Clouds in the Sky

Hello again and welcome to some pottery news.
I will be selling pots at the Handcrafted and Homemade market in Jackson Square community space this Friday. On 18th April I am taking part in the Blake House Craft Fair ( near Braintree). So this month I have been busy amassing stock of mugs, bowls, jugs, vases and salt pigs for these markets. These are predominantly decorated using the combinations of blue glazes that I am obsessed with…. Soft and floaty like clouds in the sky.

I have had the opportunity to deliver some wheel throwing tuition to the art department staff at St. Mary’s school in Bishop’s Stortford which was really enjoyable. It is interesting to compare using a kick wheel and an electric one and the pros and cons of each.

The wedding project continues and I have been experimenting at making glazes to show off some of these decorations to best effect. The one I have settled on is from Linda Bloomfield’s book, Colour in Glazes, and gives wonderful variation from mossy green to gold.

There has been a bit of experimentation going on, attempting thrown vases with application of sodium silicate as seen on the last episode of the recent series of The Great Pottery Throwdown. I’ve also been trying some inlaid work with coloured porcelain but the results were disappointing with a few small cracks appearing on glaze firing. I enjoy setting aside time to just experiment with techniques, colour form and texture. In particular I have made two vases which I am very happy with. One has imprinted texture, iron oxide wiped back and glaze, the other is carved and then treated the same.

There have been quite a few visitors over the last weeks to come and experience working with clay. Some of their work in being fired as I write… in particular a large cabbage leaf effect bowl and some tiles made by first creating a repeating pattern on a roulette. Other people have made mugs, plates, soap dishes or trinket trays.

Why not book a session and come and try your hand at working with clay? See details HERE!

Sarah