Mid Fling Saturday

Here is my workshop as it was this morning before the Fling started this morning. My sister has been helping me all day which has been fab. It's been busy and fun and I have had a great time meeting lots of great new people and sold quite a few pots. An early night for me tonight I think.

Pre Fling Friday

I just had Blogger Andrew giving me a hand with some pre Fling preparation this morning which was great, thanks Andrew, hope Potfest is going to be good for you.
So the shelves are up, the gazebo is up, in the barn in the end, it's been a bit windy today and I just didn't think I could risk it but it sort of encloses a bit of space and saves my pots getting lost in the huge barn as a whole. Thanks Clare and Simon, the poshest gazebo I have ever seen!

I unpacked a bisque this afternoon and got it all glazed and packed in the kiln again, these pots will be for Germany. I've had a half dozen visitors today, early for the Fling but they have all come and bought pots which is a great start. They took the things that were my favourite too, 4 of my most favourite of my new pots which is at once fabulous and a bit sad that I won't have them to show off for the rest of the weekend. Never satisfied am I. This dragon jug was the first to go, the one I had put the little story on the back, I was very pleased with it and I'm going to make up some more stories to do that with I think.

The tile panel is finished, hope you like it you two. I can't sell you Blogger Andrew's shadow to go with it though, that is priceless.

So the pots are all spread out and hopefully looking pretty, they're not priced yet, that's tomorrow morning's job, along with the pinning up of more signs and I think that'll be me about there. If you pop in over the weekend please do come and say hello, and if you are flinging throughout the region then do enjoy yourselves and have a wonderful time. To all the other participants, have a great weekend and enjoy all your visitors.

Yippee

Yeah a new hidey hole, fab, I love it.

Chaos v Calm

Well I have started early this year. Usually my pre Spring Fling mega clean and tidy up starts at about 11am on the friday in a panic. Today I believe is wednesday and I have done loads. I've been working slowly, feeling a bit worn out so trying to take it easy ish. The top picture doesn't look too tidy to you probably but I've moved the desk to the other side of the workshop for various reasons and one shelf unit in it's place. I quite like the desk there, maybe I'll keep it moved. Well I'll see about that after the weekend.

This is the front of the workshop all tidied and spider free, my huge apologies to the many and varied spiders who were evicted today, you can come back after the weekend, I'm just always a bit wary of having jugs full of spiders in case someone who's frightened of them picks one up and drops it in fright.

Tomorrow I'm planning to get the second layer of bricks on my firebox and take out the former. Blogger Andrew is heading up this way to stop over on his way to Potfest in Stirling this weekend. Looking forward to seeing him and good luck to all taking part at Potfest.

Tuesday sneezy day

The pollen is doing it's thing in style this week, bless me, bless me. Makes for everything being just that bit harder than you'd like it to be.

My big big bowl, is off to a new home, it was hard to package, took me an age but better safe than sorry and fingers crossed it'll make it there safe and sound.

Galloway News Article

I don't know if this will be big enough for you to read, I hope so. Apart from the fact that I'm not open to the public apart from at Spring Fling and that Jason is helping me build a kiln not building it for me, it's a great piece of publicity, and the picture isn't too awful either.

This dresser is at Dumfries House, I've just been up there this morning to deliver some more work, they now have a jug of mine on each of the tables in this room . You can see a couple of pieces of Cumnock ware on the dresser amongst my pots. It's strange seeing my work outside of the workshop. Those plates on the top, the tree and the daisies, in my workshop look huge, they are as big as I can make plates and look at them, saucers in that setting. They look good though. Hopefully there'll be some better pictures once the place is properly finished, it's great seeing them in such a setting.

A funny year this year so far, a year full of rejection letters, just got a couple more this week, I could paper my house in them now I think, in amongst that though I have an acceptance for Ceramics in the City at the Geffrye Museum again in September which is great because I do enjoy that show and an exhibition coming up at Cambridge Contemporary Art Gallery. Applying for shows and exhibitions is a really hard thing. You just keep on doing it and hoping for the best, this year I thought I had good photographs of some of the best pots I've ever made but obviously they aren't what a lot of the selectors are looking for for their shows this year. Never mind, I'm nothing if I'm not a stubborn determined person so I'll just be trying again next year.

Sunny weekend

What a weekend! Beautifully sunny and hot, well Paul reckons it's warm but for a red haired hay fever sufferer believe me it's hot. I don't do too well in the sun you know and it's bringing out a lot of pollen by the feel of it. However it is lovely and the world around is responding very swiftly to it, you can see the flowers stretching and revelling in the warmth and light.
Some pots are still being slipped and decorated along with the glazing and firing that is reaching the end of SF preparation here. The other pots though still have to be made and are going to keep moving along for as long as I can make them before it all stops and I have to start preparing the place for visitors, all being well that will start Thursday...

This is the back of the owl plate, couldn't decide whether the two loops at the top looked like eyes or something other than eyes.

I lost of few of these little fat mugs this afternoon, they collapsed in flurry of slip, I think I'd just damn well thrown them too thin, annoying but it happens. Where's the line do you think between being inspired by things and down right copying them even when you don't have it in your head to do that. These fat mugs, yes the shape I tried to copy at first from some 17th C pots, they never were exactly the same and they're probably even less the same now and of course finished they won't look anything like the originals, probably even barely recognisable as there even being a link. However I know there's that link, sometimes, like now, that really bothers me. I know nothings new, especially with a tradition going back as far as this one does, but is it ok to make pots that draw so heavily on the past, for myself I like the fact that there is that link, that connection but what would people looking in on this think? Do those who know old pots think - pah look at that, poor copies? They aren't reproductions, I'm not clever enough nor a good enough potter to be able to pull off that trick, I'll leave that to those to whom that is their speciality. When I left working at Jason's pottery I was very much aware of making pots that looked like Jason's pots, it was how I'd learnt, it was bound to be in there. I think I've talked about this before in previous posts. It took me a good while before I felt I was starting to make my pots rather than Jason's pots though in truth to anyone that knew Jason's work for more than a passing glance they weren't alike but the connection was obvious. Again I like that connection, I like the fact that there is that link through time, a sort of family tree, there are aspects of Jason's work that I feel clearly mark the fact that he worked for Mary Wondrausch and at Aldermaston for Alan Caiger Smith and again I think that's no bad thing.

The pots that I make and the inspiration that either consciously or sub-consciously contributes to them comes from every source you can think of, sometimes things happen that you have no notion where they came from. Occasionally you do something and think hey that's a great idea only to pick up a book and see the self same technique illustrated in it or look back through a magazine you've flicked through or at other potters work you've seen and lo and behold there is the link. Again it won't be the same, how can it ever be? We are all different people with different skills and different ways of being but you can see the link again, if you look hard enough. In many ways the way that ideas and possibilities are passed around the world now is just a bigger, faster, easier version of the way they always have been. To potters in times gone by you would have been able and indeed can now trace the way that a technique or idea travels slowly, over seasons and years rather than today's minutes and seconds, across regions and countries as the itinerant potters and craftspeople worked their way from job to job, county to county. You can see the spread of European decorating techniques spread across Britain when the delft ware, to use one example, arrived on our shores. I wonder what historians in another 100 years time will think when they look back at what we do today. Will they be able to tell for example who was reading what magazine when they started making their 'x' range of pots, or which potter someone had seen demonstrate at a show before they started using a technique that didn't appear in their work before?

Phew this is turning probably into a lot of indecipherable drivel, the point I think of all that is that sometimes I have trouble working out how much of my pots are me. Sometimes it bothers me, sometimes it doesn't, I suppose it depends how I'm feeling and what else is going on at the time. The rest of my world and what happens in it affects me and my pots and then each of those in turn will affect the other I suppose, blooming heck the links are endless. Does that make sense? Hope so.

Anyway bluebells are here finally, later than those in bonny Devon of course, at least our leaves turn orange and fall before yours do Doug, I think that's probably the end of the year that we beat you at most successfully.

Friday sunshine

The first t-shirt no jumper day of the year! That took me by surprise. It's been a busy day, as per usual, I had to venture out into the town today. I haven't been to Dumfries in what feel s like ages so I had a big list, bank, stationers, arts centre to pick up taster exhibition work of mine and a few others, petrol, banana box collection, gazebo borrowing. Phew, good to get back to the workshop.

A few pots out of the kiln today, some good ones I think, lots of jugs for an order and another bisque firing straight in. Busy times busy times.

Thursday

Usually by this stage in the preceedings ie a week before Spring Fling, complete chaos has taken rule over my life and I'm running around like a headless chicken. For some reason this year it appears that mild bemusement has settled instead. Being a born worrier I am worrying that I should actually be panicing and fretting when I'm not and what's wrong that I'm not? However the current state is far the more preferable to be in. There are as per usual a million and one things that I would have liked to have done but haven't, it's always the way isn't it. I'm still throwing and decorating and today weighing slips and glazes to soak as the Spring Fling weekend, though it is important and can be crazy busy and is a great event, isn't the only thing in the year and there are a few things on order that need continuing with and a few more things in the planning.

For that reason I always end up making things even until the day before Spring Fling. I would like to have started on the cleaning and tidying that needs to be done before I can open my workshop to the public but in fact I can't because then it changes into something other than my workshop and I need for the time being to keep working. What's the point in moping the floor and dusting and cleaning shelves and pots when I have a big bucket of glaze that needs sieving next week? It'd all be back to how it was in no time. (More new lettering in the picture above by the way).

So you know there are so many things on the "to do" list so what do I do? Start decorating the backs of things again. It pleases me in a sort of chuckling to myself and smiling because I know it's there but the person looking at it will find it a surprise kind of way.

My Cub Scouts made a scarecrow family last night. Thought you like to see them. It did my hayfever the absolute world of good!

PS Dave and Sue, yes you certainly are still on for sunday night, Paul is under starters orders for his chefing duties. Look forward to seeing you again.

Letters

How often do you get a letter through the post that looks like this? How beautiful is that, I love it. I have been wanting to do a course for a while now in some sort of lettering skills, my hand writing is ok, I like letters and words and I like putting them on my pots but my lettering skills are very limited really. I haven't found a course to do yet though. This calligraphy is done by Patricia Lovett who is the vice chair of The Heritage Crafts Association.

As such coincidences often occur today I was reading the "Techniques Using Slip" by John Mathieson book as recently received through the post. I was looking at the section aboutJames Basset, he's a slip trail king and his lettering is just fab, I love it, makes mine look like childish scrawl. So the plate above (ignore the H that looks like a square 8 please) is my attempt at using the serifs on the letters. I think Pru Cooper does lovely lettering too. Definitely something I need to work on. That book is lovely if you haven't seen it yet, there's some great things in there, I've been devouring it at every tea break the last day or two.

Funny thistley-flowery things. I'm back at the trying to finish every thing that's under plastic stage again. I popped a glaze firing in this morning, a bisque lined up fir the day that that comes out etc etc before Spring Fling and the German trip. Two small exhibitions to get together before I leave for Germany too, talk about everything happening at once. It keeps me out of trouble anyway...

Weekend catch up.

I spent the evening yesterday at Andy Priestman's kiln. It was the first firing of his newly added to kiln, it used to be a single chamber and he's added two more to the structure. I wasn't there too long in the grand scheme of things really, but hopefully was of some help - maybe. I'd have liked to stay longer but I was very aware of the hour drive back home and the fact that I'd had a busy old weekend all ready (Cub fun day all day sunday and fire clay shifting on saturday etc etc) and there was a lot to be done today. Hopefully next time I'll be able to be a bit more help to him. The top picture is of Andy stoking later in the evening.

It was hard to get a picture to show you as it's a very long and skinny structure. This is the front, there's a tiny stoke hole at the bottom there which I believe is where he started the firing, this is the original chamber of the kiln, the main stoking space is to the left around the corner. Andy had started firing at 6am sunday morning. The first chamber had reached temperature with a flattened cone 10 at about half past four yesterday afternoon I think it was and he'd started stoking the second chamber by the time I got there. It was a bit sticky with the second chamber and some running alterations were made in between stokes to let in some more air to the firebox. We tried Doug's patented party wood trick too, thanks Doug.

This picture is the loading side of the kiln, all three chambers very neatly bricked up and sealed, have you seen many kilns that neatly bricked up? I certainly haven't.

This is the firebox door of the second chamber, I was really taken with the nifty door structure, there's a counterbalance system holding the doors which is a dream to use, hmmm, I need to work out how to get that into my kiln. Anyway I left when the temperature was still playing silly beggars and sticking though it was higher than it had been. There was still a lot of moisture in the kiln, so a lot of energy was being used getting rid of that and that second chamber is a good size so the heat had to be going somewhere and doing some good. I just spoke to Andy who says that with the help of his late shift helper they got all three chambers to temperature and the kiln sealed up by 4.30 this morning, not as late as he'd thought it might be but still one heck of a firing. Andy is taking part in Spring Fling the weekend after next and all being well there'll be some lovely new pots to be seen at his place. Dave and Sue you two will love it up there, what a place, you must go, studio number 9, get it in your route plan, then you can come and report back on the results for me.

It was a lovely drive back last night, Andy lives up in the wilds near Glentrool, I met a badger on the road just after leaving his place and then a fox before I got as far as the main road and what felt like a huge owl that glided gently across my car as I was trundling along, what a sight, such a pale underside, beautiful. I need to draw some more owls on my pots soon. This morning was a bright and early start meeting Jason down at the workshop and putting in the arch for the firebox. It looks absolutely huge to me but hey there it is, I suppose I can always brick in space if it's too big or just do it again but I am reliable informed that it'll do the trick just fine.

My slightly roughly made former seems to have held up well for the job, looking at it again today I did think again thank goodness I'm not a furniture maker, I don't think I'd be able to make a living doing that at all.

So there it is finished, I'll give it a day or so before I remove the former. There's another skin of bricks to go on there, probably red ones as I'm running short on heavy bricks. That'll be next weeks job, the rest of this week is for sorting out and starting to tidy up for Spring Fling.
I had a visit from a journalist and photographer from the Galloway News this morning too, just to add to the chaos that was already going on around me. Honestly what must they have thought they were coming too? There I was covered in fireclay in my battered dungarees (albeit freshly cleaned I must add though that was not necessarily planned, rather just a coincidence) with a sun burnt face (I had planned for rain at the Cub fun day, not lovely hot sunshine all day) and scraggy hair and workshop that looks like a bomb's hit it. Oh well, a fashion model I would not make, good job I just make pots.

More kiln = More tired Hannah

My favourite tree of the moment. Oh but that might make my other favourite trees upset, my favourite tree that I see every time I sit in my kiln shed. Phew think I got away with that one.

Slop on the top. A jolly lovely mix of fire clay and vermiculite and glooped up there as insulation. Oh and the frog? What frog, spot the frog. That frog has a story. It was once upon a time abandoned and homeless in a charity shop in Dumfries, spotted through the window (a bit like the beginning of Bagpuss really but less old, saggy cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams like - look it up if you're lost).

Dan mentioned that he thought it was only in Scotland that the bricks could get green with moss. How about this that I've been cultivating then?

Then this afternoon we laid the base for the firebox, here's the former in place for that, hopefully we'll build it monday. I'm popping over west to hopefully give Andy a hand with the first firing of his kiln on sunday. He reckons it'll take 24 hours, I won't be there the whole time but should have something to report about it and some pictures after the weekend. Have a good weekend all.

Look no hands!

Well what I mean is we took the former out this morning and the roof stayed up, I was a bit surprised, I hadn't been convinced my slightly bodged out of many bits of bricks arch would be up to it but when I left at half 6 tonight it was still there. Got a thick layer of vermiculite and clay slop to put on the top of there tomorrow.

I had some new pots out yesterday, I like these footed jugs, I don't think I've sold any yet but they do amuse me, I think I make a lot of things like that.

The copper beech behind the kiln which I hope stays just where it is for many years to come. It's lovely though.

New Humbug mugs ready to go.

I managed to get some throwing done yesterday - eventually. I'd started in the morning trying to throw 3lb jugs but they just weren't for happening at all at all. They clay was soft soft soft and didn't like being made to belly at all. Anyway after it had sat drying on my plaster bat while I had a good natter on the phone it was much happier, must have been else I don't think I could have made these wide rimmed plates with it. I'm looking forward to slipping these.

Jugs finished and sitting fat and happy.

I think I can say now as he's done a good job of announcing it to the world now that my friend Adam Booth up the road here, artist blacksmith with no small reputation, won the Craft&Design Selected Gold Award for Metal and Wood. Congratulations Adam!

News and stuff

I had an email today from those lovely people at Craft&Design Magazine to say that I had won the silver award for ceramics in their Selected Awards - again! I don't know who else won the ceramics section yet. A very big thank you to all those who took the time and trouble to vote for me, it's very much appreciated. I'll let you know other winners shortly, I know one other but that's not my news to tell yet.

Linda this is why earthenware potters go to the trouble of wood firing. Pot on the left from my electric kiln, pot on the right from the wood firing. Oh and not to mention the allure of the flames, pyromaniac? Me?

Simple? Too little? Does it look elegant or lazy? Fine line.

All things considered I think that slipping just one candlestick with black slip went fairly well don't you think? My new shoes are nicely bedded in now, one less thing to worry about.

The London Jungle Book and Othere Stories

Well probably not many other stories just at the moment if truth be told but The London Jungle Book has recently been lent to me by Margie Booth (another Spring Fling participant). It's beautiful. It is the vision of London as seen by Bhajju, an artist from the Gond tribe in central India. The art that this tribe practises is a community art, created and enjoyed by their villages not in any way produced commercially. Their folk art is constructed of symbols to tell the mythology. Have a look if you get the chance, it's beautiful and the explanations for the imagery used to illustrate each piece of the tale of Bhajju's visit is fabulous.

My big tree friend on the road down here seems to have shot into leaf over night. Tis beautiful. I say hello to it every time I pass by it.

I seem to have had lots of new readers recently, or new to the comments at least, hi to you all and thanks for reading my blog. To follow up the "what to do over Spring Fling" quandary, I have been offered a gazebo to borrow by Clare and Simon, fellow potters, thank you very much. I haven't really worked out just where to put it yet though but I will. Linda yes I could and have put things out in the farm yard, the wet as you say wouldn't matter a jot but it can be very windy there, the gusts hurtle through sometimes at some crazy speeds, speeds of great danger to pots. So I am still thinking and pondering at the moment. Finally for today, to my elves, you do know that it is a term of endearment and not all reach that status of elfdom.