I spent October just using stoneware clay. It is a mixture of Plainsman H550 and H570 which I found suited my needs best when I was working at Medalta. The smoothness of the 570 (almost a porcelain) and the iron-bearing 550 combine to give me the best colour in a salt firing. I've made some tumblers and goblets because two Granville Island customers asked if I…
On my recent flight to England my hand luggage was ten jugbirds. I had checked the size and weight allowed - 22lbs, and bought a cardboard box just under that size. Each was wrapped in newsprint and then small bubble-wrap. I made a handle out of duct tape with rope inside so it was easy to carry, and astonishingly the box weighed 14lbs! It fitted…
Here are the other four jugbirds from the recent firing. There's a Stellar's Jay, our local Blue Jay. He's a noisy fellow! Then I've made a new Kookaburra to remind us of our amazing trip Down Under. We saw the Rainbow Lorikeets in a big park in Melbourne. …
The top area of the kiln was reserved for my latest jugbird creations. Jeremy Waller of Primavera, in Cambridge, asked me to bring along some English birds and some more exotic ones. So I now have to carefully pack them up in a cardboard box that is just slightly smaller than the allowed carry-on size, ready for my flight to Gatwick on Friday.…
There were tiles left over from the recent tile-painting workshop for TriCity Potters so I suggested some of them might like to drop by and paint some more. I told them that I would be busy getting my recently completed jugbirds painted while they worked. So six capable potter friends arrived at 11am, with casual lunch offerings too! and we had a delightful time of quiet productivity…