I recently bought an impressive set of letters from a company called Impressive Letters (impress@broomhalllodge.freeserve.co.uk). Quite expensive, but very good. Now they need to earn their keep. First up is a short poem, which has gone into the kiln this evening for the bisc firing. The slabs will have to be fairly small, so we are talking haiku here, not epic. Any suggestions?
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The process by which rock is weathered and washed away to form clay is an example of entropy, the tendency of all things in the Universe to reduce to the lowest energy state. As potters we reverse this by inputting energy and creating order from the molecular chaos of mud. A neat arrangement of clay balls, ready to be further organised into mugs, is part of the process.
The tyranny of the wheel is well known to potters (and to sailors). The mesmerising way in which a pot emerges and rises from a dollop of clay, a sort of muddy Phoenix, is difficult to turn away from. For about 8 years I was obsessed with thrown pots. When at last I broke free, a rich field of forms opened up. This stoneware planter is created from two slabs which were shaped using an old satellite dish obtained through Freecycle. Only the hole and the decoration are wheel-made. The form could not be made on a wheel. It’s about 16″ across and will probably end up glazed blue.
Here is the first of the new big stoneware jars for the Arts Trail weekends in May. It is made by a combination of coiling and throwing. I aim to make about one a week alongside other work. It will take about 3 weeks to dry before being fired. I’ll probably finish with a dolomite glaze. These bigger pots have to be fired in the gas kiln, which is a bit hit-and-miss; they won’t all survive. Eventual price will be about £60.
A quick snap of two of the boards of stoneware tea-lights and soap dishes. Dozens of these are now dry and ready for firing, to be glazed white. Most are destined for Etsy, some for the Emsworth Craft Market (first Saturday each month, starting in March) and will be on sale at about £5 each.
Plates are a nightmare. They warp as they dry, take up far too much kiln room, and sometimes crack in the firing. These big ones, up to 40cm across, are experimental. Cheese dishes? Pizza platters? About £30, if they survive.
The deed is done. We are now properly signed up for the Emsworth Arts Trail over the first two weekends in May.
Given our plans, the amount of work to be done boggles the mind. So why am I sitting here typing this? Classic displacement reaction. As St Augustine might have said; “Lord make me get on with it – but not just yet”. Put the kettle on first.
The two people who have been most influential and informative for my pottery are Carla Allen, teacher/potter/friend, and Richard Godfrey. I went to a talk by Richard Godfrey about 12 years ago, took abundant notes, and learnt a lot. In particular, he remarked how wonderful it was to earn a living by just playing with mud, which in truth is all that clay is. For those of us who refuse to grow up, and who aim to grow old disgracefully, these are wise words.
This morning we went for a walk, a muddy walk, and at the muddiest place there were two toddlers stamping a mix of mud and horse poo into a magnificent slush under mum’s benevolent gaze. They may or may not grow up to be potters, but hey! Happy Days!
