Innehållsförteckning för #56 från ClayCraft

Welcome As I write, we are gripped by the UK fuel crisis, and I’m thanking my lucky stars that I work from home and don’t have to commute by car. We live rurally, and the only change we’ve had to make is sending our daughter to college on the bus instead of driving her in. One downside of rural living is that we’re almost entirely dependent on cars, and there aren’t many petrol stations around. I’m watching the various local Facebook groups, and as soon as a garage has any fuel, it sells out within hours. I can understand not wanting to run out mid-journey, but if I had to buy fuel, it certainly wouldn’t be a ‘panic-buy’. It would be because I need it to get on with my…

Online ceramics festival From November 25-29th, The Ceramic School will be running a five-day online festival. For just $10, you can access: 72 hours of workshops & Q&As from world-famous ceramic artists – watch their masterclasses, and then jump on stage and ask them questions face to face; an online exhibition and artist meet-and-greet, focusing on Japanese ceramicists; Clay Doctors – 16 experts taking your questions and trying to fix problems that you may have; a virtual makers’ market – a two-hour session on Saturday/Sunday where you can browse and buy pottery from the artists’ virtual booths; vendors/expo booths – for product demos, Q&As, discounts and special offers from your favourite ceramics companies. For more details, visit: bit.ly/3AXwOjw…

PROJECT ONE THROWN APPLE BAKER What on earth is an apple baker, you may well ask? Well, it is an ingenious bowl with a spike at its centre, which heats up to bake the apple from the inside and reduces the cooking time. Clever, don’t you think? DIFFICULTY RATING AN ALTERNATIVE SHAPE The method for throwing this alternative shape is not greatly different from the first example, but the rounded shape lends itself better to the shape of a big apple. You will need: ■ Clay – 900g (2lb) stoneware clay plus clay to throw a pad for a batt, if your wheel doesn't have batt pins ■ Tools for throwing – batt, water bowl, sponge, ribs, cutting wire ■ Glaze of choice to decorate…

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PROJECT FIVE ORNATE COUNTRY-STYLE CANDLE HOLDER Make this lovely candlestick to sit at the centre of the table for Christmas dining, and be sure to wow your friends and family DIFFICULTY RATING You will need: red or white, as used here twoeachof3mmand 10mm thickness oracardtemplate to cut around) availablefrompotterysuppliers todecorate Before you begin: There are several points of note when making this project; first and foremost is that this is a time-consuming build, and you will need the best part of a day to complete it in a single session. Secondly, the scoring and slipping process has been combined using a toothbrush and water, which performs both tasks in one go, so when asked to score and slip in the step by…

Confessions of a novice DEADLINES AND DECORATIONS With a tight deadline looming, it was time to see what I could do with a lump of porcelain, textured wallpaper, and a set of cookie cutters Sooner or later, every potter Swill end up trying to do the impossible: making, drying, finessing, firing, decorating and re-firing, all in a few days. Without owning a kiln, that’s impossible, because college or class firing schedules don’t usually work around individuals. Even with a kiln, there are real limits: drying too quickly can cause cracks, and firing too soon can cause explosions! It’s been a month of madness, from a huge crisis in the day job (not of my making and now mostly under control) to what felt like the inevitable arrival of Covid from…

Salt-inspired exhibition Cheshire Clay Studio is holding an imaginative exhibition inspired by Cheshire’s salt history, opening on 5 October and running until the end of 2021 at Northwich’s Lion Salt Works Museum. A new exhibition of imaginative pottery from student and members of the Byley-based Cheshire Clay Studio will open on 5 October as part of the multi award-winning Lion Salt Works Museum’s Autumn season. The exhibition is inspired by the Northwich-based museum and the rich heritage of salt beneath the Cheshire Plain, that has influenced the landscape and industry of the region. The exhibition will run until the end of 2021 and normal museum admission charges apply. For more detail, visit: claycraft.co.uk/news For more information on attending, visit westcheshiremuseums.co.uk or call the museum on 01606 275066.…

PROJECT THREE HYACINTH VASE Find the perfect antidote to winter blues by bringing a little colour and scent into your home. Fill the vase with water, sit your bulb in the neck and watch it grow. These little vases look lovely in groups, each with a different colour hyacinth growing in them but, alternatively, they make great vases and are a lovely Christmas present DIFFICULTY RATING YOU WILL NEED: earthenware or stoneware coloursofchoiceplus white and black forapplicationincludinga fine liner…

PROJECT SIX SURFACE DECORATION MISHIMA Traditionally, Mishima is a technique of inlaying slip or a contrasting clay body into finely drawn lines in a leather hard surface. Latterly, underglaze and glaze can be included in the definition, even when applied after bisque firing, because the principles of inlaying are basically the same. The technique allows for extremely fine and intricate design work with clean, sharp edges that can’t be achieved easily by any other method. LINE MISHIMA This is the simplest approach to creating an inlaid surface and the only tools required are a pin and a brush, and one or more coloured slips. NOTE:you could use underglaze colours instead of slips to create the same effect when working at the green stage INLAYING A TEXTURED SURFACE The basic principles…

CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION The Anglian Potters’ famous Christmas Exhibition is back, and this time it’s both in-person and online! Some 50 potters will be showing their work again at All Saints Church, Jesus Lane, Cambridge, from Saturday November 13th to Sunday December 12th, 10am to 5pm, every day except Mondays. Search the Charity Christmas Tree for unique hand-made decorations. This year, all proceeds will support the Red Cross Afghan Appeal. If you can't make it to Cambridge, an alternative selection of work will be available from the now well-established Anglian Potters’ exhibition website: anglianpottersexhibition.com The two events will feature different pots and potters, so be sure to visit both if you can! Visit anglianpotters.org.uk for more details or sign up to the mailing list at: bit.ly/APmailinglist to be the first to…

PROJECT TWO BLOCK WALL SCULPTURE This simple project gives great scope to create individual, stylish artworks that would make wonderful presents for your art-loving friends and family at Christmas. Made in different sizes and depths, the blocks look great when finished in a particular palette of colours, but would work equally well in just one shade DIFFICULTY RATING Vinylwallpapers Wooden textured rollers – MKM have a wonderful selection to choose from Home-made bisque texture rollers Wooden stamp blocks Rubber texture mats You could also use organic materials – leaves, flowers, seed heads etc. Or make your own bisque stamps – see issue 54 for technique Or use fabrics like lace and crochet, or found objects like pen tops and toolbox items CASTING THE BLOCKS 20-30minutes 45minutesto1hour…

PROJECT FOUR POLAR BEAR SCULPTURE PART 1 This sculptural figure of a polar bear forms the first part of a twopart project completed in the next issue. It is a narrative work based on the artist Kay Neilson’s story 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon', which tells of a maiden’s journey on the back of a bear. However, if you don't want to complete the project, the bear works perfectly well as a standalone piece BEFORE YOU BEGIN: NOTE: one of the great things about creating an animal like this is that the blending over of joins can be roughly done because this better gives the impression of fur, so don't worry about the finger marks; they add to the authenticity. Next month we'll make the plinth and…

Doug’s DIARY (Photo: Layton Thompson) We’ve passed the autumnal equinox. The swallows are still here, but not for much longer, gathering on the telephone wires in readiness for their epic journey and bursting into flight as we pass. In the lanes, birch and sycamore are starting to display their first autumn shades; haws and rowan berries, ruddy and ripe and in considerable profusion, are much enjoyed by the mistle thrushes that visit our garden. It seems like we are in a moment of suspended animation, but this is literally the calm before the storm, and it’ll not be long now before the wind and rain blow in, the temperatures crash, and I’ll be moaning relentlessly to Hannah, and yearning for the spring to come around! It’s a good few months before…

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…