getting ready for hatfield

although I have probably five times as many pots as I need for Hatfield, there is still a sudden need to produce a new idea I have thought of at the last minute – platters – not really a new idea, I have made them before, but I suddenly thought it would be good to do some with the layered and impressed technique and glaze them like this; ( this is the image I made for my card)

I made four like this; supporting the edges with rolls of bubble wrap and using st thomas clay with grog added, and t-material for the white clay

and some more like this using Earthstone’s crank, with porcelain or t-material.

unfortunately I put four into the recent bisque firing at the top, and two blew because the gas flame touched them

they were the nice ones with the oak leaves. I also lost another one in drying it upside down. the two that survived the bisque are in the kiln cooling after today’s glaze firing. I also have two more big bottles which I hope will be good enough for Art in Clay in there.

the big pieces will be the attention grabbers I hope. I will also be making big pieces on my stand. currently I am editing stock, as Kay Corbett is coming to install shelving in the stockroom come showroom – everything has to come out, and it will be interesting to see what makes it back in.

these big old pieces are the first to go outside. I think I will keep most of them … but it doesn’t hurt them to stay out until the first frosts.

this old friend is really a second, as it has a big crack extending into the foot which happened during firing, but Gas Kimishima repaired it with urushi (Japanese laquer) and gold powder, and I am going to put some gold on the raw edge of the chipped spout. sadly having work in galleries can be a problem if they are not too careful. it has a lot of presence, which is what I am looking for for Hatfield. there is one more large old piece which I think is good enough, then two recent large bottles in the black clay. so that could be six large bottles if I am lucky with the two in the kiln, and six is probably about twice as many as I really need. then some stand-out medium size things and mostly small affordable ones. some of the work which I want to take dates back to 2008 and the anagama firing with Gas, and some is very new.

Choosing work is quite difficult, but I have to be really pared down, not have too many pieces and not worry about selling pieces and then having replacements, because this is my first time and I am looking at it more as an advertising effort, PR, than as a way to sell pots. also a way to see where I stand amongst potters and where I want to go, what I want to hone, and what I want to discard about my practice.