signs of life

for the last two weeks the snowdrops have been emerging very gradually, and in the sunshine today I realised that more and more clumps are up through the grass. this lot have no grass to come through, so they are always first.

the aconites have been around for a while, and the cold weather has preserved them. when it gets too mild they become overblown and greasy looking.

I opened up the first firing for 2009 this morning. these pieces are for an installation in March, which has pushed my work in new directions. I am working with press moulds, made from existing bowl and dish shaped objects – my favourite is a wok lid. once the dish form is in the mould I have been pressing it to shape using a large very stiff round brush; then using an even stiffer brush, I found myself making some new and interesting textures.

this small bowl was imprinted rather violently with a brush made of spiky stiff bristles like a yard broom .

and this little bowl is prodded all over with a small brush of metal spikes.

these beakers are formed around a big cone of rolled paper and put near the wood burner to set. I have been cutting up the wood from the old sheds to keep myself warm in the workshop and in the house. its a little time consuming and hard work, but helps keep me fit.

A kind friend lent me a wonderful book on Gislebertius, a French twelfth century sculptor of stone carvings of saints and biblical scenes; his figures’ clothing is all fluted and whorled – very stylised but very beautiful … so that was the inspiration for the spirals on this large dish.

I have been making spoons, by cutting a shape in rolled out clay around an old spoon (family heirloom but scratched past redemption) and then pressing the spoon into the clay.

they happily fit around lots of other things in the kiln, and although they have to be carefully handled before firing, they feel remarkably solid now they are fired.

as soon as I had unpacked this firing I packed a biscuit firing which will go on overnight. I have five exhibitions to work for this year. the rest of the pots are on this site.