a rare day off to look at pots.......

So after a week in schools I took Friday off to visit my fellow potter and friend Stephen Kingsford over in Mawdesley. Well it would be rude not to nip in to see Babs Taylor too at Cedar Farm Gallery and Studios along the road and guess whose work I spotted.......

in the window...Gwen Bainbridge and Emer O Sullivan 

Babs was on the ceramic tour of Lancashire which inspired my open studios last week and I hope some of you got to see some of the other works on display over the week. She was a mine of information regarding the struggles I am having with my bowls as they are cracking quite badly in the firing so it was a useful trip and a good place to visit with artist studios, an art shop, gallery and a cafe that serves brown sugar meringues to die for. Whilst over that way Stephen and  I went to visit the new Craft Gallery run by the Craft Guild of Lancashire at the newly opened Burscough Wharf with a special exhibition of ceramic work by local potters.

Stephens beautiful porcelain work

Christine Cumming raku dogs

We bobbed in to the Blue Mallard Restaurant for lunch and the sandwiches were amazing I recommend it and it is cheaper than the cafe downstairs in the courtyard but I am told they do a mean breakfast!

So back to work this week and three Curious Minds schools to content with I was working on putting up the 'Under the Sea' displays for the Year 1 entrance at Heasandford. We started on the jellyfish and starfish games with more to come.....

Today was Ancient Egypt with Year 3s at Cherryfold where we were looking at investigating materials through papermaking and feltmaking to create a tableau to go on display in the corridor outside the classroom.

Next week we are looking at making our own cartouche in clay I think the children can't wait! The last school this week is Lammack where we are looking at Ancient Greece through maths and exploring repeat patterns with symmetry it going to be fun as we are creating our own block prints too. Then hopefully I can concentrate on making the last few pieces for my Harrogate orders hoping to send then this time next week keep everything crossed for the bowls going in the kiln tomorrow night.