New directions

Just a quick update on some new work that Jenny has made. She's really enjoyed making these little sculptures and is now looking for outlets where she can sell them. If anyone has any suggestions they'll be very welcome. thanks

Paintings and more paintings

Once again I have to apologise for my lack of posts - I just don't seem able to get myself into the routine of writing regularly. Anyway, back to the task at hand. in my last post (last year!) I mentioned that I'd bought a french easel and was planning to do some paintings. Well here they are! I feel that I'm gradually improving - but your honest opinions would be really welcome!

I've tried to loosen up a little as I've always found myself getting too fussy over my work which rarely leads to results that I'm pleased with. My latest paintings are the top two which were both done very quickly (2 hours total to complete both) and I'm really pleased with the hens especially.

Please, please let me know what you think, as critical comments are what I need to improve.

New pots in M.A.D.E.

Here are some of the pieces that are now for sale in M.A.D.E. in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Branching out.

Having tried another craft fair last month, we've decided they're just not worth the trouble. After organising a baby sitter, travelling to the venue, setting up etc we then spent several hours sat in a school hall waiting for someone to buy our work. It was a complete waste of time - virtually no visitors, and those that did come in wanted something for nothing. So, following this, Jen visited a local gallery / shop and asked if we could sell our pots via them for a small commission. they agreed and so far we've sold far more stock than any of the craft fairs we've been to. here's the link: http://www.visitnewcastleunderlyme.co.uk/business/made-here

Anyway, this isn't what the title of this post refers to! I've just bought myself a French easel via ebay. Pictured. I can't wait for it's arrival. I've been thinking about what to paint, when to paint etc. I like the idea of plein air painting as well as studio painting, but practicalities might dictate when I can paint. So, watch this space! I've uploaded some (very old) paintings that I did. the new stuff will be very different - wait and see!

 

 

Still here!

Hello, sorry for the long absence. It's so easy to get bogged down in daily life that blogging gets neglected. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I haven't disappeared and I am still making my pots.
Christmas was a good opportunity for Jenny to sell lots of her decorations. However, despite being more prepared than the previous year I still think that we need to start getting ready for this earlier in the year. I reckon we need to have stock in place by the middle of October and then spend the following 2 months marketing it.
I terms of my pots I've tried to take my work in a new direction. I seem to go through the routine of trying new clays, decorative techniques, glazes etc only to be disappointed when I open the kiln. Of course all this experimentation is incredibly time consuming as well as costly. It can be very frustrating to feel as though you're never making progress. However, each one of these disapointments yeilds a small lesson and I now feel like all these small lessons have begun to add up. I'm beginning to feel more in control of what I do and as a result I can plan my work with a greater degree of control over the final outcome. That's not to say that there wasn't some disappointment when I last opened the kiln, but rather there was more success, or at least, results that I'd aimed for.

Let's see if I can continue to capitalise on these successes.

Pottery shop now open!

Well, it's taken a while, but I've now added a shop to my website. I'm sure there'll be lots of teething troubles. I'm still unsure of the shipping rates. The shop has a facitliy that allows me to link shipping rates to a carrier's table of charges. I've spent quite a bit of time working on this, but still don't feel that it's accurate. My main concern is that I don't over charge people for postage.

Taking the photographs was also a challenge. However, I'm quite pleased with the results, given that they were all done with a cheap compact camera and a roll of wall paper for the background!

Let's hope people like my work enough to buy it!

www.henhousepottery.co.uk

Results of yesterday's firing

So here are some pictures from yesterday's firing. The pics aren't great as I used the ipad and poor lighting, but you'll get the gist!. I'm really please with the plate on which I used 3 glazes and also the mug, which had a blue underglaze. I'll certainly be doing that again. The biscuit barrel should have had the whole rim glazed in one colour I think - I'd hoped that the red would run more into the cream, but hey ho! Overall, I'm quite pleased with the results. The glaze fired well to just below cone 6. Both clays (red and white) behaved and there was no bloating. I gave the glaze a 45 minute soak at cone 6 and I'm sure this helped settle the glazes. They're very glossy and smooth.