Innehållsförteckning för #62 från ClayCraft

ClayCraft Magazine www.claycraft.co.uk Kelsey Media The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL EDITORIAL Editor: Rachel Graham; claycraft.ed@kelsey.co.uk Consultant editors: Jacqui Atkin, Kevin Millward Contributors: Jacqui Atkin, Linda Bloomfield, Doug Fitch, Kevin Millward, Tracey Parsons, Simon Shaw Project photography: Philip Wilkins p.wilkins@btinternet.com Design: Focused On Design Ltd design@focusedondesign.co.uk ADVERTISEMENT SALES Talk Media Sales Simon Hyland, 01732 445327 simon.hyland@talkmediasales.co.uk Talk Media Sales Ad Production Manager: Nick Bond 01732 445325 production@talkmediasales.co.uk MANAGEMENT Chief Operating Officer: Phil Weeden Managing Director: Kevin McCormick Chief Executive: Steve Wright Publisher: Mark Winterton Retail Director: Steve Brown Audience Development Manager: Andy Cotton Events Manager: Kat Chappell Print Production Manager: Georgina Harris Print Production Controller: Hayley Brown Subscription Marketing Director: Gill Lambert Subscription Marketing Manager: Nick McIntosh Subscriptions 12 issues of ClayCraft are published per annum…

It's all go this year at The Craft Centre and Design Gallery in Leeds, as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. There are a couple of ‘40 Years in the Making’ exhibitions that will interest potters, but if you’re also a fan of other crafts, do check out the website for details of other events. Spring: Blossom Until 30 April An exhibition full of the joys of spring! Jewellery, ceramics, sculptures and wall art by a selection of blossoming talented makers new to the gallery, and makers that have been rediscovered from its remarkable 40-year archive, including some real Yorkshire treasures. Vibrant colours and pattern, nature in all its glory and amazing wildlife are all explored by some of the most talented makers on the craft scene at the moment. Spring/summer:…

When did you first get the opportunity to touch clay? To discover the sensation of the cool, malleable material between your fingers, to investigate stretching it, smoothing it, impressing things in it, beginning to throw it on the wheel? For me it was at school, a slabbuilding project making an Egyptianthemed lidded pot. My dad still has it. A lot has changed since then, and many schools no longer have the space and equipment or funds to be offering ceramics as part of the curriculum. So much in life happens because of the opportunities that we are presented with. Where can young people go to experience new things and have new opportunities outside of the school day, particularly in areas of the country that traditionally have fewer extra-curricular possibilities?…

YOU WILL NEED: ■ Stiff paper for making templates ■ Rulers, pencils, protractors (a large one is really useful), craft knife ■ A stiff material to make the former – thin MDF, rigid card, acrylic sheet etc. BE AWARE – the material used for the former must be at least 10cm wider than the width of the folded template ■A cutting mat is useful but not essential ■ Clay of choice – earthenware or stoneware, red or white ■ Slips in two or more colours ■ Brushes for application ■ Underglaze in colour of choice ■ Transparent glaze 1 Begin by making a paper template for your former. Fold a large sheet of paper in half then place a protractor at the bottom edge in the position shown. The protractor…

Iregularly torture myself by ogling the kiln pages of the pottery supplies websites, like the young me circling toys in the Argos catalogue before my birthday. I debate at length whether one of those pyramid raku kilns could be used up to stoneware glaze temperatures, even though they’re rated to 1200°C. Oh, I would LOVE a new kiln. I’d love a new electric kiln, a new gas kiln, a new raku kiln, a new wood kiln, a new anagama... I think you get the message. But even the smallest new electric kiln costs literally four times more than my car is worth. On top of that, the cost of fuel is rising at an alarming rate. Clay might be cheap; firing it is anything but. Because of this, I have…

As I write, April has come in like a lion, with snow and freezing winds. After a couple of weeks of lovely weather, this is a bit of a shock, although it shouldn’t have been. I know my last frost date is the end of April, so I’ve been putting off getting my veg seeds going, and I’m glad I did! I do hope that anyone who’s been tempted to apply for the next series of The Great Pottery Throw Down, didn’t put it off until it was too late. I understand that it’s a daunting prospect, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know! We’ve had an email from a long-time reader, asking for more coverage of kilns; packing, firing, programming etc, and so we plan to cover this…

Excitement is building for Ceramic Wales, which returns this year on 11-12th June for the first time since 2019. Not only will it be a completely new event but it has a wonderful new venue, Bodrhyddan Hall in Rhuddlan North Wales, home of Lord Langford. The new show came about after a meeting with Tom Langford, grandson of the lord, who has run a long-established annual plant fayre at the hall. Adding pots and food to the mix seemed a natural progression, so the collaboration of “Pots, Plants & Food” was born. The directors of the event include Wayne and Jo Clarke and Wendy Lawrence. Simon Shaw is involved in the selection process and along with Howard Cooke, he helps with the running of the show. All the individuals work…

Spring is here! It’s felt like it’s been a long time coming, after a very bleak winter for us. It is Mothering Sunday, poignant, as it’s the first one without Hannah’s beloved mum, who has been very much in our minds today, as she is every day in fact. The clocks changed today, not that it made any difference to us really. The children woke too early as ever, excited to give their gifts to Mummy. Pippin gave her some of her hair clips, to which she’d attached colourful rubber bands, to make them ‘look pretty’ as they dangled in her mummy’s hair. When the look catches on, remember you heard it here first. Fred wrapped up two of his toy cars. He was keen to make Mummy understand…

You will need: ■ Clay of choice – earthenware or stoneware, preferably white if you want to glaze in lighter colours. You will need 1.4kg (3lb) for the shade and extra to throw a pad for a batt if you don’t have a quick-fit mechanism. ■ Tools for throwing – wooden batt, water bowl, sponge, ribs, cutting wire ■ Turning tools ■ Sharp knife for piercing the design plus hole-cutters in different sizes (old drill bits work well) ■ Glazes of choice to suit clay type – we use two here, but you can use just one if you prefer Before you begin: We recommend you buy your light fitting before making the lamp shade, unless you’re happy to make a simple hole for a wire, as will be shown…

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. Linda has recently launched her online glazing course, How Glazes Work, on her website: lindabloomfield.co.uk A large number of raw materials are used in glaze making. However, when making your own glazes, you only need to buy the materials listed in your chosen glaze recipe. If you are new to making glazes, it is only necessary to buy a few essential materials at first, including feldspar, whiting, silica and china clay.…