Let me show you Leamington Spa yesterday.
Jephson Gardens in the centre of town.
I've never seen our town look so spectacular. It reminds me of a trip we made to Nova Scotia a few years ago.
See how easily I get distracted. I've got two weeks to go to my Open Studio event and in three weeks I'll be setting up a stand at a craft fair in Stratford-upon-Avon, and here I am kicking leaves in the park!
But I have been working quite hard, although it started unbelievably slowly. After some serious thinking and sketching I embarked on some complex, time consuming and detailed underglaze painting.
The calm before the storm.
After this I began coiling the biggest pot I have ever made.
Height 38cms or if you prefer, 15 inches.
I created the decoration by rolling small balls of clay then pressing and dragging them onto the main body. I did the same on the opposite side so that they sort of represented handles. Then, another little break and off I went to the The Gallery Upstairs at the Torquil Pottery, Henley in Arden, and spent a day being blown away by the brilliance of the painters, sculptors and potters. What inspiration! Back home the following day I really shifted into a different gear!
My old idea of standing pots on stained wooden blocks got me excited again.
Alan bought a new blade for his electric saw and off we went. Suddenly I felt like I was making progress.
All destined for the block.
You might like to see my new purchase last week. This is a manual spray gun, £41 from Scarva Pottery Supplies, Northern Ireland.
I need one for my large bowls that I spray with several glazes. (See Post 1. Goodbye Cling film.) It has two spraying modes, fine and not so fine and pumps up a good long spray. However it is inclined to create drips if held in one place too long. Now, drips are just what I'm after so it's perfect for me but don't buy anything like this if you're after a really even glaze.
Happy potting folks.
