new pots

I'm back at the wheel after a very successful Saturday at the Sisters Market.

Thank you to everyone that came along (and to all those who went home with one of my cups!)

It was a lovely day, and great to meet so many wonderful people.

Market next weekend

If you're in Brunswick next weekend come along to the market!

Northcote Pottery

I've been doing a class on Thursdays. Well it's not really a class as such as there's no structure, it's more an open studio evening.

They're having a little show with some of my work in it.

Here's one of my more earthy and unsual pieces done during the evenings

I'm having a stall at the Sisters Market!

On October 9th and December 18th I'm having a market stall of my cups at the Sisters Market, Brunswick Townhall.

And my pots are shown in their stallholder listing!

I'm very excited (and a just little nervous!).

Slip

I've been messing around with some slip.

This is using some recycled clay for the pot (thrown off the hump!). It has quite a bit of terracotta in it. I find the orange a little much, so I was trying to create a layered feel by brushing on white slip whilst it was still on the wheel.

Then I added some black slip to the top after they'd dried a little.



The slip recipe...
Calcium Borate - 30
Postach Feldspar - 30
Ball Clay - 25
Silica - 15

For the white I've just added some porcelain slip I had from throwing, to thicken it up and give it some density. For the Black, I've added a good portion of Ebony underglaze powder.

Then I'll give them a clear glaze. Not sure whether to take this clay up to Stoneware or just to Earthenware... could be risky given the amount of terracotta

spring

The blossoms are just starting to come out. Snuffled a branch on the ride back from the kiln

Spring is on its way...

awhile between drinks

It's been awhile between drinks but finally i'm back at the wheel and making some progress

I've been throwing off the hump this week - and it's been a revelation. It's fast, flowing and gives a more natural feel to the pots.

And I've been mucking around with some black slip as well, to provide a contrast to the white.

We'll have to see how they work out. These pictures are of raw pots so they'll change quite a bit once they're fired and glazed. Hopefully the black will stand out more and the white will ping. Fingers crossed, but you never know with clay. It has a life of its own!







And the background to the shots... the underpainting for Jems next painting. It's been on the packing and sending table for a few weeks now!!

Throwing

I've been thinking about the simliarity between throwing and Aikido.

Both take time, lots of time, concentration and a great deal of effort.

They both require years of gentle refinement.

They both require care and sensitivity.

And whilst there's a great deal of repetition, there's always something new in the repetition, something unique and slightly unexpected

They are both frustrating, tiring and leave your body with odd aches.

But they both have moments of beauty, just occasionally, just moments, that keep you coming back for more... little breaths of something other worldly

Back to pots

I've been getting back into throwing recently. Just took a bunch off to be fired so glazing next weekend hopefully.

Been talking to jem about decoration and glazing...

The discussion was around decoration being like make up - there's nothing worse than over done makeup, makeup should be about highlighting the form, bringing out the features just ever so slightly - decoration on pots is the same.

Then there's also the car duco analogy. Cars are so shiny that you can't actually see the forms and it's all lost in lots of shine.




So finding a way to bring out the form of the pot and minmise the shine...

If only I didn't have to glaze them at all....

Bonsai

I'm baby sitting a couple of dad's bonsai

His are the two on the end - a beautiful morten bay fig which is very old, and a much younger pine grown from seed mum and dad collected at lone pine!

Just have to keep them healthy until they get back from the beach....