new landscape vessels

I love Autumn it's my favourite time of the year. I love the trees turning the red, yellows, golds and eventually brown. I love kicking the leaves along the pavement or woodland path. The chill in the air, warm wooly jumpers and a roaring log fire. 

So I have fettled some pots and have been playing with underglazes this week. All based on my photographs of my walks in the lakes over the last few weekends.

The birches are a recurring theme in my work from smoke firing coiled pots over a bonfire in the college grounds in Carlisle to drawings in my solo show in Brantwood, Coniston. 

These landscape drawings are from images taken along the Lancaster canal whilst foraging for elderberries. They are being turned into wine as we speak along with some damsons fermenting in gin hopefully ready for Christmas.

The birds are based on drawing for my work in the Witches 400 exhibition last year commemorating the trails of the Pendle witches 400 years ago in 1612. The feathers are drawings from my life size cloak made for Alice Nutter with hundreds of black stoneware press moulded feathers. She was said to live at Crow Trees Farm, Roughlee before she was accused, tried and hung for witchcraft. The theories today are she was covering up for her families Catholic religion outlawed by James I.

All are now in the kiln so cross fingers they fire without warping!