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.

Here we go again!

Ground hog day once again! A new glaze, a new set of hopes. Is this the corner I've been hoping to turn? I really love making pottery, and that in itself is incredible given the amount of disappointment that it seems to bring me. I just don't ever seem to get the results that are living in my mind. Of course there are the occasional pieces that bring a pleasant surprise, but on the whole I seem to make frequent trips back to the drawing board after every new experiment.
So, to this batch of work. I've returned in the main to the white stoneware clay that I've used previously, as it fired predictably well, unlike the red stoneware that bloated at higher temperatures. However, saying this there are a couple of samples of the red clay body - the biscuit barrel in the foreground to name one. I've included these, as this next firing is only going to cone 6 and I'm optimistic that any bloating will be insignificant. The main cause for excitement are the new glazes I've invested in. I've bought some brush on glazes that promise amazing effects! I haven't gone mad and spent a fortune yet, as I've made this mistake before. So, this batch are all in just 3 glaze combinations of red and white. The firing instructions are straight forward, so I might not screw things up too badly...but now I've said this my immediate thought is 'pride comes before a fall!'

The long and winding road.

This week I I've felt myself becoming increasingly frustrated. I know exactly what I'm working towards, but due to my very limited time combined with the very slow process of making pottery, I feel like it's taking me an age to achieve my goals. I've included some pictures of the items that I've been making this past week. They're now ready for bisque firing, but that won't happen until next weekend now, as I'm at work all this week. It'll then be another week before I get them glaze fired. I only manage to get an hour or two in the studio in the evenings after my work and family commitments and I've been getting irritated this week about it. It's not good, as I want to make something of my pottery, but if it's going to cause friction both inside me and within my family then it'll only make the road rougher.
As well as making I've also been trying to lay the foundations of an internet shop - Etsy. I've made the shop, but there's only one item listed on it (I had to list one to open the shop). I had been concerned that it would take me months and months to build up enough stock to fill the shop. I put this issue out to some other crafts makers who suggested I make a range of one off items which I then photograph and list as made to order. I can therefore fill the shop without having the problem of making a storing loads of items. Now it's been pointed out it seems obvious, but sometimes I just need someone to state the obvious.
I've also begun to lay the foundations for a workshop that I want to run in the spring. I've found a really good venue, but need to have further discussions with the owner over the dates. I've also organised hire of 6 wheels. I hope to run the workshop for beginners. the idea is for people who've always wanted to try throwing pottery to come along and spend a day learning the basics. I envisage this as the type of day that could be bought as a gift for someone. early days yet, but I'll post more as it develops.