black clay

I bought some black firing crank from Valentine’s this week, I am curious to see it fired. it is an intense red, drying to purple or dried blood colour, and is difficult to keep from staining the whole workshop and my clothes. it is also the sharpest toothed crunchy crank I have ever used, difficult to cut with a knife, and when it dries a bit it feels like handling concrete.

I made these yesterday.

today I made a porcelain overlay, spreading David Leach porcelain on with a knife like butter. very difficult to keep red fingerprints off the porcelain. but scored through it should be very dramatic. also perhaps the porcelain will be more translucent over the black clay.

I used all the remaining clay to make these little brush-holder pots.

its was rather too warm in the workshop, but outdoors everything in the garden is very beautiful.

I can dry the pots out in the sunshine. what an idyllic potter’s life.

these old sheds are due to be knocked down and replaced by wood and tiled roof versions this year. although they look very romantic, they are dark and leaky.

saw this butterfly this morning, while waiting for naughty Tilda who went off on some escapade …

its a speckled wood, is territorial, likes oakwoods, and sips the honeydew secreted by aphids rather than feeding on flowers. this is a female, they have more pointed wings.