Sign up to my first Newsletter for shop discounts and special offers

So I am going to write my first ever newsletter due out next week

which you can sign up to at the bottom off my shop page here

In it there will be regular offers and also a chance to get discount codes for the shop for workshops, drawings and ceramics. The first one if you sign up will be for 5% off anything in my shop through Feb/March. 

'Angus' new in the shop

Bobby

Neville

I am hoping to give you first refusal on various new works and also priority bookings for workshops in the future so there are benefits for signing up :-)

I am also looking at maybe taking some of the drawings into greetings cards what do you think? yes?

New workshops dates March/April 2015

Well lets get down to it, do you want to come and play with clay, develop a new skill or further develop or refresh an old one with this beautiful, versatile material? yes? well there are a number of options that I can offer from the luxurious silky smooth porcelain to the more robust and gritty stoneware workshops. I love clay can you tell and I want to share my passion for it so how about a few one day stand alone workshops at Higherford Mill in March/April so you can come and play too? 

Beginners Porcelain 14th March at Higherford Mill

Guide lines for the day

9.30 - 10 am introductions tea, coffee etc

10-12 noon Demonstrations of how to roll out porcelain, join clay to clay etc

Create textured clay to use in construction of tealights, vases etc  

12-1pm lunch 

1-4 pm construction of vases and vessels in porcelain 

Decorate with underglazes etc

Suitable for beginners and intermediate to explore porcelain and its uses 

developing your skills furthering your creativity.

Creature Creations 28th March at Higherford Mill

Guidelines for the day 

9.30 - 10 am introductions tea, coffee etc

10-12 noon demonstrations of techniques and playing with textures etc

12-1pm lunch

1-4 pm Construction and decoration with underglazes etc to finish the pieces made

Suitable for beginners and intermediate skills to help develop new or further your own skills. Come and have a play in this very forgiving material Earthstone handbuilding stoneware.

Beginners/intermediate Porcelain 11th April at Higherford Mill

Guidelines to the day 

9.30 - 10 am introductions tea, coffee etc

10-12 noon Demonstrations of how to roll out porcelain, join clay to clay etc refresher

Create textured clay to use in construction of tealights, vases etc  

12-1pm lunch 

1-4 pm construction of vases and vessels in porcelain 

Decorate with underglazes etc

Suitable for beginners and intermediate to explore porcelain and its uses 

developing your skills furthering your creativity.

All workshop materials and fining, refreshments are included in the price £95 per person per workshop. 

Full payment secures place which are limited to 6 per day to give a better teacher/participant ratio. Workshops will only run if 3 places or more are booked for that day. Ages from 16+

Workshops will take place in the workshop room at Higherford Mill,

Gisburn Road, Barrowford, Lancashire, BB9 6JH

Please bring along: sketchbook if you have one, apron to protect clothing, a packed lunch and enthusiasm. warm clothing, thick socks etc are recommended as we are in a weaving shed. 

Click on the form on the right hand side of this blog and email or post to me for booking and securing a place on any of the workshops. Alternatively go to my online shop
to book through my website.

Right I think that's it but if i have missed anything then email me or facebook me and I will endeavor to fill in the gaps and post it on here too. 

Come on and get your hands dirty :-)

Characterful Creature Creations with teachers at Bury Art Gallery

Today I have spent a most enjoyable day at Bury Museum and Art Gallery teaching CPD to teachers.

It was ace to be perfectly honest I love my job on days like these. The teachers who attended were great, open to ideas and suggestions and really lovely sharing their own ideas and even offering to fire works for other schools how great is that!

We looked at creating creatures in clay with two techniques thumb pots and slab techniques. My slabbed piece completely collapsed on my in the making and I was slightly mortified but all was good and just goes to show not everyday is a good day for the fingers. 

I didn't take in examples as I don't into schools as the students compare theirs to them and

sometimes it puts people off but may be I should of this time.

Hey ho. 

We started by looking around the King of the Cats exhibition briefly touching on the stories and how we funded the works and touring show through Arts Council, England and how the pieces were designed to stretch each artist taking them from their comfort zone and developing new techniques and new work. 

We then used charcoal to draw really quick sketches of what we would like to make and proceeded to create thumb pot animal heads.

Lunch was laid on by the gallery which we had to ourselves it was almost like we were in a sweet shop but we did behave and actually got back down to work really quickly. There were a mix of skills and needs in what can be achieved in clay with class size, abilities and time scales etc. From special needs to reception so techniques were shared from simple thumb pot ladybirds and bumble bees which could link to literacy through stories and also numeracy with counting spots, groups of various numbers etc.to more advanced techniques using slabs.

We looked at constructing head s and bodies using flat slabs, talked through basic equipment and how things can be made with simple DIY materials. We looked at wedging techniques for reclaiming clay as one of the teachers had a kiln which she offered to the other teachers which was a lovely gesture.

My demonstration showed how things can go wrong as it collapsed as I was pushing the clay from the inside out to create texture and form.

Queen of the Hares

Frog King

 

We also looked at colouring the clay using underglazes which can be painted on greenware. Building up colours and textures to add more character.

Building up colours, mixing and texturing the surface to create the illusion of fur. I have now taken the works to be dried and fired with a copper oxide to highlight the textures. Of course I will post pics of the finished pieces before returning them on the same day as our Q&A session on February 18th at the Art Gallery with the rest of the Arteach group.

the Fantastic Mr Fox

The day went too fast to create the bodies for the characters but good fun was had by all and hopefully inspiring new projects and clay works in the schools represented. I think we all went home happy after a really enjoyable day.

KingDildrum

Even Dildrum the King of the Cats was happy as he tweeted about it too :-) 

https://twitter.com/KingDildrum