Making Handles

I’ve been making small cream or milk jugs recently. These are about the size of a mug, just enough for serving milk with tea for instance and for general purpose around the kitchen. I was inspired by the ‘penguin’ silhouette I’ve been throwing recently (see my last post) which suggested to me it would make a very nice simple jug shape on a smaller scale. So I thought I’d make a test batch: and I decided the design of this type of jug really would benefit from a handle.

Handles are one of those additions that I both enjoy and feel nervous about, however many times I make them. I’m not sure why that should be: perhaps I’ve inherited a phobia or paranoia caused by other people saying they’re difficult to do and get right. Thankfully I got the hang of handles fairly early on in my making (unlike some other methods – I can’t make pinch pots at all for example!) I was shown a simple but effective method, which I’ve adapted and now I’m very comfortable using. It has its limits, but so far I’ve had none of that ‘my handles never work’ business that other people complain of. Touch wood! I don’t want to tempt fate but my method rarely causes cracks, broken or weak handles.

My method for making handles is to take a small blob of clay and roll out a coil as you would for making a coil pot. I make sure the coil is absolutely cylindrical and smooth before gently squashing it flat between two wooden boards. This creates a flattened strip. I then smooth and stretch this strip of clay on both sides using my fingertip, turning it over each time until I get the thickness and width I want. Then I trim the ends to a standard length before bending it into shape. I always make a couple more extra handles than I need in case of accidents and for a bit of choice (they never look completely identical!) Finally I put them on a wooden board on their ‘sides’ to dry (I used to put them ‘upright’ but I found this could make the shapes sag or crack). In the meantime I turn the base of the jugs or pots I plan to add the handles to, and when I’m finished I usually find the handles are ready to fix.

Of course it’s not the only way to make handles, but I find it works very well for my needs at the moment! As you can see from the last picture on this post I often use the base of the handle as a place to put my personalised stamp: it helps fix the handle a bit more and provides a nice softer area of clay to make the impression. To ensure the handles get a good chance to adhere without cracking or sagging I also turn the pots upside-down to dry. This means gravity works with the sweep of the handle rather than against it, keeping its shape. Secretly I suspect most people’s problems with handles are to do with this drying stage rather than any other: as long as the body of the pot dries out at about the same pace as the handle, it all should work!

Nevertheless I still worry about my handles and hope they all work out OK. No way of knowing until the pots are completely finished…

All About The Making

I’ve decided that 2012 will be all about the making. It’s so easy to get sidetracked and caught-up in the other aspects of this pottery/painting lark. Admin, marketing, planning shows, queueing at the post office, buying tissue paper and scrounging cardboard boxes from local supermarkets. Sometimes it can seem like all I do is the business side of things. Of course this stuff is a crucial part of what I do and can’t be ignored. But in the meantime my poor wheel sits patiently waiting for things to calm down and for me to start making again. I won’t even mention my poor old easel…

And this explains why I haven’t blogged for four entire weeks. It’s the longest gap in posts since I began Pots and Paint back in 2009. But I decided it was good for me to ‘go dark’ for a while, gather some thoughts, and (after the rush of Christmas) concentrate on making. So here are a few photos of some recent throwing.

Above is a photo of my wheel, prepared with a wooden throwing bat, and below is a shot of me in the process of throwing. It’s a slightly staged picture because I had to wash my hands to set the camera on timer!

Above is a photo of a freshly thrown pot. As you can see, the wooden bats come right off the wheel complete with pot on top; this minimises distortion of the shape. Below is a photo of the pots a day or so later, drying. They were taken off the bats using a wire and then the bases briefly smoothed with the thumb – no turning involved. These pots are part of an order of wine carafes featuring a pouring lip at the rim. They will be fired twice and glazed all over in an ash glaze – all being well of course! When making an order it’s always best to make a few extra pots than needed in case of accidents along the way.

Anyway, I quite like the way these pots look in a small group: they remind me of penguins. And so far 2012 is shaping up nicely since I’ve been on my wheel enough times already for my back to start noticing!

Wayzgoose Christmas Show 2011

I’ve just finished my last show of the year! Wayzgoose is an annual Christmas show held in a local art complex called Jubilee Stores based in Newport on the Isle of Wight. Every Christmas the artists-in-residence open their studios for a special two-day event. They invite about 20 artists to exhibit with them, which means there’s a wide range of different art and craft disciplines on show for people to choose from and enjoy.

This is the second year I’ve exhibited in the show (you can read last year’s post here). At first I was worried I might not have enough stock to put on my table. This is a common complaint among artist/makers in general it seems! However, luckily the kiln had been fired and was ready to open on the day of setting-up: so I had some lovely new vases to put out on my stand. In fact, they were so brand new they were still toasty and warm…

Unlike last year (when I forgot my camera) this year I remembered to take some photos. Here are just a few of them. I wanted to show off my new vases properly with a flower display, and had the idea of using a bunch of red tulips. I didn’t think I’d get tulips at this time of year, let alone red ones! But luckily my local florist had them in stock. They were perfect really because they had a red-and-green Christmas theme, but at the same time felt very fresh and cheerful. I think it must have worked because my vases did very well at the show! So overall it was an excellent weekend and a really positive way to end the year.

Christmas Open Studios

This weekend I’ve been out and about visiting a couple of Open Studio events on the island. I thought it would do me good (between my own shows) to visit other people’s. So last night I went to see my friend Sue Paraskeva’s studio in Ryde. Sue is a potter who specialises in hand-thrown porcelain tableware and one-off altered pieces. She uses a stick-driven momentum wheel for throwing, and ‘reduction’ fires all her work using a gas kiln. Last night her studio was overflowing with beautiful pots on display all around the walls and shelves.

Her work is mostly monochromatic: pure whites, lightly toned greys with the occasional pale green celadon or splash of dark oxide. This calming, harmonious colour scheme means her pots complement each other, mix and match perfectly, and look stunning together as a display. For a festive atmosphere Sue provided visitors with plenty of wine and mince pies (which I ate from one of her lovely side plates) and arranged a trail of pretty candles to guide guests along the path to the front door of her studio – a welcome glow on an otherwise cold wintery evening!

Earlier today I went on my second Open Studio visit to see my friend Anna Hayward who lives just outside of Cowes. I met Anna a few years ago on a raku workshop, but besides making ceramics, Anna specialises in making handmade glass beads and jewellery. I’m rather envious of her studio which is a lovely wooden summer house/shed in her garden. Knowing nothing about the process myself, it was fascinating to watch Anna demonstrate lampworking – which is the method she uses to make her beads – and to learn about her tools and equipment. It was very interesting too to talk about the crossover between glass bead making and ceramics – glazes being essentially made of glass of course and both disciplines using fire, minerals and kilns in their processes.

There’s also a crossover between Anna’s styles of work. Her interest in circles and spirals feeds into her designs and methods of working in both her ceramics (which are mostly hand-built coiled pots) and her beads, which feature colourful dots, snake-like lines and swirling patterns. In fact she also uses her pots to display her work, setting off her jewellery beautifully. So I had a very enjoyable afternoon admiring her skill - and choosing a couple of pieces to take home with me too!

Anyway, thanks Sue and Anna for their lovely shows!