Innehållsförteckning för #77 från ClayCraft

I enjoy reading the columns from Cheshire Clay (see page 46) as they’re always so focused on what the team is doing to constantly evolve and improve its service to the potters who come to their studio. When energy prices went through the roof, they moved from stoneware to earthenware to save on firing costs. An online booking system has been implemented to make the admin side easier to navigate, new tables and chairs have replaced the old ones, and the studio is getting a facelift over the summer. Now they are opening up a studio membership option, so their more experienced potters can come and go to any session in a given week. This inclination to react positively to the challenges they face will undoubtedly make them more likely…

‘The most useful and definitive guide to the various uses of wood ashes in glaze application.’ Fully updated and revised, with new photographs and glaze recipes, this is the third edition of this classic guide to ash glazes. Forever curious and eager to learn new things about ceramics, Phil Rogers constantly tinkered with clay bodies, glaze formulae and approaches to firing. This volume is his seminal work on transforming ash into glaze, and provides an essential text for all potters and ceramicists with additional relevance today with its focus on prioritising the use of natural resources. Ash Glazes examines the practicalities of collecting and testing wood ashes, demonstrates the process of making them into glazes and offers a step-by-step guide to using them to decorate your pots. This edition, updated…

There’s no doubt that quite a lot of people are feeling the financial pinch at the moment, and it doesn’t look as though it is going to improve any time soon. Those of us involved in pottery studio businesses know all too well that we are at the luxury end of the market. If it means playing with clay or doing the weekly shop, then the clay is always going to be on the losing end of the discussion. For the first time, we are hearing about studios which, instead of grappling with unmanageable waiting lists, are having to work hard to fill places on classes and courses. And the costs just keep going up, meaning that it’s next to impossible to keep class fees down as well. Here at…

You will need: ■ Clay of the same type used to make the base form – note this would ideally be a fine particle clay if you want really delicate flowers ■ General wooden tools ■ Glaze of choice Before you begin: We are aiming to show you how to make flowers here without the aid of any equipment other than a few basic tools and your fingers. Sophisticated details can be achieved using certain extruding tools, but we wanted to show that even without these, you can make a really beautiful and realistic display. The key to success when making flowers is that the clay is soft because your hands will quickly dry out the tiny amounts used to make each flower. Once made, keep the petals under plastic,…

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 and ages catered for in hand building, throwing & Raku 12 pottery classes per week plus specialist technique weekend workshops…

I always love ClayCraft hitting the door mat, full of lots of ideas and detailing many processes that I can use for my own pieces. Here are two of my favourite clock projects. Rosy Eade…

PROJECT ONE You will need: ■ Clay – stoneware or earthenware, See note about clay weights below right ■ Tools for throwing – water bowl, sponge, rib, cutting wire ■ Turning tools of choice ■ Glazes of choice to suit clay type Before you begin: Prepare the clay in advance and weigh out a ball for each mug you want to make, allowing a few extra so you can choose the best at the end. Store the balls under plastic until ready to throw them. Clay weights: The weight of clay you’ll need is determined by the size of the mug you want to make and the clay type. Stoneware clays will shrink more in firing, so 397-454g (14-16oz) is a good weight for a generous-sized mug. Earthenware will shrink…

J acquiis a well-known potter and author, and she creates all of our handbuilding projects. Here’s a peek at a typical day. My day usually begins around 8am. I would love to be one of those people who rise early and get a day’s work done before breakfast, but I go to bed late. I’m an owl rather than a lark, and a good book can keep me reading well into the early hours. I would also like to tell you that I have a typical day, but in truth, the only consistent thing in my life is the cup of tea I start it with, which my husband makes for us in the morning. This is often our time for a good natter; we’ll discuss our individual plans for…

What extraordinary weather it has been up here in Dumfries and Galloway – almost two months with virtually no rain, and hot, sunny days. The workshop has been a bit unbearable at times, with the kilns belting out heat. We’re accustomed to planning our firings to get the benefit of the warmth, but in recent weeks, we’ve tried to plan so that the kilns are cooling on days when we’re out of the workshop. There have been plenty such days, as the children’s terms near their completion, with sports days and other such events, which parents are invited to attend. Thankfully, there have been no dad’s races, in which, bearing in mind that I’m old enough to be the father of many of the parents, I don’t think I would…

All over the south of England, in tiny villages, town centres and seaside cottages, artists from the Southern Ceramic Group are getting ready for the highlight of the year – their exhibition at Bishop’s Kitchen at Chichester Cathedral. They are busy wedging clay, throwing pots and experimenting with glazes to come up with something unique and original. They will come together for two weeks in August to show the world their latest creations. The work will be as varied as they are, from functional tableware to abstract sculptures. This is the place to find that special gift. Sixty potters and over 600 pieces to view and buy. Bishop’s Kitchen is easy to find, right in the city centre, next to the Cathedral; history on the doorstep – not to mention…

Linda Bloomfield is a scientist turned potter. More glaze recipes can be found in her books, Special Effect Glazes (Herbert Press 2020), Colour in Glazes (Herbert Press 2019) and The Handbook of Glaze Recipes (Bloomsbury 2014) Green is seen as an unlucky colour in some parts of the UK. This may be because historic green pigments contained toxic ingredients. Scheele’s Green contained copper and arsenic and was used on wallpaper during the 19th century, and even as a food colouring. Some green lead-based earthenware glazes are not food safe as the copper in the glaze causes the lead to become more soluble. However, it is possible to make food safe green glazes using modern boron-based frits. During the 1930s and ‘40s, pale green celadon glazed tableware was popular. Green glazes…

Pottery can change your life. Most potters already know this, but Chris and Michaela Goan are living proof of this. Chris was a mental health manager, exhausted by almost 30 years of social work and community mental health provision. Michaela is a former community worker and still loved her work but not the direction of the organisation she was working for. Both longed to live a more creative and sustainable life, and ceramics became the means to achieve it. Seatree, the business that grew out of this change, is a collaboration of words and clay. Chris writes the poetry, and Michaela is the chief potter. This is just part of the story, because a change of life requires much more than just a new way to earn money. For Chris…