In the last week Matt has been throwing a series of Autumnus vases and bowls (video snippet below) and it has been really satisfying to see the studio filling up with larger and more dominant forms. It is a confident start. The Autumnus vases are one the larger forms we make and they are so visually striking both the end result but also seeing them thrown on the wheel. The plasticity of the clay is really pushed and occasionally the sides of the bowl just collapse in a heap. Luckily not so this week. These bowls and vases are designed to be used with the niwaki kenzan and we will hope to release them for sale in August and September - harvest time when the garden is brimming with flowers and grasses to collect and display.

Mugs are probably the most popular thing we make. Who doesn’t love a mug? Functional and beautiful, the humble mug has the ability to elevate even the most everyday experience into something notable… We’ve been perpetually out of stock of our some styles for a while but now we have just replenished, I thought I’d re-introduce you to some of our regular styles of mug.

I am no stranger to the notion of ‘managing expectations’, what potter is? We all have ideas and visions and spend our time trying to physically manifest them. And so often they fall short. This month I have experienced some disappointment with some glazes I’ve been working on. They showed such promise on a small test tile but now I’ve made a bigger batch and tested them on actual pieces, they’re not how I’d anticipated and I must admit I felt a little deflated at pulling them out of the kiln. Yet more work to do!

Mothering Sunday falls on 15th March this year in the UK. Here are 5 pieces between the price range of £40 and £75 which we think would make a wonderful gift.

Making has been a little slower than usual this month. Instead we have been tackling some of the trickier, complex and daunting aspects of our studio. Planning our making, setting targets, completing the GPSR paperwork mountain and being able to resume shipping to the EU, dealing with finances and tax ‘stuff’. The relationship between money and creative satisfaction should not, I feel, be too interwoven, but of course in reality it is unless you are of the fortunate few who can work in a creative field without the need to also make a living.

Romantic, painterly brushwork;
a quiet, unassuming jar (for holding outrageously decadent chocolates?);
A drink set for a peaceful ritual;
and
Our new dinner bowls……