Innehållsförteckning för #54 från ClayCraft

Welcome

Welcome It was nice to read about Doug and Hannah being back out and about again, and showing at two of the Potfest shows (see Doug's Diary, p70). Jacqui Atkin, who does all of our handbuilding projects, had a stand at Potfest in the Park, where she debuted a new body of work, inspired by mid-century textiles and wallpapers. She said: “I’ve been spurred into experimentation by the work I do for the magazine. It stretches me to do things I wouldn’t normally do, which is exciting and generates new ideas for my own work.” We chatted about how the show had been for her, and she was pleased to report that her presence there had led to sales from one of the galleries that stock her work. I’m very…

2 min

ClayCraft|#54

Spotted on Facebook

Spotted on Facebook Penny Simpson will be moving out of her workshop in Moretonhampstead, Devon at the end of October and is offering the opportunity for another potter (or craftsperson) to take over the workshop and showroom, established as a good making and selling space for the last 25+ years. The generous space has a workshop, office and toilet on the first floor and a showroom and store-room on the ground floor. There are two old electric kilns in working order and a wheel. Penny is also offering to help whoever takes over. For details, contact Penny at: penny@pennysimpsonceramics.co.uk…

1 min

ClayCraft|#54

SLAB BOOKENDS

PROJECT TWO SLAB BOOKENDS This project includes the making of a mould for the side panels of the bookends, which is useful if planning to make the sets in multiples. However, if you don’t want to make a mould you can simply produce the sides in slab form You will need: Early preparation ■ Card template cut to a 15cm-sided triangle ■ Ruler, pencil, protractor, craft knife ■ Wooden texture stamps ■ Cutting mat (optional) Making ■ Potter’s plaster – bowl for mixing, scales for weighing ■ Clay for modelling – can be any type but preferably smooth Building ■ Clay of choice – earthenware or stoneware ■ Plastic sheet, rolling pin, min 10mm-thick roller guides Decorating ■ Glaze of choice to fit clay type You can make your bookends…

8 min

ClayCraft|#54

SHELL DISHES AND TRAY

PROJECT THREE SHELL DISHES AND TRAY These little dishes will be a great talking point because they look so realistic. Perfect for hors d’oeuvres (or jewellery!) you can bet your friends will want you to make them a set when they see them You will need: ■ Large sheet of paper – lining wallpaper is useful ■ Something round with a 35cm diameter – protractor if you have one this size ■ Pencil, craft knife, cutting mat (optional) ■ Clay for making moulds ■ Clay of choice for making dish and shells, preferably white ■ Rolling pin, roller guides (3-5mm), plastic sheet ■ Iron oxide ■ Glazes of choice to fit clay type Working on a cutting mat, draw a 35cm-diameter circle on a large sheet of paper, then mark…

9 min

ClayCraft|#54

POTTER’S SPLIT-LEG APRON

ClayCraft PINCH, COIL, SLAB AND THROW READER OFFER POTTER’S SPLIT-LEG APRON Perfect for keeping you clean while throwing, handbuilding or glazing. Our heavy-duty 100% cotton canvas apron is soft, strong and hardwearing, and comes in dark blue with an embroidered logo. Each side split is 45cm wide, offering generous coverage for each leg without the need for constant adjustments. The 15cm pocket is handily placed for convenience while you’re sitting at the wheel, and the extra-long waist ties provide comfortable fastenings for all sizes. To buy online go to shop.kelsey.co.uk/claycraftapron Or phone +44 (0)1959 543747. Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm and quote code CLAYAPRON PLEASE SEND YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO: From UK only: FREEPOST KELSEY MEDIA ClayCraft Offer, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL From…

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ClayCraft|#54

COURSES

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…

30 min

ClayCraft|#54

VENUE CHANGE FOR 2021 BCB

IN THE NEWS VENUE CHANGE FOR 2021 BCB The British Ceramics Biennial moves to Swift House in the centre of Stoke-on-Trent for the 2021 festival. Since 2011, the China Hall of the original Spode factory site, owned by Stoke City Council, has been home to the British Ceramics Biennial (BCB). Stoke City Council has secured significant investment for the ongoing regeneration of both the China Hall and other buildings at Spode. Following the most recent surveys of the site, some new structural safety concerns have been identified in China Hall, and as a result, the space can’t be used as a festival venue for 2021. The BCB and Stoke-on-Trent City Council have been working to find an alternative venue and can now confirm that Swift House in the heart of…

3 min

ClayCraft|#54

THROWN TWO-PART BOTTLE FORM

PROJECT ONE THROWN TWO-PART BOTTLE FORM This is a form thrown in two parts with options for three different necks to kickstart your creativity – there are, as ever, many more shapes that could be attached to make the form unique. The general principle for making is the same You will need: ■ 900g (2lb) clay for body ■ 115g (¼lb) clay for each neck shown – clay can be earthenware or stoneware, white or coloured, as preferred ■ Tools for throwing – water bowl, sponge including a version on a stick, cutting wire, batts, ribs – wooden and metal ■ Surface decoration as preferred Before you begin: A reminder when throwing – to save wordy repetition! Always compress the clay at the rim after each lift. Gently pinch the…

7 min

ClayCraft|#54

DIARY OF A STUDIO POTTER

DIARY OF A STUDIO POTTER DIARY OF A STUDIO POTTER JOURNAL ENTRY 9 Hello again! I’m writing this diary on what is the hottest day of the year so far. The sun is cracking the flags, and it’s already sweltering at 8am! It’s a struggle to ensure that my work dries slowly and evenly in this heat, and I hope that you have not suffered too many pottery losses. It’s less than a week until our children finish school, and I take a three-week break from the studio. It has been a frenetic month, which started with our open studios and summer exhibition and culminates today with our end-of-year garden party for my students. It’s exactly four years since I established my business, and what a roller coaster that has…

7 min

ClayCraft|#54

HOT CLAY

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT HOT CLAY Simon Gue has a family history in ceramics. He is related to the original owner of Sankey, which in its heyday as Richard Sankey and Son Ltd was the largest producer of hand-produced flowerpots in the world and the recipient of three Royal Warrants In 2005, Simon and Pippa started Warm Glass UK, the largest online glass fusing supplier in Europe. Simon has a genuine interest in, and love for, ceramics, having been a potter since his schooldays, and he was very inspired by ceramics during his time at the Royal College of Art. As well as there being an overlap between ceramics and glass, this long-term love of clay was Simon’s biggest reason for starting Hot Clay. Hot Clay was set up to try and…

6 min

ClayCraft|#54

ORDER OUR NEXT ISSUE TODAY AND GET FREE DELIVERY

ORDER OUR NEXT ISSUE TODAY AND GET FREE DELIVERY DON’T MISS OUT! PAY THE NORMAL SHOP PRICE* AND GET THE ISSUE DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR. ORDER TODAY! Order online at SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/CC55 Call now on 01959 543747** Quote ref: CC55 Terms and conditions apply. You should receive your copy on or around 17 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.…

1 min

ClayCraft|#54

Doug’s DIARY

Doug’s DIARY Doug Fitch (Photo: Layton Thompson) So much has been happening in the past few weeks that I barely know where to start, so I’ll begin as I often do, by telling you what’s going on in the countryside around us. Everywhere there are great swathes of purple-spiked rosebay willowherb, creating an incredible spectacle, towering high above a creamy froth of meadowsweet, with its heady fragrance sending poor Hannah and Fred into bouts of sneezing, eyes streaming with hay-fever allergy to the mid-summer pollen. The trees in woodland beside the workshop are wrapped in honeysuckle, and the scent of its blooms, combined with that of the roses that surround the workshop door, and alpine strawberries, which grow wild in every nook and cranny, is intoxicating. The weather has been scorching,…

9 min

ClayCraft|#54

NEW EXHIBITION

NEW EXHIBITION Hove Museum & Art Gallery has reopened with a fascinating new collection of work. ‘Mantelpiece Observations’ presents a new commission by Richard Slee, and consists of a series of objects and installations inspired by Mass Observation’s 1937 Mantelpiece Reports. (Photo: Madeleine Waller) The Mass Observation Project (MO) was a pioneering social research organisation in the 1930s, that aimed to document everyday life in Britain. Its first initiative, the Mantelpiece Directive, invited its national panel of volunteers to share what was on their mantelpieces. The resulting reports demonstrate how the seemingly insignificant objects in our homes are, in fact, full of meaning, and led the organisation to conclude that we are what we live with. Slee has an interest in the everyday, the domestic and the kind of objects…

1 min

ClayCraft|#54

LINDA BLOOMFIELD STRONTIUM IN GLAZES

GLAZING LINDA BLOOMFIELD STRONTIUM IN GLAZES I recently visited Strontian, a village in western Scotland where strontium was first discovered. It is the only place in Britain to have an element named after it. In the late 1780s, a pale green, crystalline mineral was found in a lead mine in Strontian. The mineral was named strontianite and was later found to contain a new element, strontium. The name comes from the Gaelic Sron ant-Sithein, meaning the point of the fairy hill. The track up the hill to the old lead mine goes through an ancient moss and lichen-covered oak wood, with mossy roots and boulders where you can imagine fairies living, although when I went, there were malevolent fairies in the form of horse flies. Strontium carbonate is used to…

3 min

ClayCraft|#54

SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER Join us for step-by-step makes, tips and inspiration. Inside every issue of ClayCraft you’ll find practical hand-son guides to our projects – throwing and hand-building; Linda Bloomfield’s regular feature on glazes, and Doug Fitch’s diary column. Other features include established potters, suppliers and studios, and you can find local courses in our comprehensive listing. Save money by subscribing today! Editor GREAT REASONS TO GIVE A SUBSCRIPTION • Pay just £27.60 every 6 months • Save 20% off the cover price • Each issue delivered directly to your door • Receive a ClayCraft apron GET THE DIGITAL EDITION PAY JUST £34.99 FOR 12 ISSUES Download your magazines to your device and carry them with you to read anywhere, anytime. SAVE UP TO 49% SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/CRA Available across all devices.…

1 min

ClayCraft|#54

SIMPLE HANDBUILDING PROJECTS YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE

SIMPLE HANDBUILDING PROJECTS YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE ONLY £12.95 INC. P& 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. FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF ClayCraft 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.…

1 min

ClayCraft|#54

SURFACE DECORATION CREATING TEXTURE

PROJECT FOUR SURFACE DECORATION CREATING TEXTURE Continuing our series on surface decoration, this month, we look at ways to texture clay. We have demonstrated some of these techniques in past issues of ClayCraft, but it always helps to have the options collated for quick reference As I’ve often said, absolutely anything will make marks in clay, so this is in no way a definitive list of approaches but a point from which to start your own experimentation. Allow yourself time to play; this is the best way to find a method that suits you and that you can make your own. Roll a large slab of clay and cut it up into a series of tiles. You can either reclaim the tiles after texturing or fire them to practice secondary…

9 min

ClayCraft|#54

BACK ISSUES

BACK ISSUES £5.99 PER ISSUE INCLUDING P&P 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 Pig money box • NEW Diary of a studio potter: Jeni Jacques-Williams ISSUE 47 Thrown heart bowl & creamer Pinched cereal bowls Slab trinket dishes Slab wall pockets special ISSUE 48 Thrown lidded canister Pinched eggs Cylinder vase with tubelining Egg bowl Hare on a hill ISSUE 49 Thrown bird bath Garden oya Pinched dogs MKM Tools spotlight Eastcott Studio update Zinc oxide glazes ISSUE 50 Thrown sgraffito vase Slab-built birds Planter/bird bath combo Throw Down winner Bisque texture rollers Clay in…

1 min

ClayCraft|#54

FEELING SALTY – ISSUE 42’S LIDDED POTS

Confessions of a novice FEELING SALTY – ISSUE 42’S LIDDED POTS Lockdown with teenagers can teach you all sorts of surprising things, not least that ‘salty’ means something like ‘grumpy’. Luckily, the joy of playing with clay makes up for the times when things don’t go to plan I’ve had a pottery month of highs and lows, from the triumph of throwing some beautiful big round pots to the disappointment of opening the glaze kiln to find that yep, I’d ruined them. This pinch pot project followed the same pattern: I loved making them, carving them, finessing them, but once they came out of the kiln… well, I’ll get to that shortly. I grabbed a bargain recently when a clay supplier was selling some special fleck stoneware at a super…

6 min