Introducing 6th Morpeth Scout Group and their Amazing Earthenware Christmas Freak Show

I've definitely lost a bit of momentum with my blog lately. I spend a huge percentage of my life at a keyboard and lately it's all got a bit much! I'm beginning to feel as if I'm actually living through my keyboard these days. So, although I don't really have any real New Year Resolutions as such (mainly because I'm hopeless at keeping to them), I have resolved to spend less time at the computer and more time doing stuff.  If nothing else, I'll probably write fewer words on my blog posts this year.  Probably.

But first... I have to write some words about one my favourite ceramic events of 2011....

Boys, this is a snowman!

During November, at the request of Silmara Hodge, Scout Leader, I had the pleasure of running a ceramics workshop with the 6th Morpeth Scouts' Discovery and Rover Groups in order that they could gain their Craft Badges.  My class consisted of 18 Boy and Girl Scouts, aged from about 10 to 13 years old plus a couple of the adult helpers who couldn't resist joining in too. Given the closeness to Christmas, I decided we'd make ceramic snowmen lanterns.

During the workshop we covered coiling, pinching, joining, slip decoration and worked with white earthenware (snowman coloured see?) as our body. It was great fun; my class included a lot of very creative young people, but I'm not sure that many of their finished articles could be classified as 'snowmen' as such! We ended up with all kinds of weird and wonderful creatures. I learned a bit that day, myself, about giving workshops to young people!  I had a very specific objective in mind and quite definite plans about how we were going to achieve it. Within the first half hour, I'd set those plans to one side and found myself advising not on how to add a scarf or a hat or a carrot nose to a snowman but rather how to add tentacles to a monster, a mohican hairstyle to a glam rock star, an abducted dog under an alien's arm and even how to apply a coat of green paint to Yoda!

The boys in the group were definitely much keener to make monsters, aliens, anything other than snowmen whereas the girls (including the 2 adult female helpers) did, in fact, make some recognisable and very lovely snowmen, including a really delightful 'Harry Potter' snowman complete with wand and magic broomstick. All in all... clay, colour, imagination and skill all combined to give some pretty amazing results and everyone ended up with an impressive 'lantern' of some kind.

Donny Darko and friend

Glam rocker

Lock up yer dogs

!!

Ok, Libby, show 'em how it's done

True freaks!

Just love the concentration here
 (and the colour scheme of course!).

Talking of colour schemes....

Well done 6th Morpeth Scouts! You were brilliant!

 Many thanks also to Silmara and Alex Hodge for inviting me to do the workshop, and to Patrick Smith, fellow student from Newcastle College for invaluable assistance on the day.

Bittersweet British Ceramics Biennial

The second British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) takes place this autumn in Stoke-on-Trent.  The organisers are hoping that the BCB will generate wealth and regeneration for Stoke and help to strengthen a new interest in ceramic wares. The 2009 BCB brought 35,000 visitors to the district, generating around £2 million for the local economy.  Held partly in the crumbling Spode Factory and partly at other sites in the town, including the truly marvellous Potteries Museum and Art Gallery at Hanley, the exhibition evokes bittersweet feelings. 

The Spode Factory is awash with signs and memories of a thriving and vibrant past, however, tragically, it's now a decaying, cold, damp and soul-less place.  As an exhibition venue - although a significant and historic presence in the town - it is perhaps a strange choice in its present state.

The BCB exhibitions are separated into a number of themed areas, including a large hall given over to artists from a Dutch collective known as sundaymorning@ekwc, an international workplace of artists, designers and architects who use ceramics. Many of their pieces are architectural in nature. There are further large areas dedicated to recent graduates in ceramic art from Colleges and Universities around the UK;  and to commercial and industrial ceramic manufacturers, such as hand-made brick makers and makers of ceramic water systems for use in drought-affected countries.  Added into this mix are various side rooms with all manner of ex-Spode paraphernalia of mixed historical interest left behind when the factory closed - and not forgetting ‘The Spode Room’, which is not so much a room as a temporary, cordoned off area, repeatedly cycling its flat-screen history of Spode's famous blue and white pottery, and displaying myriad examples of Spode patterns on isolated plates hung around its make-shift walls.

There is no question that much of the ceramic work at the Spode BCB site is interesting, innovative, exciting, stunning...  in some cases breathtaking… and there is work of an exceptionally high standard to suit all tastes, but there is something about the deterioration of the venue that seems to dampen the vibrancy of the displays.  Some of the exhibits overcome this, for example the bright and welcoming coiled pots of Thomas Weber that greet the visitor on entry to the exhibition, but many of the works struggle to compete with the atmosphere of the setting.

On a positive note, it is gratifying to see such a large number of examples of the excellent work of recent graduates.  Curated by BCB Directors and NACHE, the National Association of Ceramics in Higher Education, the Fresh for 2011 exhibition provides an important platform for showcasing work made in UK centres of ceramic art education and helps to promote the continued funding and support of such establishments for the future. 

In contrast to Spode, The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, housing the second part of the collection of BCB exhibits, Award, is a joy to visit and generates an over-riding feeling of hope:  a belief in the resurgence of Stoke’s ceramic prowess.  The museum is one of the finest examples in the country, notable for its dedicated conservation of world ceramic art throughout all ages.  The museum houses a mind-bogglingly vast collection of ceramic work that includes all of the most famous names, past and present, and is an absolute must for any visitor to the area.

The work on display in Award is mainly that of highly talented, established ceramic artists, such as Ken Eastman, Philip Eglin, Craig Mitchell (below) and Katherine Morling to name only a few, and is unquestionably awe-inspiring.

Compelling as it is though, it is unlikely that any visitor will not be distracted by displays in rooms adjacent to the Award exhibition.  This is entirely appropriate, for The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery holds many, many thousands of stunning ceramic works that should not be missed by any visitor. The real beauty of Award is that it provides a wonderful continuity to this superb collection and brings the observer seamlessly through to a present day display of delightful and accomplished ceramic works.

Visitors to Spode are advised to wrap up warm, visitors to Award are advised to set aside several days for the visit! Whatever you do, don't miss any of it!

The Second British Ceramics Biennial takes place in Stoke-on-Trent
 from 30^th September to 11^th December 2011

See website for more details: http://www.britishceramicsbiennial.com/ 

Ray 'steels' the show at The Sage

I've been very disinclined to write my blog this month.  There are various reasons for this, but mainly it's just because I've been spending so much time on the computer for work-related tasks, and then just haven't been able to face sitting down again at the computer to write the blog.  I'm not going to write much now either, but here are a few images from the current NewcastleGateshead Art Fair(I hate that joining together of two distinctly different towns!) at The Sage.  I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the preview evening for this exhibition courtesy of my friend, Jan.  It was a beautiful, unseasonably warm night and particularly pleasant down on the Quayside.  The Art Fair exibition is made up mainly of paintings and there are some fabulous ones, including some work from one of my favourites, Kevin Day: http://www.artistkevday.co.uk/ . I was disappointed, though, that there weren't more sculptural and ceramic works, but I guess it isn't that kind of an exhibition. Anyway, that said, for me, it was worth a visit solely to see Ray Lonsdale's amazing steel figures.  These are just stunning - almost like android beings I thought, incredibly technical in their detail and, no doubt, in their making - beautifully constructed, each with its own story and secrets...  I was really impressed by them; a couple of them made me feel quite overcome with emotion (and I'm not meaning to be overly arty-farty here). 

This great big guy is situated outside of the exhibition just by the doorway into The Sage.  I wasn't the only girl to sit by his knee...

So what's going on in your head, young lady?
Not much, just wondering if I can have a drag on yer tab.

Amazing details

The Sage looking ship-shape...

Will come back with an update about other stuff once this busy spell at work eases off...  

Super wavy

 

This weekend I started work on the full-size versions of the wave forms for Blue Reef;  they will be something like the models above. I've decided to make 3 large waves, all in rough crank clay and have them stand close by each other, thus creating passages for fish to swim in, as in the picture on the left.

As I've said in previous posts, making items out of large sheets of clay is a difficult process: handling and moulding the form is hard because clay stretches all too easily under its own weight.  It's essential to support all surfaces of the clay during any movement of the entire piece.  I've been using old pillows and tablecloths to rest the work on whilst manipulating it into shape.  Pillows are great for this particular work as they're soft enough to allow me to add the wavy shape into the pieces and supportive enough so as to keep the clay in position whilst it dries out.

Preparing and rolling out large clay sheets in the first place can also be quite a pain.  I've learned from experience that the easiest way for me to do this (lacking a slab roller at home) is to work the clay on two separate cloths, flipping between one cloth and the other between each roll of the clay.  Clay can be stretched that little bit further, by rolling, each time it is flipped, so it's more or less unavoidable that the clay will need to be flipped a good few times for large surface areas. The cloths mean that the clay can be turned and moved whilst supporting its entire surface area, thus meaning an even thickness throughout as the clay is rolled.  Lifting the clay without the cloth underneath it causes stretching and some areas inevitably become thinner than others - or worse still the clay might rip in half as it's lifted up.

Getting a large quantity of clay prepared for rolling takes a bit of muscle power. I have resorted to all kinds of methods of beating big lumps of clay into submission. If the lump gets the better of me, or my arms get tired from wedging, I often just load it all back into its orginal bag and then walk all over it until it's flat, and then take it out, cut and reshape it as necessary, then back into the bag and walk on it again!  I'd say the best method of wedging clay that I've found so far though is to persuade a willing man to do it for me :-)

Lying down, this one reminds me of a ray.

So... I embark on another period of anxious waiting now to see how well these great slabs of clay dry out and fire, and whether they'll stand upright on their own without need for further support....

Update on Blue Reef Aquarium Sculptures

First of all: cave news.  Here they are!  As seen yesterday sitting in the electric kiln following their first (biscuit) firing.  All appears to have gone well with only a few minor flaws at places where I joined the individual caves together. I think these flaws will be eradicated during the reduction firing.  All in all, I'm really pleased with the results and looking forward to seeing the fully fired piece next week.  Phew!

So, on to the next piece... 

The 'anchor chain' is now finished and ready for firing also.  As it's unglazed earthenware, it'll only need one firing and so should also be complete next week. I did make a slideshow of how it was made, step-by-step, but then I realised that Blogger will only allow graphic file formats so I can't add it in here except by referencing it from elsewhere on the Net.  I'll do that when I get time, but not tonight!  In the meantime, here's an idea of the beginning...

loadsa clay rings

starting pieces and model in background for scale

.... and the completed work

This was immensely good fun to make!  I have really enjoyed all the work I've done for Blue Reef so far. I think, as I've said before, that part of it is that I'm imagining fish swimming around in my work whilst I'm making it! 

A few notes about the work, whilst they're fresh in my mind:  small scale models are not necessarily a good indictator of how a finished piece will look nor are they always helpful in determining how to approach construction.  I am beginning to realise that there is a lot to be gained from constructing sections of a work in full size in addition to making entire models.  In particular, with this work (and the caves), the weight of each component was far greater than in the equivalent model piece and this meant that downward force had a much more significant effect on the piece as a whole.  This required a change in overall design.

Fortunately, I remembered to build this piece directly on a kiln shelf this time, so I'm expecting it will be a breeze getting this piece into the kiln.  Shouldn't say that, should I? ;-)

I have a million other items I need to upload on to my blog.  It's been a real Summer of Art.  I wish there were more hours in the day.... 

Post Potfest Disorder...

I am suffering from a bad case of PPD.  Post Potfest Disorder is a syndrome with both psychological and physical symptoms. I've just returned from 3 days at one of Europe's most outstanding ceramic art events: Potfest in the Pens, having been lucky enough to be an exhibitor myself this year rather than just a punter.

To explain the physical disorder: it's taken me 48 hours to sort out the chaos of boxes, tools, camping gear, display materials, etc that travelled to Potfest and back with me, and were then spread around my house from Sunday evening, when I arrived home too shattered to properly unpack them. 

Over the past couple of years, I've really come to appreciate that Potfest is a truly incredible event. Apart from the overwhelming diversity of art works on show (all made from the same basic material: i.e. mud!) the logistical and organisational processes behind the event are, in themselves, quite stunning.

The general public who come to enjoy Potfest don't know the half of what goes on behind the scenes before and after the events. There is such a lot of hard work involved with getting the pens set up.... and then with taking it all down again. Not to mention the matter of engaging with the public for 3 very 'full-on' days when most potters are used to working in solitary confinement in a quiet studio...

Packing at the end of another very successful event

Fetching, carrying, packing, dismantling, tidying...

My involvement with the event this year came about when Steve Nicholson, my good pal from Newcastle College, in his final college year, was given a free 'pen' for himself and fellow students in return for running 'some kind' of ceramics workshops for Potfest visitors.  Geoff and Christine Cox, who are the organisers of Potfest make great efforts to help student potters make it commercially.  Steve's work went down a storm!  He was inundated with customers and nearly ran out of work to sell on the last day.

The sign I made to go with Steve's work.

I have to admit to having enjoyed running the workshops more than trying to sell my work, even though it was very tiring.  I talked to so many lovely people and met so many enthusiastic youngsters who were just desperate to get their hands on a lump of clay and start making! As we didn't have the facilities to fire the work made in our workshops I promised all the young budding artists that I'd showcase their work here on my blog, so here goes...

Hannah Furnival - first to try my workshop and definitely a potter in the making!

Hannah's lovely printed tile

The above are only some of the lovely things there were made.  Many folk took their work away with them before I got chance to photograph it. 

So Potfest is packed away for another year....

....and I am feeling a little lost without the vibrant, cheery company of 150 other potters. I don't know quite what to do with myself...   I suppose the best way to cure my PPD is to just start getting ready for the next one... :-)