33. GETTING A HANDLE ON IT ALL.

Hello Potters and Friends,

Over the past couple of weeks I've gone from this......

The beautiful isle of Jersey, off the French coast.

To this.......

My chaotic workshop – but ready for action!!

And as the title of this post says, it's handles that has dominated the workshop all last week, so I thought I'd show you how I tackle them.

Having rolled out your fresh clay, resist touching it for at least an hour, maybe even longer. When the clay is soft it will never form a good handle.  It's hard to hold back from getting on with it when you've got your cups sitting there, but waiting for the clay to stiffen up is the whole secret of success.

Score marks on your cup or jug where you want your handle to join.

Dab on some wet slurry from your slop bucket.

Press on your handle and cut off the excess. My handle had been shaped by pressing and running my finger along the length of the roll to form the middle dip.  But I did this after the clay had stiffened. If  you do it when the clay is freshly rolled, it will be lumpy, bumpy and bendy and you'll have to start all over again. 

I sometimes use a tool to create a decoration. This adds an extra press to the join to ensure good adhesion. 

Two of the 'Fine and Dandy' collection.

Of course, that isn't the only method.

 Next week I'll be 'pulling' some handles for some large mugs. But that's another story!

But now, to go from this pure white porcelain to the opposite end of the spectrum. Not to mention the opposite end of the workshop, because I have bought some black clay. It's incredibly messy and stains everything, including me.

It doesn't look too bad in the picture but, if you try some do be careful where you roll it and wash all tools thoroughly.  

During the handle-making last week I was desperate to make a couple of different things just for fun.

Of all things, a business card holder and a holder for the kitchen sponge! You can see how much I enjoyed this by how much decoration I lavished on them. Picking out glazes might take some time too.

But, hopefully, all this work will be in the kiln this week and as our English summer continues I will be out in the garden watering like mad. 

WARWICKSHIRE GARDENING NEWS

I've grown two new plants from seed this year that have thrived in our unusual and unexpected heat.

Black Basil.

Very large leaves and very aromatic.

Vietnamese Basil.

Big clusters of purple flowers amongst bushy green leaves that taste of aniseed.  Brilliant in salads.

Very small Chinese lantern plant but held high by a stately earthenware eye protector on a stick. 

And finally, good use made of our bird-table that was deserted for the free lunch that we call our mixed borders and veg patch.

HAPPY POTTING FOLKS

19. The Price is Right.

Hello Potters and Friends,

Well, I said I'd discuss the pricing of my pots, so here I go.
It's a really difficult subject but I think it's important for us all to share our points of view on the subject. So this is how I try to tackle it.

Firstly, I think we all would agree that we shouldn't over-price, nor under-price our work but aim for a fair price.
I make, mainly, functional pots, i.e. mugs, bowls, jugs....what Simon Leach calls "repeat ware".
I also make pots that are individual  - the one-offs.  So I have two different types, two different pricings.

I make the 'repeat ware', as the name suggests, in batches and can throw them on the wheel fairly quickly.
People tend to buy mugs and such-like tableware in sets, so it makes sense to bear this in mind when setting a price. The acid test, as with all pricing - is, would I pay this amount for these cups?

I sell small coffee cups at £7 or £7.50 each.  The spoon rests (front of the table) £5 each. So a set of 4 cups is £28 or £30. To my mind, that is about right. If I raise the price people might go away with one or two at most. Or even worse, go to their local store and buy mass produced crockery.
Price is also important in another way too. People want to feel comfortable as they wander around your studio or showroom. We want them to think that they've made a very good choice. This is the right place for them.  Have you ever found yourself in an expensive shop, quickly realising that there is absolutely nothing you could afford? But once in, you feel trapped. It can make you go a little cold sometimes, and getting out of the door is all you can think about.
But a simple solution is to visit lots of other pottery shows and check out their prices.

Some people have tried to encourage me to put up my prices on my functional ware. But I've seen the results of over-pricing. There has been a drop off of sales and a build-up of unsold work, which inevitably leads to a stagnation in the workshop - not to mention a dip in reputation.

But the one-off individual pots are different.  I don't make 20 an hour. As everyone is a new product, there is more experiment and creative thought involved, as well as labour. Inevitably, the price of these pots reflects this.

But the important thing is to keep potting, keep learning and keep up the enthusiasm.

But now, back to this week. Mugs are still very much high on my agenda, and it's been a dozen handles in particular.

I had a bad start working with clay that was far too soft. I couldn't get the handle to retain its shape, it flopped about, it split and finally I had to scrape it off the cup and start again. 

I took some fresh clay and wedged it up good and proper! I rolled out my handle and left it on newspaper while I had a cup of tea. Catching the clay at the right moment is crucial but my advice is keep testing it and don't be tempted to roll out too thin. Firstly it will look like you've been mean with the clay, and secondly, it's more liable to show cracking as you bend it. 

Before fixing this one on a coffee cup, I was able to decorate it with a toothed tool.

But it hasn't been all work and no play. And I even got Alan away from the Olympics on TV.

Here we are with the flamingos at Peter Scott's Wildlife Park, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire.

They know how to show off to the visitors!

Rosie, with her flamingo red hair. I love it!

Bye, for now 

and

Happy Potting Folks