Innehållsförteckning för #42 från ClayCraft

Welcome This summer, I’ve started keeping bees. As any of you who are already ‘beeks’ will know, this is an addictive and contemplative practice, not very dissimilar to pottery. Patience is a something we’re all familiar with – having to wait for work to dry, maybe undertaking painstakingly fiddly surface decoration techniques – and, with only one hive so far, I’ve had to extend this patience to my garden. Before inspecting a hive, you should have a clear plan, going in. What are you expecting to see and what are you going to do if you find something different? Have you got everything you need, ready and waiting? Attention to detail is key too. Can you see brood in all stages of development (indicating that a queen is present and…

ARE YOU FED UP OF LIFE IN THE CROWDED, NOISY, HECTIC CITY? Are you thinking about swapping it all for a less frantic, quieter, healthier way of life? The production team behind Wanted Down Under want to hear from you for a new series that offers you the chance to road test your dream move. Who are they looking for? • They're interested in hearing from people who are seriously considering making a move from the city to the countryside or coast in the near to medium future and are looking for help and guidance with making that decision. • Whether it's in search of a whole new career, to start a new business, or just to escape the ever-crowded rat race and take up life as a farmer, fisherman,…

SIMPLE HANDBUILDING PROJECTS: YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE ONLY £12.95 INC. P&P* FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF ClayCraft PINCH POTS / SLAB BUILDS COILS / GLAZING / TOOLS A selection of simple projects, covering all the handbuilding techniques. Learn the basics, then apply them to making your own decorative objects and functional ware. The easy to follow step-by-step guides are supported by advice on tools and glazing. ORDER YOURS TODAY! Order online at SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/BKCRA19 Or call 01959 543747 and quote BKCRA19 Calls are charged at your usual network rate. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8.30am-5.30pm. *Price applies to UK orders only. EUR, US, Canada & ROW price: £14.95. All prices include P&P. Full terms and conditions can be found at shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms.…

ClayCraft BACK ISSUES £5.99 PER ISSUE INCLUDING P&P ISSUE 32 Oil bottle Garden totem pt 2 Multiple sprig mould Moulded frame Wall-mounted feeder Satin matt glazes ISSUE 33 Thrown garlic pot. Totem build part 3. Bas relief Pinch pot puffin. Stag's head. What is vitrification? ISSUE 34 Classic thrown bottle. Hanging layered trees. Slipcast balls/baubles Cutwork platter. Cylinder tealight holders Textured napkin holders. For digital issues go to pktmags.com/claycraft ISSUE 35 Thrown milk jug Totem build Nautilus Slump mould Slump dish Keith Brymer Jones ISSUE 36 Thrown simple plate Handbuilt-plate formers Bird wall plaque Pinched dish trio Foot rings Pt 1 Spotlight on Botz ISSUE 37 Thrown salt and pepper shakers Hand-built birds salt & pepper set Hanging bells Foot rings ISSUE 38 Throwing large Adding a thrown foot ring…

FIRING: PART 2 – MORE INFORMATION For many people, understanding even the basics of firing your own work can be a nightmare after what might have been several years of someone else doing it for you while at college or night class. In this second instalment of our guide to firing, we consider the process in a little more depth to help your understanding of what is happening and how to troubleshoot when things don’t work the way they should MEASURING TEMPERATURE – THE OPTIONS There are several ways of measuring and controlling the temperature of the kiln as it fires, which we touched on briefly in the last instalment, but here we break things down for a more in-depth understanding of what’s happening and how things work. DIGITAL PROGRAM…

Confessions of a novice BLOG The bells, the bells… Time to brush up on my hand-building skills with issue 37’s hanging bells I thought I’d better be a bit more wholesome this month, after the profanity of the last issue. And I’m pleased to report that I’m feeling more positive. Perhaps it was cathartic, and the frustration is out of my system for now. I’ve been enjoying some pottery play time, inspired by the big garden planter I made a few months ago. I’ve taken the instructions about centering large amounts of clay in multiple lumps and adding on a thrown foot ring, and adapted them to throw pots in multiple parts. I had a bonus tip from my raw-glazing inspiration and very experienced potter Usch Spettigue, who suggested shaping…

ORDER OUR NEXT ISSUE TODAY AND GET FREE DELIVERY ISSUE 43 ON SALE SEPT 18 DON'T MISS OUT! PAY THE NORMAL SHOP PRICE* AND GET THE NEXT ISSUE DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR. ORDER TODAY! Order online at SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/CC43 Call now on 01959 543747** Quote ref: CC43 Terms and conditions apply. You should receive your copy on or around 18 September. *Delivery is included in the cover price for UK customers only. An additional £1 will be added to any overseas addresses. **Lines open Mon-Fri 8.30am – 5.30pm. Calls charged at your standard network rate. Front cover for illustration purposes and subject to change.…

PROJECT ONE THROWN SALT PIG Although not a large item to throw, this project has some complexity because it’s made in parts, which requires a delicacy of touch. The key to success is practice, remembering that when working with clay, nothing is lost You will need: earthenware or stoneware water bowl, sponge, rib, cutting wire forthethrownitems tosuitclaytype Before you begin: ■ The weight of clay you choose will depend on the size of pig you want to make. ■ Here, approximately 680g (1 ½lb) was used for the body and 85-115g (3-4oz) for the opening ring. This produced a finished item 15cm (6 inches) high. Scale up the weights accordingly to make a larger pig. each section will be lifted off as it’s completed. Prepare your…

PROJECT TWO LIDDED SUGAR/JAM POT Make this quirky little pot for sugar or jam. It’s cute enough to grace any table and will almost definitely be coveted by your friends Before you begin: This is a project with a basic form that works perfectly in its own right but can be embellished in various ways, as you will learn You will need: ■ Clay of choice – red earthenware was used here ■ Ribs and kidneys for neatening up ■ White slip for decoration (an optional decorating technique) ■ Glazes of choice to fit clay (specific glazes are referred to for each pot) Form 340-450g (¾-1lb) of well-prepared clay into a cone shape. Note – this may seem a lot of clay for a small bowl, but the weight will…

Metallic glazes Linda Bloomfield is a scientist turned potter. More glaze recipes can be found in her books, Advanced Pottery (2011), Colour in Glazes (A&C Black 2012), The Handbook of Glaze Recipes (Bloomsbury 2014) and Science for Potters (The American Ceramic Society 2017). Her new book Special Effect Glazes, and the second edition of Colour in Glazes are both out now. The first pigments used by Stone Age man to paint caves were made from naturally occurring mixtures of clay and iron oxide: red ochre, yellow ochre and umber, a mixture of clay, iron oxide and manganese. The same pigments were later used to decorate pottery, as they survive the firing process. Earthenware clays mixed with copper and silver compounds were used by the Spanish Moors during the Middle Ages…

COMPETITION WIN a complete kiln start-up package In celebration of good health and 50 years of good business, the team at Northern Kilns is giving away one of its newly launched plug-in kilns – The LITTLE CHIEF The LITTLE CHIEF is the smallest kiln in the Chieftain range, a premium top-loading kiln, complete with controller, furniture, VIP delivery into position and tuition – offering you a complete start-up package, or a great addition to an experienced potter’s studio as a test kiln The competition is easy to enter, absolutely free and open to everyone. We wish you luck – the competition closes on 31 August 2020 What is the Little Chief? Volume: 45 litres (1.6ft3) Internal dimensions: 405mm x 340mm (16” x 13.5”) (diameter x height) Power: 3kW, 13 Amps…

Doug’s DIARY (Photo: Layton Thompson) As I finally sit down on the bed in the spare room to write this month’s diary, characteristically last minute, I can barely keep my eyes open. It’s been another one of those months when very little clay has made it on to the wheel-head, while all around us, chaos abounds. There have been frustrations, but also tremendous progress in the weeks since I last wrote, albeit not much in clay itself. I’ve been in the workshop since six this morning and have just finished for the day at nearly eleven pm. My sleeping pattern isn’t great at the moment. There’s a lot on my mind, some of it is worries about loved ones, the state of the world and all that stuff, then other, more…

EMMA JAGARE: NEW COLLECTION AT SARAH WISEMAN GALLERY 9 SEPTEMBER - 3 OCTOBER 2020 Emma Jagare's recent porcelain pieces are decorated with delicate petals and flowerheads clustered around pared-back, clean-lined vessels. The look is organic yet uncluttered, celebrating the strange beauty of plants. There is also a focus on corals in various guises, taking the form of vases and platters. An inherent Scandinavian design aesthetic is also part of Emma's ceramics, having grown up in Sweden. For the exhibition, Emma is currently exploring the tradition of the decorative vase for grand floral display: "I've always worked in porcelain, making sculptural organic objects with tactile surfaces. In this new work, I combine throwing with hand-built elements, making purely functional pieces – something I don't do very often. You can never compete…

STONEWARE GARDEN SCULPTURE STONEWARE GARDEN SCULPTURE BY MARK JUDSON Made from 50% my own clay (from our land in France) and 50% St Amand en Puisaye stoneware Thown and coiled construction Decorated with iron and manganese oxide Fired to stoneware 1250°C Fired dimensions 130cm The wavy edged sections aid stability and the weight of the pieces is sufficient to avoid blowing over. The gold version has lugs on the inside and there are small holes drilled in it to enable it to be tied together with thin wire if necessary. Facebook: MarkJudsonCeramics E: judsonsinfrance@hotmail.co.uk…

HAVE KILN, WILL TRAVEL HAVE KILN, WILL TRAVEL! Portable pottery in Portugal with our suitcase kiln by Diane Nicholson, of Muddy Fingers pottery Many years ago, I bought a little piece of land in Portugal intending to live there in a low-impact, partially self-sustainable way. Things happened, life changed, and I discovered pottery! After realising that I wanted to be a potter for the rest of my life, I joined forces with Marvin, and we now run Muddy Fingers pottery together. For me to be able to quit my job as a postie, I needed money to help me start on my new journey as a self-employed potter. So, reluctantly, I sold my little piece of paradise to invest in a new kiln and get me started in my new…

WIN! We have two copies of Linda Bloomfield’s latest book, Special Effect Glazes to give away in a free draw Enter online at: claycraft.co.uk/bookcompetition The first two names drawn at random after the competition closes at midnight on 21 August 2020 will each receive a copy of the book* Experienced ceramicist and ClayCraft contributor Linda Bloomfield’s latest book guides readers through the world of special effect glazes; from drippy and crackle to ash and lichen glazes. Beautifully illustrated with pieces from both emerging and established potters that showcase stunning copper oxide-blues, metallic bronzes and manganese-pink crystal glazes, Special Effect Glazes is packed full of recipes to try out: from functional oilspot glazes using iron oxide, to explosive lava glazes. As well as discovering glaze recipes, you can learn the basic…

JACQUI IN OZ JACQUI ATKIN'S TRIP DOWN UNDER – PART 2 Jacqui Atkin creates all of our hand-built projects, as well as decorating the thrown ones; this month we hear about her visit to her daughter in Australia – also a ceramic maker! It seems a lifetime now since I was with Charlie, my daughter, in Australia, and yet it was only six months ago. While I was with her, the pressing concern was the bush fires that were raging through the continent, devastating habitat, wildlife and people’s homes and livelihoods. It was a terrifying situation that no one could control, and we were very aware of it where we were on the Mornington peninsula because we were constantly blanketed by smoke. It was Christmas time, and the peninsula is…

COURSES SCOTLAND STEF BAXTER POTTERY Courses: Handbuilding & throwing day class drop-in. Night and weekend classes. 1-1 tuition & Raku classes. Suitable for all levels. Open access coming. Dates: see website Location; Govan, Glasgow stefbaxterpottery.com CLAY WORKS STUDIO Courses: All levels from beginners to intermediate. Taster courses, general pottery and throwing courses. Open access facility for more advanced makers coming soon Dates: See website Location: Dumfries & Galloway clayworksstudios.co.uk DUNDEE CERAMICS WORKSHOP Courses: Classes for all levels from beginner to intermediate, for individuals and groups. 1-1 tuition available. Open studio access and kiln hire for members Dates: Throughout the year (see website) Location: Dundee dundeeceramicsworkshop.com FORGAN ARTS CENTRE Courses: All levels and ages catered for in hand building, throwing, Raku, sgraffito and mishima Dates: Various (see website) Location: Newport on…