Innehållsförteckning för #51 från ClayCraft

Welcome Well, it’s early May as I write, but I don’t think you could say that spring is here yet. This morning, there was snow in Scotland and the north of England, and even down on the south coast, we’ve been waking up to regular frosts in the morning. When the sun’s out, it is warm, but the temperatures at night mean it’s not yet safe to put out veg seedlings, even into my polytunnel. There’s light at the end of the (poly) tunnel, though! We’re receiving more events listings (see page 6) as organisers start to fill up our summer diaries with arts weeks, exhibitions and shows. Coming soon, in terms of larger events, are the Ceramic Congress (27-31 May, ceramic.school); the Potfests (Scotland, 11-13 June; Compton Verney, 25-27…

PARTICIPANTS NEEDED Participants are needed for research into the development of pottery skills in Great Britain during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study, led by first-year Archaeology DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford Cathy O'Brien, will examine potters' experiences of working from home with limited access to studios or materials amid the pressures of lockdown. It will also look at how the impact of learning through media, such as online video content, social media, and books, alters skill development and how that may impact more traditional educational structures. To be eligible for the study, you must be: • a potter, or have started to learn to pot (handbuilding or throwing) during the Covid-19 pandemic • living in Great Britain • open to discussing wellbeing • aged 18 or over To…

AN INTRODUCTION TO SURFACE DECORATION Throughout our 50 or so issues of ClayCraft, we have introduced many techniques for decorating the surfaces of the projects. This new series will look at the subject in greater depth to build a ‘go-to’ arsenal of ideas for you to adapt to your own work. The options for surface decoration are many and varied, and never as simple as just one approach, so bearing this in mind, each specific method will be demonstrated in a basic form then expanded at a later date with more examples of how to develop the technique to make more complex surfaces. Our ultimate aim is to give you enough information to get you started on a journey of discovery to finding and developing your own signature style. WHAT…

Confessions of a novice Experiments in naked raku It’s nearly three years since the ClayCraft naked raku projects, and I couldn’t wait any longer. Wrong ingredients and no raku kiln? Pah! But what exactly is naked raku? There seems to be some confusion. It’s when you take bisqueware and apply a special thick slip (or a slip and a glaze), which cracks when taken to approximately 800°C in a raku kiln, allowing smoke to seep in and create patterns on the surface of the pot beneath. The slip or slip/glaze combo is then either scraped off or dramatically washed off in a cloud of steam by pouring water over the pots after they come out of the smoking vessel. The term naked raku is also sometimes used to refer to…

NEW KILN SHARE SITE Are you looking for somewhere to fire your work, or maybe you're a potter with spare capacity who'd like to earn some extra income. There's a new website that puts potters and kiln owners in touch with each other. "At Kiln Share, we believe in kiln sharing. Not every potter needs their own kiln. Some don't have the space, others don't have the upfront investment. "We are on a mission to make it easy for potters to find a local kiln to hire whilst helping kiln owners earn some extra income by renting out their equipment!" You can search the website using an interactive map to find kilns available near you, and if you follow the page on Facebook (@kilnshare), you'll get live updates when a…

PROJECT ONE THROWN FACETED VASE This is a slightly more complicated throwing project than usual because part of it can only be done with one hand. The key to success lies in ensuring the wall of the form is thick enough to cut good facets that will remain intact when bellied out. You may have to practice a little You will need: ▪ 900g (2lb) clay of choice, to make a vase approximately 16cm high ▪ Tools for throwing – water bowl, sponge on a stick, rib, cutting wire ▪ Batt ▪ Tool for cutting facets – it can be homemade from metal packaging tape, a wide-bladed loop tool or a mini wire harp Before you begin: A reminder when throwing – to save wordy repetition! Always compress the clay…

LINDA BLOOMFIELD USING FELDSPAR AND VOLCANIC ASH IN GLAZES Continuing from my article on clay in the previous issue, this month, I will be describing all the different types of feldspar and how they are used in glazes. Feldspar is one of the minerals found in granite rock, a mixture of feldspar, quartz and mica. Granite is an igneous rock formed underground where molten magma has cooled very slowly and has formed large crystals of feldspar and quartz. The ceramics industry prizes the feldspar found in the lighter-coloured, high-silica rocks such as granite and pegmatite, the latter having very large crystals of feldspar. Darker-coloured rocks containing iron oxide and magnesium are less used in the ceramics industry as they are more likely to make brown glazes. However, potters using local…

PROJECT FOUR BUTTERFLY DRINKER The premise of this project is to make something to encourage butterflies into the garden. Of course, you can do this by planting nectar-rich flowers and shrubs, and there are many they are particularly attracted to, but we don’t generally consider where they drink! This project provides the perfect watering place How the drinker works: The idea is to fill the dish with sand and a few stones that the butterflies can land on. The sand is moistened and kept that way – but not flooded. The butterflies will get the water they need from the sand and, more importantly, the minerals contained within it. You will need: ▪ Clay – stoneware – the amount will depend on the size of dish you want to make…

CHESHIRE CLAY COLLECTIVE UPDATE At the end of 2018, we visited an entrepreneurial group of potters who had just set up The Cheshire Clay Collective. Now trading as the Cheshire Clay Studio, we thought we’d find out how they’d fared over the past year How did you cope with the first lockdown? The very first lockdown shut us down completely. Like everyone else, we were unprepared for what was going to happen. We ended our term two weeks early, and that was that. We abandoned our third term entirely. When it became clear that things were not going to return to normal any time soon, the collective members had a couple of Zoom meetings and decided that we could run our fourth term virtually. We are lucky in that our…

ClayCraft BACK ISSUES £5.99PER ISSUE INCLUDING P&P 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 NHS ISSUE 43 Thrown toothbrush holder Thrown soap dish Slab-built egg tray Pinched bud vase Slab-built fox Troubleshooting glazing ISSUE 44 Thrown tray & vase Partridge/pear tree candelabra Porcelain tree angels Leaping deer for walls Nesting dishes ISSUE 45 Thrown lantern Transfer-decorated coasters Porcelain squares Animal Christmas tree decorations ISSUE 46 Thrown bubble vase Artichoke-inspired art Pig money box NEW Diary of a studio potter: Jeni Jacques-Williams ISSUE 47 Thrown heart bowl & creamer Pinched cereal bowls…

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: 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…

DIARY OF A STUDIO POTTER JOURNAL ENTRY 6 Welcome back! Over the past few months, I’ve been sharing hints and tips for setting up your own pottery business. Spring is finally here, and it’s time to move on from thinking about equipment and supplies to identifying who will want to buy all the amazing work you’ll produce! When I set up my business, I knew what I wanted to make, but I didn’t have experience about where I should sell my work or who would buy it. I’d regularly been selling pottery to family and friends, but I hadn’t found any new clients. Without a creative background, I wasn’t really sure where to start, but I knew that I needed to quickly earn some pennies to pay the bills! While…

Doug’s DIARY (Photo: Layton Thompson) The swallows are here! There are just a few of them twittering as they skim the field behind the workshop, but with the midgie season fast approaching, they’ll soon be arriving in numbers, to fill their bellies with fine Scottish fare. Dandelions are everywhere now, their golden, sunshiny faces, that are so often taken for granted, smiling up from every meadow we pass along the route to nursery. Although the buds are only just opening here on the high ground where we live and work, a few miles away, along the nursery run, May blossom froths amongst the vibrant verdancy of the spring hedgerows. It’ll be the same here in a week or so. In the woodlands, the bluebells are starting to bloom. I wonder to…