday

One last image to finish this post, this is a mug I threw before Christmas, it is my favourite glazed piece that came out of the last kiln of last year. this is where I am going from this year. This mug is thrown from a kilo of clay and holds about a pint of fluid. This last week I threw some more and they were about an inch taller, proving to myself that I have improved over the last few months.

Will try and post some images of the newer pots as the week goes on.

First Ever Post - A little bit about me

I'm a final year pottery student at the University of Central Lancashire's Northern School of Design. I have been at the University for what feels like forever, I started there back in 2005 on a 3D design course which I didn't like and my wife to be at the time encouraged me to move into clay and that is where I have been ever since discovered my love for clay.

When my son was born I stayed back a year and I am glad I did as it has given me an extra year to really better at throwing and start to develop my own style. I know that there is so much to learn for my craft, but I never want to give it up once I leave education.

My tutors always say I work in a painterly style hence the name, though I love the idea of painting though I have never really been good at it and haven't tried since I was at art school. I do look at a lot of art and follow blogs from quite a range of potters and artists.