Pottery

 I have been getting my pottery workshop up and running of late.  This started with the purchase of a garden shed.  A 6 x 8 shiplap jobbie. 

 My next purchase was a wheel.  Its a bit of a beastie as far as size and weight goes.  The wheel head is only 10 inches and there is a bit of bearing play, but that said, it was £500 and a van rental, as opposed to £1800 new. 

So all good, since the shed was not that expensive.  Got clay, so away I went.  I have used stoneware for most of it, so I am looking forward to getting my work fired. Yes, I have purchased a kiln.  That one was a bit more expensive and it is being delivered on Friday.  I have also put in an order for raw materials.  So that should be me up and running.  I have some slabs to allow me to recycle unused clay.  I have a heater in there now, a gas fire.  Some shelving and a light and all good.  That said, I can  not get the kiln running until I get a sparky out to run electric out to the shed.  Although I have a 13 Amp kiln, it will draw too much not to melt an extension cable.  So a 10 gauge cable wired in by a sparkie should do nicely.

Anyway, while waiting for the rest of my kit I have been busy practicing my art, quite literally:

A few pots.  The once in the foreground were a lit and a spout for a tea pot, but didn't like it, so put them in the bin to try again.  There are a couple of stamps, a mug and a bowl.  The other pot is my daughters.  

I didn't like this one, so recycled it.

This is a jug, or it will be.  I am not sure on colour yet, but am still thinking about what glazes I want.  I have the raw materials on order, along with some plastic containers, so will see what works after doing some test firing.

I have only just put a handle on it.  It dried out a bit more than I would have liked, but managed to get a handle and also get the spout pulled.  Not bad I though.  This will either have a brown or a blue glaze, perhaps a dipped top half, with a lighter bottom.  I am also going to experiment with some ash glazes.  I have a wood burner so thought I would give it a go.  These glazes are easy enough and just need a bit of feldspar and a bit of oxide.  But I will run some test runs before I commit to a glaze mx. Thats a point.  I need to make some clay L shapes to do some test firing with.  But anyway, it is a job in the making.

OK, so I have only just got the basic shed up and running, but am producing work like the jug above.  Well I might have been potting for some time.  I learnt to throw in my teenage years in Milton Keynes.  More specifically at the community workshops.  Since then I have been crashing pottery lessons, or during uni I was on the committee of the Cambridge Union Pottery Society (Cups).  Most recently I have been doing sessions at a local studio.  Sooo, 40 years in the making, its time I had my own set up.

So I will keep giving updates of my latest work and keep a Vlog of my progress.  Until then, enjoy.

Alex