Now I need to make my sandwiches for tomorrow!

All sorts on the table here, mugs of two shapes, jugs of different sizes, moneyboxes, the last of a large batch of flowerpots, a small bottle, and other bits and bobs. The pots that are just white slip at the moment are going to all be sgraffito'd over the next week and I have used a bit of leaf relief on others, I like how the black over white comes out and i'm usually happy with the final results and so are the punters it seems :)

A larger bellarmine style bottle, I saw one at a car boot yesterday and it was way out of my price range so I made one! Incidentally I found a Michael Cardew, Kingwood pottery tankard for £3, it has a few cracks but classic Cardew shape with the ever present thumb stop, what a find. A couple of pouring pans, a bowl and three tapered jugs all roughly eight inches tall. Tapered jugs are a new one for me, i've only ever made a few and usually with more clay than is comfortable to throw with for me so I never followed them up. These ones are made from 2.5lb of clay, i'll see them through but already how to decorate them is puzzling me.

Oval dishes drying on the tv! These ones are pretty much copies of the ones old Elijah used to make at Winchcombe. I'm lucky enough to know someone that owns one and I have finally cracked the size and shape after a few attempts, I wish I had a wood kiln though!

1lb flowerpots, i've made loads and loads of these lately just because I really enjoy the rhythm of making them, I am now upto 18 per hour. Just a little challenge I set myself, good practise although I rarely sell the buggers my friend Andy who is a complete plant nerd likes using them and he appreciates real clay pots as opposed to those crappy plastic things.


Obviously i've not blogged much for a few months now, so thought I would try a few words while I am sat down with the camera, laptop and internet connection all at the same time. The pictures are the result of a week off from work and a looming Gallery deadline on the horizon. Work has had me adapting to having a full time occupation once again and I haven't really felt the need to share what i'm doing with the world although I do enjoy my job and work with some brilliant people too. I am now helping look after the feeding, chemical treatments, maintenance and watering with two Polish lads, Bart my Supervisor and Stan who much like myself likes a bit two much beer. The job is getting done, the boss is happy and I have a set working pattern so it does enable me to make pots but I have to be disciplined about it to make sure I get the most out of my time. So there you go things are certainly better than they were a few months ago when we wern't sure if we would loose the lot but as long as I have guaranteed work and find a suitable workshop space I know I will find my way back into full time pot making one day. I have looked at a few places but being the Cotswolds and all property doesn't come cheap. I also want to play with fire so that's another factor that makes finding a space more difficult. but it will come and if I have to spend 5 or more years at the nursery it's all good!