The kiln is now at 1200 degrees centigrade and still climbing, white hot! I fire so high that the clay starts to melt (vitrify) and this is what makes it so durable when outside in all seasons. It is also completely terrifying! It will soon be too hot in the workshop for the newly made […]

I put the kiln on this morning, I like to get it on early so that I can watch it all day in case their is a problem and their was!The controller flashed a warning light telling me that it was running too slow so I took out a few dodgy looking elements and wired […]

When I’m loading the kiln i carefully walk the piece in. Lifting and twisting from side to side, being careful not to scrape the sides which almost touch. It is a lot easier with the lifting table out of the way. Checking to see if it is as far in as it can be. One […]

Today I finished  sketching the detail through the surface of the piece. This  piece will be darker with a red/brown circle and two pale blue/green lines Then I dragged it onto the second lifting table, it is very heavy! It is now ready to go into the kiln tomorrow morning.

Here’s one I made earlier! This is the second piece of the group of three and I made it a few of months ago. it has been sitting, behind he camera, drying until now. I thought it would be good to carry this story to its conclusion and this piece is now ready to have […]

Yesterday I tried three times to turn this piece over and failed three times. Each time I try I risk it cracking or becoming miss-shaped and so,much to my annoyance I had to find someone to help, thanks lots Dave. That will teach me to use an extra bag of clay! It is important to […]

Today I have removed the excess clay and sharpened the line with the steel kidney. I have sponged coloured slip onto the base, being careful here to create the texture s and thicknesses that will result in a surface that feels delicate and fragile. Removing excess clay from the linear detail. I stamp my work […]

Today I continued the lines around the base of this piece, drawing with a sharp knife and then inlaying coloured slip. Painting in the slip. The bottom wont show but I seem to need to do something with the end of the lines. I would have liked them to miraculously meet!

Today I turned the piece over and worked on the base. Almost done. Compressing and smoothing with a steel kidney. Shaping the base by hitting it with the narrow end of my bat.

  Today i have been mixing coloured slips for the detail on the surface of this piece. I combine natural oxides, found in rocks and the earth, with slip (watered down clay) to make very specific colours. Mixing the slip, being very careful to stick to the recipe. Each of these has a number which […]