Summer has arrived! The budding branches are in full leaf and it seems I am surrounded by a jungle when I go for a walk in my home woodlands now. Grasses and ground plants have burst forth so that previously muddy naked trails now teem with movement, and life. I’m thankful to be able to leave the house for these walks in nothing more than T-shirt, shorts and sandals. The coming of Summer this year has also seen the start of my efforts in standing the Pottery Conway stall at a few different markets. Of these few Rex Market at the hip location of Kelham Island in Sheffield was foremost. A bright warm day saw a great many happy traders and buyers turn out and I was lucky enough to be one of the ebullient crowd. My personal joy was compounded by having a good stock of new pots on display. Since Spring I had indeed returned to throwing functional pieces and on decorating them decided to advance with my OCEAN theme. Using a white glossy glaze on the inside of more mugs and bowls held the blue and teal colours in all their splendour while simultaneously creating a very pleasing contrast of tone with my satin grey glaze on the outside.  

Even more pleasing to my eye however was having three wood-fired tall slab bottles for the market. A fellow potter had included these pieces in a wood firing during Spring and the results were deeply satisfying. I have been advised by several seasoned potter that a maker should keep new work around and “live with it” for some time before selling. It’s a piece of advice I was only too happy to follow with these pieces. Using a friend’s glaze palette I was able to apply a reactive blue and brown slip using brush and slip-trailer before pouring a green wood-ash glaze over all three slab bottles. The results of all the pots in the wood firing were spectacular and thanks to the expertise of the kiln team and the grace of the kiln Gods mine were part of the success. 

So inspired by the array of wonderful pots and through intimate study of some hitherto unseen aspects of the slab-bottle form it wasn’t long until I had tried a new carving technique on two more slab bottles. When the clay was still somewhat malleable, I carved a feather and leaf motif onto the wonderfully large flat side of these bottles. Really letting loose with the decoration in two shades of green and a textured light blue captured the sentiments of the ever brightening weather and expansive mood within myself.  

Both of these Summer slab bottles took a prominent position on the Pottery Conway market stall and both had disappeared by the end of the day – testament to the good taste of those in attendance at Rex Market! It is at times a strange feeling to sell a piece that as it’s maker one is so pleased with. That creation of which brought such a thrill of excitement and thereafter sustaining joy borne of personal achievement and aesthetic beauty. It's certainly good advice I’ve heeded since making pots, if I hadn’t consciously lived with my favourite creations for some time then I wouldn’t be able to part with them happily, and part with them happily I must! Because otherwise I am neither encouraged nor enabled to make more! So, a big thank you to all Pottery Conway customers from my Summer markets. It's because of you that I keep making pots; partaking in a process which I hold so dear long into these drawn out Summer nights.