Last Firings, Upcoming Markets and Shows

Pots from last firings: I am focusing lately on plates, bowls and cups, and more standard sizes. The pots are thrown in batches of 6/7 units, these batches I've subdivided again at the glazing stage. It is all focused on the variations. These last firings I have been glazing with blues, greens, and yellow hues, there are some pots with brushwork on glaze, stripes and subtle scribbling. Markets, fairs and exhibitions for this season. So far I will be taking part in: -W4STUDIO POTTERY 2015 Dates: 21st-22nd November -URBAN MAKERS EAST https://www.facebook.com/urbanmakerseast Venue: St. Paul’s Church, St. Stephen’s Road, Bow, London, E3 5JL Date: 5th December 2015 Trading Hours: 11:00am - 5:00pm -LONDON POTTERS ANNUAL SHOW http://www.londonpotters.com/ Morley Gallery, 61 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7HT Dates: From 9th November - GLEBE ROAD OPEN STUDIOS gleberoadceramics.blogspot.co.uk 18 Glebe Road E8 4BD Dates to be confirmed -THE LONDON ARTISAN http://www.thelondonartisan.com/ The Old Truman Brewery, London (Entrance on Elys Yard, Hanbury Street & Brick Lane) Date: 20 December

Bond Street London Clay Pieces

Last summer returning to London from Corunha I met while waiting as my flight was overbooked, two nice lads. As we were chatting they told me that they were working on the new Tube extensions on Bond street. They told me there were lots of clay, among other things... They also had very interesting and informative stories, from the places they have been working on. We decided to keep in touch and they offered to get a couple of bags of clay for me to sample. The clay comes from something like 35 meters below ground. This Bond street clay had a different touch and texture than the samples from my two previous experiences, Camberwell and Stoke Newington. The colour is a dark greenish ochre, it has a very earthy texture, no stones, gravel, impurities to be noticed by eye or hand. The clay seems dry but I would say is not, like it is retaining some water and never dries totally, not even now, 5 months later. It does not absorb water well nor does it dissolute as other clays, crumbles of clay kept together separated from the other clay. As I wanted to use the clay immediately I decided to mix it with other clays, to be sure of its workability. On itself is like is somehow water resistant, the crumbles may resemble grog, but they are not fired and they do not have the same texture. In any case, after wedging, most of it got finally mixed and its workability was good. In the mix, I added almost a third of an smooth red earthenware and another third from a stoneware body. I wanted this mix to be able to stand to be fired to 1140 degrees Celsius. The first batch of pots was produced exactly prior to Christmas. I had in mind some specific pieces and some specific engobes to use that require a firing of 1140 degrees Celsius. This was the reason for mixing the London clay with other clays. My previous experiences showed me that in any case, workability, drying, and firing results would improve considerably with the addition of some help from commercially prepared clays. The first items done with this new mix containing Bond street Clay: I have drawings from last summer, some are from my mum's bonsai looking like it is trying to escape from its pot, in another one, it is looking like bathing. These two creatures are influenced by those drawings. They are quite charming.

Bye Bye 2014

Excruciating November, and December, due to tight schedules and winter. I displayed work with the London Potters in their annual exhibition. The show was generous in styles, forms and shapes. Later on I came aware of the paradox of my liking for making figures while when wondering around in exhibitions I feel more attracted to pieces with glazes that camouflage the shapes that carry them. I still have many figurines waiting to materialize from my drawings. I started to make functional forms in order to play with glazes. But here too, the forms and repetition of pieces required for a sensible tableware production limits my glaze experimentation. During December I had many fairs and our annual Open Studios to set up. the cleaning, packaging, cataloging, setting up and down, the invigilating, accounting is finish now. It was like a long journey with ups and downs. I had time to think over the wares what to do next year, concerning tableware forms and colors. For the last firings I have started to brush on to the clear outside glazes, fluid almost patterns in a contrasting color. The last two forest came out, but just have a nice picture for one of them. Before continuing with the city/forest/island pieces series there is some things I want to do. I want to do another figure from the mixing of species series, the many shapes of matter, organically structured matter, metamorphosis, symbiosis.. I will add more to this in a future :)