When Alan and I led that tour of potteries and archaeology in 2005 we met several potters who each made a special effort for our group. Of course they showed us their studios and kilns but Richard Batterham pulled a handle for us, Lawrence McGowan painted a pot with calligraphic designs, Jonathon Garrett threw a vast flower pot, John Leach threw a jug and we watched Walter Keeler firing his salt kiln. Such memories! We also came across the work of other potters and added their names to the list of people to visit next time. So far there hasn’t been another tour, mainly because costs grew enormously but with my Ceramic Review subscription I keep my eye on my favourites.

I bought an outrageous mug made by Richard Godfrey, all I could reasonably afford. It is pale earthenware sprayed with really brightly coloured slips &/or underglazes and finished with a clear glaze. I enjoy looking at it but don’t actually use if for tea or coffee  very often even though it’s capacious because the lip is flared out too much. Drinking is tricky and the drink goes cold. Maybe I should post pictures of and critique more of our collection!

Richard’s process is very much like what I do only with even brighter yellow and red. Mine are painted when leather hard, his are sprayed when bone-dry but both are earthenware. He makes marvellous Space-Ship Teapots and extraordinary  Jugs. On facebook this week Richard’s pots have been posted by Peter Lane of Online Ceramics and I commented on a very interesting bowl. It uses the typical bold red and some blue on the bowl but the base is finished with white terra sigillata, burnishing and some sort of pit-fire. Challenging but effective combination of finishes. Here it is, and with Richard to show the size. We had arranged to meet him and see his Devon studio on our second tour which never happened.

Another potter whose work Al and I noticed was Steve Harrison. His work is also wheelthrown and functional but it is salt-glazed. There is a real familiarity and reference to ceramic history in his forms. Thinking about Primavera, the fine craft shop in Cambridge where we first saw his work I googled him to have another look yesterday. Lo and behold he has designed a small portable salt kiln. On the spur of the moment I emailed him to ask for details – a kiln-builder, in England? What am I thinking? A small kiln, in Port Moody, using propane? Mm. He suggested I phone him on Saturday. Probably I should tell him I’m just dreaming.

Here is a photo of two of his jugs from his website.

The choice of these two potters reflects the contrast between the two sorts of work I am currently working on. Both sorts are wheelthrown, altered and assembled and on the whole I make jugbirds, but the finishing is so different. The red earthenware ones take quite a while to slip-paint to give them their recognizable and jolly personalities. The salt-fired stoneware pieces can be just as animated but their feathers, beaks and markings come from spraying slips, latex and wax-resisting also before the bisque-firing. So the big difference comes from the second firing – electric, cone 04 versus gas-fired salt at cone 10 plus. I find that the ‘general public’ likes the low-fire, brightly coloured ones and potters prefer the salt ones.