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Demonstrations

Forthcoming Demonstrations

Previous Demonstrations

Beccy Boxer

Tessa Wolfe Murray

Jane Cox

Ben Davies

Rich Miller

Felicity Lloyd Coombes

Margaret Gardiner

Jill Ford

Ian Harris

Mark Smith

Steve Woodhead

Sally Woodford

Emily Myers

Gareth Mason

Sally McDonnell

Ostinelli & Priest

Richard Baxter

Claire Wakefield

Tina Vlassopolulos

Matthew Blakeley

Richard Godfrey

Jim Robison

Jo Connell

Elaine Peto

Jack Doherty

Tessa Wolfe Murray

Jeremy Nichols

Fran Tristram

Influenced by both archaeology and geology her work reflects the effect of time on materials, as seen in the processes that shape our landscape and the marks left behind by the people and other life forms that live and have lived within it.

Tessa Wolfe Murray developed her smoke firing technique as a result of determined necessity coupled with a fascination with fire. The traditional method of burying a low or unfired pot in sawdust underground or in a container and leaving it to burn slowly for between 8 and 24 hours did not suit the pots she wanted to make.

Jane Cox trained at Camberwell College of Art (1988-1992) and at the Royal College of Art (1992-1994), and has won several awards for her work including the Wedgwood Scholarship for surface design. Her work is collected for its use of rich jewel like glazes and stylish elegant forms.

Uses a variety of coloured and textured clays to create distinctive coiled pots which take their forms and surfaces from nature, with particular inspiration coming from beach stones and geological strata. By combining clays and layering slips, using a range of techniques, he is able to create dramatic effects without the use of glazes.

Richard Heeley

His designs are developed on the North Wales coast where he spends a quarter of his working year recording in a variety of media the textures, shapes, colour and structure of the coastal landscape. This rich source of inspiration has a simple quiet affinity with the clay and processes that he uses.

Elaine Peto

Each animal is individually made by the process of slab building in clay, i.e. rolling out a sheet of clay and forming the body, then gradually adding slab by slab to form the whole animal. The details are then remodelled until the animal is complete. It is then biscuit fired, glazed and refired to stoneware temperature.

Mike Goddard

Mike Goddard showed us his masterly throwing accompanied by his partner Margaret who not only showed us her gorgeous sgraffito decoration but allowed us to try it ourselves. Splitting his time between Becque, Kent and the Dordogne he takes influences from all three to produce his unique vessels.

Peter showed us how to take photographs of our work (useful for our new website and facebook pages).

Peter Searight is a Fine Art Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photography and a widely exhibited award winning photographer.

 www.theremarkablestudio.com

Peter  Searight

Mark Dally

Mark starts his sculptural work by making plaster moulds from found objects, hand-modelled shapes and lathe-turned shapes. He slipcast them into white earthenware clay components which he joins when leather-hard, then decorates with sliptrailed, stencilled and brushed slips.  After the initial bisque firing he glazes with a combination of underglazes and earthenware glazes.  Finally he applies metallic lustres and liquid bright gold and platinum.

His bowls mugs and platters are decorated with black slip on white slipcast earthenware using paper resist and masterly sliptrailing.

Jon showed us his techniques for constructing his animal sculptures.  Starting with the undercarriage of a pig and the supports he uses. He went on to construct a plinth before giving us the opportunity of making a chicken’s head with eyes.  He then demonstrated his decorating methods and gave us many tips and recipes. A really good day   

Jon Barrett-Danes

Barbara works with a grogged porcelain, using Nerikomi techniques. This involves adding oxides or stains to the clay to colour it and then joining, slicing and rejoining layers of colours to build up patterns through the clay. She then slab builds the pieces. Biscuit firing to 1046o the pieces are re-sanded and then decorated using various resists. They are then smoke-fired and polished.

Barbara Gittings

Jane shared her making skills with us and started by showing us how she constructs her intricate cliff structures.  She then went on to demonstrate the processes involved in making one of her runner ducks followed by a chicken.  She generously shared her recipes for slips and colours and showed how these are applied.    

Jane Silk

Geoffrey gave us a fascinating talk on his background and sources of inspiration. Following this with a superb demonstration of his making techniques.  Throwing a bowl, a vessel and finishing with one of his tiny teapots and its component parts.  After lunch he turned and finished these also describing his glazing methods.     

Geoffrey Swindell

Katie gave us an excellent and detailed demonstration of her making techniques. Hand-building has always been her preference and she combines pinching, coiling and slabbing in her work.

She likes to treat each pot holistically, incorporating the vent holes in her small closed forms to become part of the decoration.  To her mind the surface treatment should be part of the whole pot, so the marks and colours wrap around every surface, including the base.

The work references swimming in the sea (square window reflections on a blue pot) and the landscape she regularly drives through (stacked bales on a grey form).

Katie Braida

Paul gave us a demonstration of his techniques for making his beautiful vessels from thin sheets of terracotta

Using many, previously prepared pieces, Wendy showed us the process involved in making her gorgeous textured work.  Cramming this much detail into a couple of hours was masterly and the amount of preparation was so generous with her time.

Wendy's Glaze Recipe

Potash Feldspar    50%

Dolomite      20%

China Clay     20%

Bone Ash     10%

Plus 3-5% Silicon Carbide

Plus 3-5% Oxides

Fired to 1240 plus 10 minute soak

Wendy Lawrence

Jim Robison gave us a fascinating Zoom Demonstration from his Holmfirth studio.  It even included a studio and garden tour during our short break.  Producing one of his signature landscape huge vessels he gave us a detailed view of his techniques for making his large slab built pieces.  

Paul Taylor

Jim Robison

Ruth arrived with pre-prepared screen prints of scenes and organic materials gathered on her many walks in the Shropshire countryside.

 As she rolled out her porcelain she shared with us some tips and tricks for choosing your

materials and developing a screen for printing.

Her finished piece fired well.

Ruth Gibson

Taming the Black Clay

Ania uses either textured or smooth black clay mixed with a percentage of buff throwing body to make crisp shapes which are then decorated with slip, inlay and sgraffito.

Anya Perkowska

Jemma Gowland

Her work explored the way that girls are constrained from birth to conform to an appearance and code of behaviour, to present a perfect face, and maintain the expectations of others.  The disrupted surfaces, or perfect doll masks, describe the vulnerability beneath.

Chris Weedon

The technique of 3D printing ceramic objects is in its infancy.  Chris Weedon - a member of the Society - gave a fascinating introduction and then allowed participants to design and ‘print’ their own pieces to take and fire.

Chris Bramble

Jaroslav Hrustalenko

Jaroslav brought a wonderful array of his thrown and altered colourful work.  He took us through the process of making one of his quirky jugs.  We were able to see his incredible attention to detail in the making process.

Emma Baldwin

A brilliant day with Emma as she gave us a demonstration followed by a hands on practical session on the techniques she uses to produce her beautiful layered glaze effects.

She generously shared her glazes and recipes and we are all awaiting the results of members firings.