Innehållsförteckning för #87 från ClayCraft

Open Studios is a great initiative that runs nationwide, bringing together creators of all disciplines and mediums, allowing the public to see them at work, talk to them about their processes, and buy directly from the artist. I’m a bit of an introvert and can find it daunting to talk to potters at shows when they’re busy trying to sell. I don’t want them to miss catching a prospective buyer’s eye on my account! It’s a different atmosphere when you visit their ‘open’ studio, though. They’re expecting to talk to you and are happy to explain how and why they do what they do. Most of them relish the opportunity to share this with someone as enthusiastic about pottery as they are and are incredibly generous with their tips and…

Many potters ask me how they can determine if their glazes are food-safe. One way to be certain is to use a clear or white liner glaze inside functional pots. However, it can be safe to use coloured glazes if you keep the total amount of colouring oxides low, below around 7%. Colouring oxides ■ Glazes can be food-safe if the weight percentage of colouring oxide in the glaze is kept low.■ For cobalt and chromium oxide, below 2%■ For copper and nickel oxide, below 3%■ Iron, manganese, vanadium up to 7%■ Mixed colouring oxides, up to a total of 7%■ Stains and opacifiers, rutile, titanium, tin, zirconium, up to 10%.■ If using carbonates instead of oxides, you can use up to 50% more. If you use only a small…

For most potters, the electric kiln is the mainstay of their practice. Sometimes, there is an appealing glaze, but it may seem inaccessible because it is reduction-fired. While there is a history of creating reduction glazes in electric firings, it is not a routine nor always a consistent practice. A recent Research Residency at the Leach Pottery, UK, allowed us to explore the potential of electric reduction firings and dig deeper into the technical challenges associated with them. The Leach Pottery’s Standard Ware pots, and their traditional glazes, are created through reduction firing in its gas kilns. If it were possible to create the same effects in an electric kiln, it could potentially lessen the Pottery’s carbon footprint by coupling the approach with on-site renewable energy generation, or more passively…

THE CLAYROOMS – A CREATIVE SUCCESS STORY! The Clayrooms Pottery studio, now established for seven years, continues to flourish… the team is growing, and they are building fantastic relationships with other local businesses. The Ashbourne-based business, now with branches in Macclesfield and Loughborough, is going from strength to strength. Helen and Sarah, the owners, tell us more: Our choice of courses has expanded to offer a wider choice of makes alongside the staples of handbuilding, sculpting and throwing. They are all tailored to cater for beginners but with plenty of freedom for improvers! It continues to be an excellent way to spend time with a lovely small group of like-minded people and learn some skills. There’s also scope for students to work on their own ideas with support or even…

DIFFICULTY RATING You will need: ■ Clay of choice, earthenware or stoneware, but if you’re making this for the garden, stoneware is more durable and frost-proof.■ A bowl or dish mould – press or hump type for the actual dish■ Larger, shallow press or hump mould for the flange (alternative suggestion in relevant step)■ Rolling pin, max 5mm roller guides, plastic sheet■ General tools and ribs■ A texturing tool of choice■ Oxide wash and/or glaze to decorate Before you begin: Bisque or plaster moulds are widely available in many shapes and sizes from ceramic suppliers. If you don’t already have a mould or want to make one, look for a good all-purpose shape. A mould is useful not just for its basic shape; it also makes a wonderful starting point…

DIFFICULTY RATING You will need: ■ Clay of choice – earthenware or stoneware and preferably a grogged variety; it will give some tooth to the construction ■ Rolling pin, 3-5mm thick roller guides, plastic sheet ■ Small cookie cutter if you have one, but it is not essential ■ Decorating materials as preferred Before you begin: As previously stated, our form is started in a plaster mould, but if you don’t have one or want to make one, you can start your form from a pinch pot, a method we have demonstrated many times. If you want to make a mould of the type seen here, look for a simple bowl shape in a charity or pound shop – glass, plastic, or metal shapes work well for a simple drop-out…

It feels like recently, whenever I write my diary piece I’m complaining that I’ve had some illness or other. Last month was no exception. Well, I’m happy to say that, with just a week left of April, I’ve had a month of good health, so there’ll be no more moaning – for the time being at least! Even my mental health is great at the moment, filled with the joys of spring. The leaves on our garden trees are beginning to burst their buds, occasional swallows are swooping around, and the cuckoo is leading the beautiful chorus of birdsong. We’ve had a lot of rain in recent weeks, but in the past two days, there has been enough sunshine to confidently permit Hannah to give me a good shearing. During…

DIFFICULTY RATING YOU WILL NEED: ■ Clay of choice – earthenware or stoneware ■ Rolling pin, 3-5mm thick roller guides, plastic sheet ■ Surface decoration as preferred. We used underglaze colours for our design, but you could choose slip, glaze, or a combination 1 Do a little planning in your sketchbook. Think about the size of the pot you want to make and draw the shape in different proportions to find the one you like best. Consider altering the foot size – make it longer, shorter, or wider, for example. These details are always best resolved on paper first and will ultimately make the vessel unique to you. Play around with possible surface design ideas and how you might like to execute your design. You don’t have to stick rigidly…

But, we can enjoy making pottery and sharing ideas with our members in our cosy studio. Our hearts go out to our stoic farmer landlords, who have not been out of soaking-wet coveralls and wellies for months and months now. Each time we look out of our window, we can see them tramping past, heads down and covered in mud. We’re always amazed that they can still raise an, albeit watery, smile when they see us. Lisa says a little prayer of thanks that she is no longer a horse owner and now confines her passion to making these beautiful creatures in ceramic form rather than having to brave the liquid mud that passes for fields at the moment, grappling with grumpy, sodden horses who are equally as fed up…