Innehållsförteckning för #47 från ClayCraft

Welcome The latest lockdown suddenly seems a little bit more bearable. The Great Pottery Throw Down is back on our screens, airing weekly on Sunday nights on Channel 4. Rather like this magazine, when the show first aired, it was to mixed reviews. Amateur potters loved it, but ‘the establishment’ was slower to accept it. I can clearly remember comments about it ‘not being real pottery’, reflecting ‘badly’ on the craft, and so on. However, many have now come round to the idea that it’s an entertainment show, not a teaching aid. Yes, experienced potters can see that ‘best practice’ isn’t always used, but the time constraints involved in filming simply don’t allow for things like slow drying. What the show has done really well, is highlight the processes behind…

Confessions of a novice KEITH BRYMER JONES: A VIRTUAL STUDIO VISIT The Great Pottery Throw Down is close to my heart. Back in 2017, in the wake of a major bereavement, my youngest son and I snuggled up every week to take it in, enjoying the calm creativity and escapism. We signed up for a pottery class together and, literally a few months later, I was writing this blog for ClayCraft. The show was a gateway drug to my clay addiction, and Keith had a lot to do with that. To see somebody get so much joy from a simple act of creation that they’re moved to happy tears, well, it was just what I needed. My Keith-inspired clay obsession Last December I cajoled editor Rachel into letting me accompany…

PROJECT FOUR HEART WALL POCKET Make this pretty wall pocket as a vase for fresh or dried flowers or as a planter for small houseplants. This is a project in several parts, which includes making a plaster mould, and tube-lined decoration You will need: claythathasbeen reserved for plaster work only) tomakethickslabs -preferablywhite MAKING THE MOULD Before you begin: You can make this project as large or small as you choose, depending on the intended use for the pocket, therefore size is not indicated here. Begin by drawing your chosen size of heart on a sheet of card, then cut the upper part of the heart level, as shown. Keep the top part for later. Transfer the outline of the heart to a…

IN THE NEWS KINTSUGI THE POETIC MEND If you have a news story, product launch or details of some other topical item you’d like our readers to know about, email claycraft.ed@kelsey.co.uk If you belong to any of the many clay-related groups on Facebook, you will have undoubtedly seen cries of 'Kintsugi it!' when a maker is lamenting a breakage. Kintsugi uses gold to join broken pieces together again, leaving behind a golden trace along the repair line. Throughout European history, the aim of repair has often been to make a broken object 'as good as new'. On the other hand, Kintsugi is a Japanese art that leaves an obvious repair – one that may appear fragile, but which can actually create a much stronger, more beautiful, and more valuable piece…

DIARY OF A STUDIO POTTER JOURNAL ENTRY 2 In last month’s magazine, I shared with you how I came to change my career in my late 30s to set up my own pottery business. This month I want to share some of the first steps you will need to take to create your trademark. What’s in a name? First things first, your business needs to have an identity. Something simple and memorable that will become your brand. I felt that it was really important that the name of my business was personal to me. I considered what felt like hundreds of options but kept coming back to ‘Lemon Studio’. Simply put, yellow is my favourite colour and after a few difficult years when I had felt that life was giving…

ClayCraft BACK ISSUES £5.99 PER ISSUE INCLUDING P&P For digital issues go to pktmags.com/claycraft 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 Mould, cast Majolica mug Wetheriggs Pottery Carolyn Tripp ISSUE 39 Thrown cut-rimmed bowl Cutlery and utensil handles Hollow-rimmed dish Floral jug Rich Miller on tiles ISSUE 40 Egg cups off the hump Throwing mixed clays Slip-decorated slab plates Leach 100 Corona vase Sarah Monk ISSUE 41 Mugs thrown five ways Glaze test panel Bisque plate mould Thrown cylinder vase Reader's mini salt kiln US vs UK glaze ingredients ISSUE 42 Thrown salt pig Lidded jam pots Plates from bisque former Firing guide pt 2 Garden cone sculptures Mugs for the…

CERAMIC, ART AND CIVILISATION If you're after some excellent lockdown reading, Paul Greenhalgh's fascinating book could just fit the bill. With over 400 colour images, it traces the story of ceramic art and industry from the Ancient Greeks to the Romans and the medieval world; Islamic ceramic cultures and their influence on the Italian Renaissance; Chinese and European porcelain production; modernity and Art Nouveau; the rise of the studio potter, Art Deco, International Style and Mid-Century Modern, and finally, the contemporary explosion of ceramic making and the postmodern potter. Ceramic culture is a clear, unique, definable thing, and has an internal logic that holds it together through millennia. Ceramics is the most peculiar and extraordinary of all the arts. At once cheap, expensive, elite, plebeian, high-tech, low-tech, exotic, eccentric, comic,…

PROJECT THREE CEREAL BOWLS These simple bowls are quick and easy to make in repeat, providing you begin with the same weight of clay each time. If you choose to make a set, each one can be varied by changing the colour of the underglaze decoration YOU WILL NEED: ■ Clay of choice earthenware or stoneware – 400g (14oz) per bowl■ Batt■ Whirler■ Ribs – soft and hard types■ Pin■ Surform■ 3 complementary underglaze colours■ Transparent glaze■ Additional glaze for interior of bowl Prepare and weigh 400g of clay then form it into a ball. Holding the ball in one hand, open out the centre by pressing a finger or thumb into the clay until you can feel some pressure in your palm. Pinch the shape out from this central…

THE GREAT POTTERY THROW DOWN 2021 By the time you read this, we will all have been glued to the television as the latest series kicked off on Channel 4 (Sunday nights, 7.45pm). As you might imagine, things will be a little different from previous years. Covid-measures aside, there is the introduction of Siobhán McSweeney as the show’s presenter, and Rich Miller has moved from his role as the technical wizard to accompany Keith Brymer Jones in the unenviably tricky task of judging the 12 contestants. We found out more about this year’s series, from behind the scenes. PRESENTER: SIOBHÁN MCSWEENEY You aren’t a stranger to the format as you have been on Celebrity Bake Off – Stand up to Cancer. Did that help in any way? And has your…

Doug’s DIARY (Photo: Layton Thompson) So that was Christmas, and what did we do? Ate too much, drank a little and enjoyed some delightful time off in our bubble, and of course, we gave each other some wonderful pots that I’ll tell you about in a minute. It is three days after Christmas, and we woke this morning to the first significant snowfalls of the winter, much to Pippin and Fred’s delight. I’m currently thawing out after sledging in the fields behind the house with the little ones. My feet are like ice. I’m not much of a one for snow; I love the look of it, but I’m not so keen on playing in it. Today has been an exception, and I made the extra effort to ride and…

COURSES Do you run a course that you’d like to see here? Email claycraft.ed@kelsey.co.uk for free inclusion in our listing SCOTLAND STEF BAXTER POTTERY Courses: Hand-Building & 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…