Teapot Level Unlocked

Buff Stoneware Vases with Polar White Glaze

It's been a while since I posted. This is because pottery and laptops do not mix well and I've definitely been focussing on the pottery. I have been experimenting with different types of clay, still stoneware but with some grog in it (not rum). Grog is usually fired clay that has been ground down and added to raw clay It adds texture and makes the clay a bit more robust. It does feels quite gritty to throw with but can give a nice speckled finish to the pot once fired, like these vases.

I've also started to think a bit more about the kind of pots and ceramics that I make and realise that I enjoy a more freeform approach. I decide in general what I'm going to a make, but don't necessarily have a fixed and detailed design in my head. Also, my hands seem to make better decisions.

Tea Cannon

Having said all that, I have been working my way up to making a teapot for some time now. My early experiments resulted in a tea cannon. This was the result of a rainy Sunday afternoon and deciding to have a go. While the tea cannon would have been an excellent device for undercover pirates in some kind of swashbuckling adventure story, I'm not convinced that it would have been a good pourer.

After deciding that teapots needed some attention from my brain as well as my hands, I watched many, many YouTube videos. Potters are a very generous bunch, sharing their skills and knowledge.

It's taken me a while to develop my confidence and dexterity to make all the components that go into a teapot. There is something faintly ridiculous about holding up a tube of clay to the side of a vessel, squinting and muttering; "not sure this is a good pour angle". Although, the muttering seems to help.

Teapot

However, I think I've cracked it. The teapot is yet to be fired but I have hopes that it will pour a nice cup of tea. If you would like to know if the teapot makes it through its firings, please do pop along to my next Pop Up Shop on 13 April 11am-5pm

23 Church Lane BS8 4TR.

I will be doing a separate blog about this but as you read all the way through I thought you should get the first invitation. As ever thanks for reading.