Jugs Jugs Jugs

I had a count up the other day. I have 47 jugs to decorate. Blimey, how did that happen?

Better get those trailers flying.

I'm liking these new jugs shapes. They're very different to fit patterns onto but I've run out of them now. I think I need to make something other than jugs next though.

I live in a lovely place.

Slip slop time. Don't look at the dodgy looking 1 that looks like a 2 on the left hand jug though. Oops.

I've been out and about today driving around the area. It was a stunningly beautiful day. I drove through a snow storm up on the moors and the hills are thick with it. Blue skies and crispy air though.

I haven't given you any of my fabulous landscape for a while. This is all north of me here, it gets much more rugged very quickly up that way.

I used to drive over these moors everyday from my mum and dad's house to where I did my apprenticeship. There were a few hairy icy journeys and a few in the dark where you happen upon those big black woolly cows in the first picture and they are nigh on invisibly until you are right upon them. They roam about over the moor and road.

Tumble down stone dykes and lichen covered trees.

Tuesday Tuesday

Here is a picture of the chaos that was my work bench this morning, some people think that my workshop is always spotlessly tidy and neat and clean. This is just a segment of the madness that was in there this morning.
This afternoon though I did some sorting that I have been meaning to do for a year since I moved into this workshop, I bought a new top for these trestles that are my table as this one is bowed beyond belief (you put a full cup of tea in a certain spot and you can nigh on have it over flowing with the tilt on it). I bought some flat!!! ware boards, I know, a crazy extravagance, not enough to replace them all but I can burn the worst now, good kiln fodder. I could do with sitting having a good hard think about what to do in this space, some of it works ok but I am severely lacking in shelf space for in progress work. The ideal spot is a pain of a spot as it's a solid granite boulder wall and you need nothing short of a thermic lance to get holes in it.

Funny wee men it looks like I've been making today, they remind me of Matey Bubblebath for those of you that remember such things. I feel like everything needs to be new and amazing at the moment and when I make them they aren't new (they're all intensely medieval inspired at the moment, even more so than usual) and because they're all shapes I haven't ever made before they're not anything even approaching the same plane as amazing. Last year was incredible in many many ways, I mean it's not every day you get invited to come and show what you do in America is it? I did shows I've been applying for for years, I sold lots and lots of pots, had a show at Gracefield with Phil that I was really pleased with and in the main had a wonderful time, oh and went back to America again. So suddenly I am in a new year and well, you can't beat that can you? I feel under a lot of pressure to prove that it was right that I did all those things, to prove that I am good enough to have done them and to make pots that are better and more accomplished and more mine than last year. It's probably only me that's put the pressure there but I think that's what it is that's making me worry about every pot that I am trying to make now. The head I had the first week in January with the crazy sprigged mugs was much more fun, I'd like that one back if I may.

Monday Monday

"How do I love thee (oh book of Medieval Pottery in the Yorkshire Museum)?
Let me count the ways."

Once again that slim little paper backed volume makes me long to be able to make pots even an ounce as beautifully formed as they are. I've so much to do at the moment, I spent a lot of last week in a bit of a tizzy flitting about and quite unable to settle properly to any one thing. This week that absolutely has to change.

This is one of the commissions that I am working on at the moment, a harvest jug with Ceres on the front and images of farming around the back. It's taking a lot of working out and working on. Good to do some sgraffito again though, it's one of three large sgraffito jugs that I have on order just now.
Running out of shelf space because the things I've made are either tall and fat and take up lots of height or flat but wide like the dishes in the last post and take up lots of depth. I need some more shelves, just to decide what sort and where to put them...

Slip Trailers at Dawn

I've a few of my big chargers ordered at the moment, it's a bit daunting when the biggies are ordered, a bit more pressure to get them through safely. These two are (hopefully) heading down to a National Trust property, Ham House. They are about 17" diameter now.

It's been a very disjointed week for one reason and another. After my initial spurt into the new year I've been struggling to keep the momentum going. Deadlines are approaching however, deadlines that two weeks ago were ages and forever away are not zooming up quick quick.

I've been putting off slipping these crazy mugs, wasn't sure quite how I could attack them with my trailers once they had all the sprigs on them, and though it has been very very hard I have in fact just slipped some and not trailed them at all. Some just have very minimal trailing, it's so hard to just do a couple of lines.

Found out this week that I got a stand at Art in Clay at Hatfield House this year. It's changed dates this year due to some big sporting event I think, and is going to be the weekend of the 6th, 7th, 8th July. Book it in your diaries now please.

Peace and Wriggly Wobbly bottoms.

Firstly a commissioned bowl.

Secondly some wriggly wobbly bottoms.

Drawing Dilemas

"I don't do drawing". I've said it many many times. 2012 though has one of my resolutions to be "do more drawing".

I'm trying...

Some work better than others by a mile.

They are all to do with pots that I fancy making really.

In this last one, if I were better at it there might be pots some of you would recognise.