Innehållsförteckning för #79 från ClayCraft

Is there finally light at the end of the tunnel? The past three years have been challenging on so many fronts, not least, the cost of living. Yet reading this issue of the magazine, it seems that maybe the pottery world has managed to pull through in relatively good form. We have two stories of studios that have recently opened, a potter whose work started selling so well during lockdown that he made it a full-time job, galleries are still commissioning work, and anyone who teaches knows that there are long waiting lists of people eager to sign up to their classes. There’s no doubt that The Great Pottery Throw Down has done much to shine a light on the processes involved in making pottery, and the public now understands…

Before the 16th century, the colour orange had no name other than ‘yellow-red’ or ‘saffron’. When oranges were introduced to Europe from Asia, the colour orange was named after the fruit. Nowadays, we have various names for shades of orange: burnt orange, tangerine, rust, and pumpkin. In the 1970s, orange and brown earth tones were popular in interior decoration. There has recently been a return to 1970s colours in interior design, particularly orange. When making tableware and vases, it is a good idea to keep up with interior design trends. The current emphasis on sustainability has brought about a renewed interest in wood firing, which promotes a range of orange and brown surface effects from shino glazes and flashing slips. Most potters use commercially prepared orange stains and underglazes or…

In the heart of the Bohemia Quarter in St Leonards is The Mudworks, owned and run by Chantelle Duncan and Isabella Campi. Meeting the pair for the first time, the first thing that strikes you is the obvious connection they have. The story of their meeting is quite extraordinary; a serendipitous collision of two people at the right time and place, leading to the creation of a pottery studio that has one of the best atmospheres I’ve experienced. I began by asking about their individual backgrounds. Chantelle: “I did pottery when I was young; my mother had a friend who was a potter, and I did ceramics as my end of year piece for A-level. I moved on to music – I’m a professional musician. But when I moved to…

NEW POTTERY STUDIO OFFERS THE CHANCE TO PLAY WITH CLAY AND FIRE CREATIVITY The Clayrooms is delighted to be nurturing the newest and brightest talent in the world of ceramics, as it welcomes Matt Whiting to the team! Budding potters are being offered the opportunity to play with clay from this September, as a new open-access pottery studio is launched in Macclesfield. The Clayrooms is proud to announce the opening of its second fabulous venue, which builds on the success of its Ashbourne branch. The Clayrooms Macclesfield will be run by Matt Whiting, a recent First Class Honours graduate in ceramics from Staffs University. The Clayrooms Macc will have three main offerings: ● Two-hour workshops and seasonal events throughout the year where people can try their hand at pottery and…

DIFFICULTY RATING You will need: ■ Paper clay, preferably white – earthenware or stoneware■ Rolling pin, plastic sheet, roller guides 10mm and 2-3mm■ Card and paper to make templates■ Pencil, craft knife■ Rainbow colours of underglaze – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, plus black■ Brushes to apply colour – including a really fine-tipped one■ Jewellery wire and crimp beads, plus a pair of pliers■ Glass or other beads of choice 1 Using a large, something round like a bucket lid or a set of large compasses, if you have one, draw, then cut out, a large semi-circle on the sheet of paper. 2 Measure the central point of the straight edge of the semi-circle, then draw another semi-circle 2cm in from the outer edge using a pair of compasses…

The last time I wrote, it was the night before the opening of Potfest in the Park, and we were sitting in the caravan we had rented, hoping for a dry weekend. Thankfully, apart from the occasional short shower, it was. I’m pleased to report that it was our best-ever show in terms of sales, which was fantastic, and will enable us to invest in materials for our new wood kiln, which we hope to start building soon, should the tradesman who promised he’d be here imminently, several weeks ago, ever turn up. It’s always a relief to sell well at these shows, but it hasn’t always been the case for either of us. Many is the time when we were both starting, that we would stand behind our pots,…

2ND SEPT – 5TH NOV Botanical Blueprints Studio Eleven Gallery 12 Humber Street Fruitmarket, Hull HU1 1TG Botanical ceramic sculpture: Adele Howitt Cyanotype prints: Angela Chalmers studioeleven.co.uk adelehowitt.co.uk angelachalmers.com 9TH – 10TH & 16TH – 17TH SEPTEMBER Borough of Ealing Art Trail 2023 7 Graham Avenue Ealing, London, W13 9TQ Venue 49 Maria Murtagh and Jim Williamson welcome every one to this year’s sale and exhibition of handmade stoneware ceramics, paintings, prints and clay sculptures. Open 11am to 6pm both weekends. thelittlepotter.co.uk ealingbeat.org.uk 9TH – 10TH; 16TH – 17TH & 23RD – 24TH SEPT Rutland Open Studios Meet the artists and find out more about their techniques and creative ideas. rutlandopenstudios.co.uk 9TH – 17TH SEPTEMBER North East Open Studios An award-winning collective of artists, makers and designers…

It sounds like a wonderful title for a piece of weird ceramic art, but no, this is how we often feel as owners of a clay studio. Sometimes we are streeetched as long as we can go, and other times we are squeeeezed as tight as possible. Rarely do we get the luxury of being just in the middle, neither stretched nor squeezed, but just right. At the moment, we are experiencing both at the same time – disconcerting and discombobulating. We are stretched to the limits of what is comfortable regarding our capital spend. The studio is undergoing refurbishment (we may have mentioned that several times in previous articles – it is a big deal, after all), and we are determined not to cut corners or skimp on using…

In his book The Nature of Art and Workmanship, David Pye states that there are only two things that can truly be made by hand (in that you do not need tools or machines to make them); a woven basket and a clay pinch pot. This statement may seem at odds with the mainstream, but after reading his explanation, I found it hard to disagree. His reasoning would take some time to explain here, but if this has piqued your curiosity, I would urge you to look at the opening chapter of the book, as it is an interesting read. It has certainly changed how I think about making and has made me more aware of how I do things. By Pye’s definition, my pots are far from handmade. Indeed,…