Behind bars

It's not that they are dangerous that we keep them behind bars, it's for their own safety. Such delicate little mites.

So here's some pictures from Designs, sorry the photography isn't too great, just quick snaps as per usual.

A few things to catch up on this week with blogs and websites to tell you about if you haven't found them already. Philip Leach started a blog a couple of weeks ago now that I have kept meaning to point you too but have until now not managed to do. Philip aka "The only slipware Leach". Great chap, had some good fun down in Devon with him and the gang the year before last.

Then there's the another great chap, Paul Young, who has stepped boldly into the 21st century with a very nice website. I believe a lot of persuading and cajoling was necessary but he's done it. Very smart, lots of pictures of his fab pots and just in time for his appearing at Ceramic Art London in a couple of weeks time.

Finally a picture of a pot that according to the slip trailed date on the side I made in 2003. This is something I made during my apprenticeship and this weekend after all these years I finally got the wicks in place and the thing filled with oil. It's three individual hollow rings which are reservoirs for lamp oil and each ring has four birds on it each of which are lamps, then there's big daddy lamp on the top. The slight problem is that as there are so many lamps it gives off one heck of a heat so we only lit three at the one time. Didn't want to set the fire alarm off you know. It was a heck of a thing to make let alone make wet with a layer of slip. I think I made a dozen but there was only ever this one slipped one that survived and I think there were a couple came through that I intended to use for tin glaze majolica but never got around to it. Makes for a talking point though I think people sitting opposite each other at our little table would struggle to have a conversation for it being in the way.