12 Before 12 and 24 by 12.45

It happened on Tuesday, I was told I could only work one day and even then I might not get fired as everyone has already left Uni, but I decided to throw anyways as I had come all the way into Uni to do something else. I got in after 10am as I always do because of the bus I catch. My aim was to throw as much as I could in the day, but I only stayed till 2.

So here are my twelve, I left them as tumblers when I went in yesterday, as I liked the way they held without a handle and of all the things I have to sell so far I don't have tumblers to go with my jugs

The other 12 I threw are basic tea cups, I wasn't happy with some I already had. These tea cups all had handles added yesterday when I went in. I also threw 2 sugar bowls, two teapot bodies, two spouts and four lids, unfortunately I dropped one of the teapot bodies yesterday.


I still don't feel happy that I have enough things to sell until I can arrange my studio space, but I don't have any option now unless I do a throwing course somewhere.

Kiln Opening

Just a quick posting

I unloaded my kiln on Monday, and I have been busy ever since as my degree show is due this Friday and things are more than a little hectic around here so just the one picture right now, hopefully Friday Evening I can settle down to a real post.

Leach Pottery and a Sneak Peek

Well I managed to get the kiln loaded in a single day on Tuesday, it got fired on Wednesday and when I got in on Friday it was still too hot to unload, I did mange to get a sneak peek into the kiln though, it looks like a good firing, but I won't know until I manage to unload everything which is on Monday now.


On another note we had a visiting lecturer for the day, all the way from St Ives. the lecturer in question was Jack Doherty who is lead potter at the restored Leach Pottery in St Ives and is the retired Chairman of the Craft Potters Association here in the UK. So we got to handle pieces from their standard range that they are producing, they are very nice pieces to handle, we also got to handle his personal work. The though the whole lot is soda fired, his work tries to avoid the "orange peel" affects that is the signature of soda firing. His work also has subtle blue colours throughout, as it was explained that he plays about with the slips to resist the soda and alter the colours.

He also did some demonstrations for us in porcelain, showing us the Leach pottery porcelain range of work and also how to make his own, which used 3 piles of clay and then coils. All the work was made on the wheel, though the first stage of his work he beat it into centre with a mallet that belonged to the pottery and with his fists. It gave me some ideas on what to do for some bigger pieces.

I also got to speak to him one on one about my work, as my tutor wanted me to ask about doing a pottery start up down there in St Ives, but it is a little far from anyone I know to help out with the little one. He was definitely an amazing potter to talk to.

Back in the Glazing Room

Back glazing again, I am using the same Kiln as last time that took me 2 and half days to fill and I only have tomorrow to do it in order that everyone gets there turn, it is going to be so crazy and I will probably have to stay late at Uni if things don't go according to plan. Anthea will be helping me fill it with my work, could do with a work force when it comes to glazing by hand, but I am lucky enough that Anthea will help me dip them.

I mixed up a new batch of matt titanium white glaze on Thursday and started on the process but the kiln was in the middle of a firing so I filled all the shelf space I could find.

Also definitely going to London for the Press Day and first day of New Designers this year, as I booked my hotel and train tickets. So I will be in London from June 29th to July 1st going up a day before the press day to set up my allotted space.

NPA- Northern Potters

I finally got around to joining the NPA and got my card through this week, hopefully this will help me along the way.





I have been busy making but none of it has reached the kiln for a bisque firing as the 1st and second years get priority over the kilns until they have finished so I just have to be patient and wait my turn, they leave this week I think then I have pretty much got to get all my glazing done, set out the show and then get back to making so then I can have enough stock s then I have a head start.

Anthea is on an Annie Peaker course yesterday and today, so I spent the day touring the Lake District and managed to get to 4 galleries and 4 potters studios. I really enjoyed talking to James Hake who is an amazing young potter from Cumbria who gave me some amazing advice, definitely someone I will visit again and when I have enough money I would buy some of his work for the studio.

Setting off again soon to see how much more we can see today

On the wheel again

Well I have back at Uni this week, and I haven't really had time to sit down and make just one form as I have to throw everything I need for my show by this next Friday ideally so then I can glaze it and work on my display for the show as it all has to be set up by May 21st, once the show is set up I can spend a day at a time throwing the things I need to sell this summer.

I was so busy trimming and cleaning on Friday which was the only day we had the camera at Uni, it was just a couple of quick shots, I will try harder this next week to get the shots I want down to a T. As the University seems to have run out of stoneware I couldn't spend my time merely making big object, I do however have two different sorts of white stoneware clay from Valentine Clays I think it is the Arctic White and Porcelain White and have 25kgs if each

Three cereal bowls, I dropped the middle one and accidently destroyed it after this shot, this week it feels like I have done pairs of everything but the tea cup and I think I have 5 of those as I had thrown 7 and two of them weren't good enough so they went straight to the reclaim.
Small fruit bowl, I did throw quite a few of these large bowls and platters, the problem is even in the big kiln there is only so much space inbetween the props on each shelf, especially as the shelves are the same size as the small gas kiln, you can just fit 4 towers if them in.
Just a few mugs, I liked the way these turned out, still need a lot more practice with handles, I think as soon as I get time I will have to throw a cylinder this size and attach as many handles as I can to it, I managed the handles on my tea cups easily as I don't feel as if I am going to drop them every time I pick them up, but with these mug I just can't get a comfortable grip on them.

Thankfully I can use the University's facilities until the degree show is finished, so I will be ordering more clay and getting to work big time, no more experimenting for a while, just getting my forms down and done.

I have been off of University for over a week now, it is hard not being able to throw while I have been off as I have been so busy with other stuff that doesn't really relate to making. I have been putting together my business studies portfolio, just need to get some info on insurances and then write the feasibility study along with all the proformas for the work. Going on a course run by the local council this Wednesday.

I am still looking at various locations for opening the business, but I am now putting it aside in my head for the moment until I have at least made all the work for the degree show.

This Summer as well as having the Degree show at Preston Uni which opens to the public June 14th, though the preview evening for that is the 11th, I will also be going to New Designers and will be there for the preview day and the 1st of July our stand is CG16 and is up on the balcony near the stair case. Also I am going to the Super Duper Itsy Bitsy Handmade Fair 2010 held by Blackpool Council in Stanley Park on July 18th, it should be fun, even if I am the only potter there I have to raise my profile locally as well as in the south.

On a separate note my wife has started blogging her blog can be found here


Here are some pictures on the way I start trying to design.

I start off just looking at various shapes on a very small scale, just a really small thumbnail not taking any time over these as it is about looking mainly at the silhouettes.

Just taking a design from the small drawings and filling an A3 sheet the shape in different proportions and looking at adding handles and spouts, my thinking is that these would make interesting tea or coffee pots.
Just starting to look at things a bit more graphically, trying to work out how I would decorate it with the cross hatching and the black boxes are something to help the shape stand out more against the paper and something we used to have to do when I was doing illustration though we used to take more time over the boxes than I have doing the whole drawing here.

These pots are as of yet unresolved even though they are one of the first designs I came up with, as I don't have the skills to really make something like these them being so wonky and asymmetrical.