Studio Journal: September 26
“Soft Eyed September” - William Morris, The Earthly Paradise
Aerial view of a series of Oil Burners
A little break from glazing pots and loading kilns to write this journal. I failed this task last month, there were simply not enough hours, and so the last journal was from the bright days of July. But I feel bereft when I don’t commit my studio musings down to paper. Time does seem to whizz by but I am glad to be in the realm of Autumn again. Colour, cosiness, hunkering down, it suits me. Frankly, the colours of Autumn suit our pots.
Things have changed a lot since July. We are in the middle of a few large projects (a little stressful because this should our Christmas making time and we haven’t managed this aspect of our business well this year), and we have two new members of staff who have both joined part time to help boost our production. I will be introducing both in due course. Being so busy is a double edged sword. Of course, no small craft business ever complains about being in demand, but it is also really hard to do this well. To make in quantity, of quality, and moreover help steer a small team to achieve your very specific vision. But with the help of some very early starts, much coffee and a series of intricately plotted spreadsheets, we are only a small way behind the schedule. Generally I am not a fan of Artificial Intelligence, but wouldn’t it be fab if it could do all our reclaim and cleaning?
Earlier in the month we added a new edit of pots to the shop and I am so pleased that, despite my minimal marketing of the shop update, they seem to have sold well. I suppose people sniff out good pots. Some of my favourites of these, but actually not ones that have been selling well for some reason, are the faceted beakers. Matt and I seem to be having a real ‘faceted moment’, with more and more pieces belonging to this range. We are working on a large faceted order for a candle company, plus lots of beakers for various stores. When working on these faceted items the walls need to be thrown thickly and we are left with boards of chunky, quite frankly, ugly cylinders, until a day or so later when Matt carefully and systematically takes a cheese wire to them and reveals a series of pots that are beautiful and delicate. And despite best efforts each one is slightly different because they kind of have to be. These are the very antithesis of AI, they are objects completely made by hand. I think it is special.
Looking ahead to October we are planning on completing on an exciting project for a chef client, finishing up two candle vessel orders and firing the last pieces in a number of wholesale orders for shops. Then - we have one more large project left for the year alongside making for Christmas. We’re exhibiting at Oxford Ceramics Fair at the end of the month which I’m super excited about. It will be our first time at a Craft Potters event. We only have a small stand so won’t be bringing lots and lots, instead a carefully curated selection of our very best pieces. So if you are planning to visit, please drop me a line if there is anything you think I must bring…
Over the weekend we enjoyed two nights in Alnwick. One of my favourite things was visiting the famous Barter Books, each of us disappearing in different directions. I ran into my ten year old who came to me with a stack full of books and a look of pleading in his eyes. I was delighted - despite his reluctance over the last few years to read and the abundance of screens, AI, short form videos everywhere, he is now finally a reader, an avid one, choosing actual paper pages and stories. My work is done! Just need to train him at the wheel now…
Cup (tea bowl) thrown in a pale stoneware and available in either our nori or ochre glaze. The cup is suited to a wide range of uses including herbal tea, flat whites / cappuccino and cold drinks too.
To learn more about the different glaze colours, please see our colour guide.
255ml // 8cm h x 8cm ø
Autumnus Bowl thrown in an iron-rich stoneware and glazed in our pale blue chun glaze, reduction fired in a gas kiln. A single line of iron oxide wash has been applied underneath the glaze on the top surface of the bowl, adding a subtle variation of colour.
Our Autumnus Vase range was first created in 2022, each bowl being designed to fit a medium sized Kenzan, perfect for creating floral arrangements. Simply add the kenzan, arrange the stems and add water. The bowl also works well as a fruit bowl or stand alone decorative piece.
9.2 cm x 27.5cm
Tall mug in an iron-rich flecked stoneware and available in the following glazes: charcoal, nori, ochre, olive, powder, sand and speckled white. To learn more about the different glaze colours, please see our colour guide.
325ml // 11 cm h x 7.5 cm ø