Tag: handmade pottery

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Upcoming Events & a Giveaway, woohoo!!

Nesting Bowls

2020 has started off with a bang here at the pottery, in a good way.

I’m happy to say that my self-care journey is solidifying into a meaningful morning breathing and yoga practice that (when I do it, which is most days, to be honest) seems to be setting me up for a day with my body and health in my frame of reference rather than totally forgotten… so, that’s cool! I’ve also been keeping up with a nightly gratitude practice that has radically shifted my nighttime routine in a positive way… all good things!

The 3rd key to keeping a focus on self-care this year is not overwhelming my calendar with events, so I’ve very carefully curated (along with a day job) a year of a few big events to work toward.

The first is Potfest Scotland at Scone Palace. I went for the first time last year and am so excited to have been chosen to participate this year, please do come say hello if you decide to make a day of it, click the photo below for details. I’d love to see you!

Also, if you’re on Instagram, I am celebrating our growing pottery follower family with a giveaway of this fabulous mug.

Keep an eye out on March 1st when the giveaway starts, it is sure to be a lot of fun!

Until next time, Avesha.

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Breathing Space

Ever so technically, I have been on vacation since the 2nd of September, but forgot to post this here… ????‍♀️

Anyway, I am visiting family and friends in Maine this month and have had an amazing 3 weeks. I brought a Waveware mug with me on my travels (you can win it when I return home to Scotland in October ????) and it too has been having a wonderful time.

Visiting friends at the Common Ground Fair
Relaxing at Pebble Beach on Monhegan Island.
Enjoying the views from the top of Cliff Trail on Monhegan Island.

It’s been a wonderful trip so far. This mug has many stories to share with you ????

❤

Ps: there has been a wee debate happening on Facebook as to whether or not I have been using the mug… helpful hint, I have not.

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Process: Slip sliding away…

Following on from AGES ago when I started sharing the steps of making my work (see here or here ), let’s talk about Slip.

Slip is basically watered down clay that can be used to decorate a pot before it dries out. It can be colored just about any color you want and can be used in many different thicknesses. Lisa Naples is a ceramic artist who uses VERY thick slip to texture and color her work.

Slip can be painted on a pot or trailed using fine pointed squeezy bottles or a pot can be dipped into slip. Some slips can even be used to make pots! Kate Westfall uses redclay slip to make the bodies of her gorgeous mugs ????. (Side note: if you’re ever stuck for a gift idea for me, a piece of Lisa or Kate’s work will do just fine ????)

Each pot in my studio gets dipped and receives a coat of white slip before it is allowed to dry completely and go through it’s first firing.

This coat of white slip has three jobs to do; it prevents iron from the clay body affecting the glaze, it helps to highlight the textures I make in the slabs AND it provides a perfect, light background for my “Tidal Swell” glaze to show it’s subtle hues of blue & green ????

Slipping is an essential step in the process of my work… and one of the beautiful steps. A freshly slipped pot is so lovely, just look at those rims and handles, they look like white chocolate!

❤

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Shrinkage

Left to Right: Raw clay (“greenware”), Bisqued clay, Glazed clay.

Did you know that clay shrinks as it dries and goes through each firing???

This particular clay (that I adore) has a rather shocking 14% shrinkage rate… which means a lot of math and forward planning to get the right sized mug.

Not the worst thing in the world, but to this math-impaired person it creates some headaches… quite literally.

It’s worth it though ❤

Look at that gorgeous, rich clay coming through the glaze… it’s worth every, math headache, every, single one.

????

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Delightful surprises.

I don’t know about you guys, but I am totally flummoxed when things exceed my expectations…

As a potter, having high expectations was drilled out of me in pottery school. We’re taught to be pragmatic; to keep the level of our pottery designs high, but our expectations low and to prepare for multiple attempts (aka multiple opportunities for learning) at a new design until we get to know the limits and abilities of our material.

I’ve noticed throughout my years of adulting that this kind of pragmatic thinking has extended out of the studio, and into most areas of my life…. except my “to-do lists”, those never seem to be affected, but that’s a whole other post…

So, knowing all that, you can imagine what my expectations of how many entries we’d have were like when Erica (of eteaket) and I began planning for our “Tea for Two Giveaway”. In hindsight, they were perhaps a bit too low, but I was trying to spare myself from the “inevitable” disappointment of the only entries being from our mothers… you know what I mean?

Anyway, when I looked this morning and saw that nearly 1,000 hopeful souls have entered to win the “Tea for Two Giveaway” you could have knocked me over with a feather… totally over… flat on my face.

Not in a million years did I expect this giveaway to create that much joy and excitement and my own little heart has grown three sizes today with gratitude to be a part of it.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I knew it would bring smiles and excitement, look at it, there’s so much there that is wonderful! But, almost 1,000 people wishing and hoping and excited to win with 3 days left to go…?

Nope, not in a million years would I have expected that to happen.

It’s really wonderful!

If you’re wanting a shot to win, click here and keep your fingers crossed until 5pm on Saturday (UK time).

Good luck!

UPDATE: The giveaway has now closed and we have a winner. With a total of 1,123 entries Erica and I are totally blown away and just as grateful!

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Win Free Goodies!

You know what’s neat?

When two business women have an idea and then it happens, I just love that!

My friend Erica is the owner & founder of the amazing Eteaket – the very finest place in Edinburgh (online too!) for high quality loose leaf tea with integrity. She and I had a conversation one day about wanting to give some fun things away to celebrate summer and after about 5 minutes of conversation we came up with the “Tea for Two Giveaway”.

Included in the giveaway are 2 of my favorite “Waveware Mugs”, 4 delicious loose leaf summer teas (shown in the photo, you can drink them hot or cold) and enough bleach-free teabags to last the entire summer.

If you want a chance to win, click here to enter the giveaway. One entry per person, but if you’re on Facebook or Instagram you can get an extra entry by sharing our giveaway posts in your stories.

The giveaway ends at 5pm (BST) on Saturday, July 27th and is open to pottery & tea lovers all over the world. Erica and I will share the cost of sending the booty to you when you win.

Good luck!!

~Avesha

 

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Process: Part II

 

When we left, we were talking about templates & composite parts of pots… here is a look at the templates I am using in the studio just now. 

They’re made of mounting board which is sturdy and allows for many pots to be cut to size before the edges and corners start to deteriorate. Someday soon I will transfer these mounting board templates to tar paper which lasts indefinitely, but for now, this is an excellent template material.

So, once we have our shapes cut out they are then manipulated in various ways with my hands or forming over a bisque mold made of clay.

Here is a speedy video of a mug being formed after resting for a few hours in partial plastic covering… partial because I need the feet to set up so they can support the mug without collapsing as the wet walls are being pushed out.

Have a look…

So there you have it, a whirlwind tour of the process of working with soft slabs. If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Until later, alligator.

~Avesha