1

Inside • Events listing • I see a sign! • Christmas Show • Costing a show • I see a sign? • Kiln time • White Gold

Newsletter Spring 2006

2

COMMITTEE 2004/2005 PRESIDENT Lady Sainsbury CHAIRMAN Victor Knibbs 8 Nightingale Way, St Neots,Huntingdon, Cambs. PE19 1UQ. 01480 214741 VICE CHAIRMAN Frank Logan Burbage, Thetford Road Coney Weston, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP31 1DN. 01359 221323 SECRETARY Susan Cupitt 62 Humberstone Road, Cambridge CB4 1JF 01223 311937. susancupitt@waitrose.com TREASURER Liz Chipchase 46 Carlyle Road, Cambridge, CB4 3DH EDITOR Mark Boyd 24 School Close, Gamlingay, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 3JY. 01767 650904 mark.boyd@rspb.org.uk MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Tony Pugh Vine Leigh Cottage, Main St, Wardy Hill, Ely, Cambs CB6 2DF. 01353 778462 tonypugh@onetel.com PUBLICITY SECRETARY Sally Macpherson Elm Cottage, 39 Upland Road, Thornwood, Essex CM16 6NJ 01992 560807 sallymach2@aol.com EXHIBITIONS ORGANISER Carolyn Postgate 5 Whitwell Way, Coton, Cambridge CB3 7PW 01954 211033. carolyn@clara.co.uk SELECTED MEMBERS SECRETARY Margaret Gardiner Glebe House, Great Hallingbury, Bishops Stortford, Herts CM22 7TY 01279 654025. magsgardi@yahoo.com GENERAL COMMITTEE MEMBER Brenda Green Hardys, School Lane, Gr Horkesley, Colchester Essex CO6 4BL. 01206 271019 WEBSITE Ian George 45 Brampton Road, Cambridge CB1 3HJ 01223 249676 stoneware@care4free.net EVENTS ORGANISERS Jerry Finlayson Mill Farm Barn, Wades Lane, Shotley, Ipswich IP9 1EG 01473 788423 Frank Logan (address above)

The long winter nights may be abating by the time you read this, but I still crave sunlight and warmth. The first croaky birdsong, the flowers, the feeling that life is on the brink of doing something miraculous all fills me with hope every spring. But how do the seasons affect my pottery? In winter, porcelain comes to the fore. The damp atmosphere and long drying times help keep the dreaded S-crack at bay. In spring, the season of growth, I make more larger pots, especially thrown stoneware. Porcelain is out for a while because of the risk of contamination with other clays.

—Thrown by the Editor—

—–Chairman’s report—–

Front cover: Dish by Helen Humphreys, photographed at Anglian Potters Christmas Exhibition by Ian George

Margie Friend It is with much sadness that I have to report the death of Margie Friend on 5 November last, following many years of declining health. Margie was one of the founder members and was honoured with Life Membership in 1989. I extend, on your behalf, our heartfelt condolences to her husband, Peter, a Life Member and former Secretary of the Association.

Colin Saunders Congratulations to Colin, a selected member, on his election as a Professional Member of the Craft Potters Association.

Selected membership Members are reminded that they may submit applications or Selected Membership in April. Anyone doing so this year needs to apply to Margaret Gardiner now! I would like to emphasise that Selected Membership implies a commitment to the life of the Association as well as producing high quality work, so please consider application seriously. If you need guidance or a second opinion, why not consult existing Selected Members. You can find their details on our website.

Winter Exhibition, All Saints Church, Jesus Lane

The show looked very good and was well supported by the Membership. Sales were virtually identical to those of last year, which I felt was better than some of us had expected in the current retail environment. Tony Pugh arranged the working parties very efficiently and I thank him, and those who supported him so well. I have had to ease up owing to failing health, but was most pleased that all went smoothly. Tony was also our “enforcer” when a young man tried to grab the cash box. Tony pounced and restrained him so impressively, frightening him into pleading for mercy! This incident indicates that we must take security even more seriously and I ask those on duty to keep notes and cheques in the body belt at all times.

Potters’ camp Jerry Finlayson has gathered a planning group around him and I understand plans are afoot to build new kilns and make other improvements for this year’s event. Fill in the booking form today.

Victor

By the time summer is upon me, the hot colours of terracotta and groggy wares predominate—ideal for raku parties. And the autumn mists seem to ask for vapour firings. Of course, it’s never so clear-cut as this, either in my pottery or in the seasons. (Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel recognised six separate seasons) But if you are asked what influences your work, the answer may be more than just ideas, people and even this Newsletter.

3

—Pottery events 2006— 3 March - 5 March, Ceramic Art London 2006, Royal College of Art. Recent work from 80 leading contemporary ceramic artists and an RCA student exhibition which will suggest new directions in studio ceramics. Extensive programme of talks, demonstrations and films. Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU. Email: organiser@ceramics.org.uk Tel: 020 7439 3377 15 March - 19 March, Country Living Spring Fair - the Business Design Centre, 52, Upper Street, Islington, London, N1. Ticket line: 0870-1261801. This is a five-day celebration of quality and craftsmanship. 24 March - 26 March, The Islington Contemporary Art & Design Fair including ceramics. Candid Arts Trust, 3 Torrens Street London EC1V 1NQ. Tel: 020 78374237 Email: info@candidarts.com. 1 April - 21 May, Rufford Craft Centre - Large Scale Ceramics in the orangerie and smaller pieces in the showcase by Jim Robison at Rufford Ceramic Centre, Rufford Country Park, nr. Ollerton, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG22 9DF. Tel: 01623-822944. 11 April - 14 May, Rufford Craft Centre - Susan Disley and Angela Verdon, "Line, Form and Surface" at Rufford Ceramic Centre 28 April - 30 April, Potfest Bristol Washingpool Agricultural Centre, Easter Compton, W.Bristol. To view full details of all Potfest events, visit the web-site www.potfest.co.uk or email Chris Cox at: chris@potfest.co.uk or telephone: 017684-83820 for more details. 22 April, Anglian Potters Selected Membership panel, see back page for details 21 May, Mundford Village Hall, Anglian Potters AGM, featuring Beryl Hines 26 May - 28 May, Potfest Scotland - The Agricultural Centre, Crieff Rd, Perth

2 June - 4 June, Potfest Peak - Bakewell Agricultural Centre, Bakewell, Derbyshire 23 June - 25 June, Earth & Fire 12 - Selected exhibition. Rufford Country Park on A614 near Ollerton , Newark, Notts. For further information tel: 01623 822944. 25 June, Ip-art, Ipswich Town Centre art street fair. Details from www.ip-art.com or Jill Hodgson on 01473 780330. 30 June - 2 July, Ceramics South East - A Potters Market. The Friars, Aylesford, nr. Maidstone, Kent, ME20 7BX. Email: info@ceramics-southeast.co.uk. 13 July - 16 July, Art in Action 2006 - Waterperry House, Nr. Wheatley, Oxford, OX33 IJ2. For further information contact Art In Action, 96 Sedlescombe Road, Fulham, London. SW6 1RB Tel: 020-7381-3192; fax: 020-7381-0605. 27 July - 10 August, Anglian Potters - Summer Exhibition at Blackthorpe Barn. Every day, including Sunday. All welcome, no admission charge. A selling exhibition of the work by members of Anglian Potters at Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Anglian Potters winter exhibition, December 2005

Ian George

28 July - 30 July, Potfest in the Park - Hutton in the Forest, north of Penrith. 28 July - 6 August, The Penrith International Ceramics Festival To view full details visit the web-site www.potfest.co.uk or email Chris Cox at: chris@potfest.co.uk for more details or telephone: 017684-83820. 4 August - 6 August, The 12th National Pottery Ceramics Festival 2006 - 'Art in Clay' - Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire. 4 August - 6 August, Potfest in the Pens - Skirsgill Agricultural Mart, Penrith, Cumbria. 17-20 August, Anglian Potters Camp, Shotley 17 November—17 December, All Saints Church, Cambridge, Anglian Potters Christmas Open Exhibition Anglian Potters can’t be held responsible for the accuracy or transience of this listing. Please check with the organisers before making special journeys, and check http://www.studiopottery.co.uk/html/events.html for more events both within the UK and abroad.

4

sheer variety of work, ranging as it did from everyday practical to dramatically impractical to sculptural. Choosing favourites is hard, subjective and probably best avoided. For clues, you can see what I chose to photograph. If your piece isn't shown among the pictures then blame Mark for wielding the editor's axe, or a customer for buying it before I got there. The older hands shouldn't feel left out, not least because many had new work to show. I have to rave about Jane Barker’s new pinks, reminiscent of the elusive pink Lucie Rie used before her Dolomite supply changed and the colour was lost forever. I think my lasting impression of the exhibition is the same as my initial impression - that the standard of work and display put on by Anglian Potters is excellent and continues to develop and improve. We made a small loss, but sales totalled some £7.800 and a little over £400 was raised for EACH. Text and photos, Ian George

Anglian Potters Christmas Show—Ian George

I hesitate to write this because this will be the second time you've heard my opinion of an exhibition. Not only that, but I missed the private view. Those of you who were there can perhaps tell us more about the grand switch-on of the Christmas lights by local radio's Jane Smith and the raffle of a number of pots from the exhibition in aid of EACH (East Anglian Children's Hospice). I visited Jesus Lane on the first and second weekends and was impressed by the display I found. Victor was unable to take so active a part in the setting-up this year but Tony, Alan, Susan and others made a fantastic job of it in his place. Credit also goes to Tony for apprehending a would-be thief making off with the cash box. It just shows how careful we need to be.

And so to the pots. The range and quality this year was excellent. I was particularly impressed again by the number of new names and pleased too that their work was distributed evenly through the space. There was less a feel of a beginners’ corner than in the past, not least because no one exhibiting

deserved such a description. Nonetheless, I understand Alan has plans for more improvements to the less favourable display areas. Names new to me that particularly stood out were Dick Chaplin, Joan Soper, Moira Frossard, Corinne Gula, Geoffrey Elmore, Karen Kavanagh, and David Ross. Dick, who I understand many know from Brick House, must take the prize for

Corrine Gula

Dick Chaplin Jane Barker

Alan Foxley

Karen Kavenagh

5

Being an incurious sort of person, it had never occurred to me to wonder how the Anglian Potters twice yearly Exhibition and Sale is financed, but all that changed when I took over the reins of Treasurer from Rosemarie Cooke's capable hands. Suddenly a whirlwind of cheques flying in and out of our account became a major feature of life for four months of the year. Now that I just about understand the system myself, it was suggested that some other more recent members might like to know how money for exhibitions is raised and spent. Leaping at the chance to come to terms with the pie chart function on my computer, I agreed to write a brief account for the Newsletter so what follows is a description of the finances for the recent pre-Christmas Exhibition. As exhibitors are only too well aware, money is raised from them in a two-pronged attack. Anglian Potters get a flat fee of £12 from each exhibitor, regardless of how many items they exhibit, and one third of all sales. This means that everyone makes a contribution to the cost of setting up the Exhibitions while the members who benefit most in terms of sales pay the lion's share. Any shortfall between the cost of the Exhibition and the income from exhibitors is met from our current account (see Fig.1).

In the case of our last Exhibition, Anglian Potters' income from fees and sales was £3286, which was £362 less than it cost to mount and excludes the one-off cost of buying new signs incorporating the updated Anglian Potters logo. Exhibition expenses can be broken down into the cost of the venue (10% of sales in the case of All Saints), publicity and mailing costs, invigilators' travel expenses and incidental expenses. The latter includes food and drink for the Private View, a charge for electricity, storage and transport costs for the stands, charges for our credit card system, the cost of buying bubblewrap and packaging and, last but not least as far as the invigilators were concerned, a small donation to Westcott House for the use of their toilet and washing facilities (and I maintain that the blissful effect of the warm-air hand-driers on fingers frozen by a few hours exposure to the chilled air of All Saints would be cheap at twice the price). By far the largest cost of the Exhibition was publicity; advertisements in local newspapers and magazines and in Ceramic

Review came to just under £1000, while the cost of printing and distributing leaflets, posters and Private View invitations was £980. As exhibitions are our main point of contact with the general public and they provide a major showcase for all members’ work, the relatively high cost of advertising is, I think, justified. To avoid boring you with a list of individual costs (and because I really want to try a different pie chart) the relative proportion of each cost is illustrated in Fig 2. If you have any comments or queries about the financing of Exhibitions (or other events) do let me know; I’ve finally let Mark have my contact details so they should appear earlier in the Newsletter. As a final point, thanks to everyone who contributed so many varied and attractive ornaments for our charity Christmas tree. The sale of these, together with the raffle of the charming teapot and jugs donated by Ray Auker, meant that we raised £438 for EACH (East Anglian Children’s Hospices).

Exhibition finances—Liz Chipchase

Moira Frossard, from our Christmas Show

Ian

Geo

rge

6

pots. "There are certain subtleties and qualities of colour, texture and depth which wood-firing, properly managed, will give you as it were as a free gift". These qualities are very evident in work of many renowned potters; not least Svend Bayer and Chris Lewis, both firing with wood. Neither is describable as a beginner! My experience with electric firing has taught me ways to inject interest into my work in lieu of such free gifts. I have discovered glazes that react strongly to thickness, found exciting combinations of glazes, and even found a few glazes that are interesting in their own right. I make very small quantities of glaze; normally 200g dry weight and I apply them by pouring or painting. This allows me to have many more glazes than if I made huge buckets of glaze, while the pouring adds its own source of variation. Finally though, I could restrain my need for fire no longer and started to plot a fuel-fired kiln. My ideas were vague but wood was definitely a given. Soda also appealed because it emphasises the flame path and provides breaks on edges. My first real break came when a friend offered me some kiln bricks. These proved to be heavies, and predominantly arch bricks. One vanload was enough to make a small gas kiln, but not enough for a wood firebox and tall chimney as well. I couldn't forego the wood however and so I decided on a design that would be dual fuelled - wood and gas. After a lot of prototyping with Lego bricks I bought some high alumina to supplement the heavies, and set to work. I used a mortar mix from Phil Rogers (Ball clay 45, China Clay 10, Grog 30, Molochite 5). Applying a thin buttering of this slip by dipping the bricks made building the kiln very easy for the most part. The arch was a pain because I needed to make something that used exactly the number and shape of bricks that I had. Cutting the heavies was difficult even with an

industrial grade 8" angle-grinder so I tried to use them whole. The finishing touches were ceramic fibre back-up insulation and a chimney fabricated from sheet steel. It was a further year before I found the courage to fire it. In the end I decided that even if the firing wasn't very successful, I should at least learn as much as possible from it. To this end, I made work in many different styles, from several different clays and applied several different glazes and slips. The firing itself was very easy to 800C with the temperature racing away on wood alone. I then switched to gas for a rest and to burn out some carbon. The remainder of the firing was on both wood and gas. The kiln always seemed to be short of air. I continually found that turning down the gas actually increased the temperature. I also kept the damper open because the flame always looked smoky. At 1200°C I started introducing soda, first on the wood as a paste and later by spraying it in. I had struggled to get 1200°C, so plans to reach 1300°C had to be abandoned in favour of a soak at 1240 to 1250°C. I then cooled to 1000°C, raked out the firebox and clamped-up the kiln. Given the trouble I'd had reaching temperature, and the very anaemic test rings, my expectations really weren't high. But, when I opened the kiln, the results were better than I'd hoped. There were a fair number of very boring pots but a few that I

Ian

Geo

rge

Despite admiring fuel fired pots I cannot be alone in starting with an electric kiln, more from practicality than preference. Flames satisfy the imagination where the flow of amps does not. With hindsight however, it was probably the right choice. Its variables are few. Pushing a few buttons before bedtime and waking to a cooling kiln could hardly be easier. The ease and repeatability of firing makes glaze testing much easier and bisque-firing a doddle. I think the strength and weakness of electric firing is that you tend to get out what you put in. There are surprises, but they are few. Indeed, Cardew argues that for the beginner especially, wood firings are more flattering than the clinical exposure that electric (or even gas and oil) firing brings to mediocre

Gifts from the kiln gods must be won—Ian George

7

felt were real crackers. I suppose what I wanted was to be freed from the active decoration I had grudgingly learnt to do for electric firings and to be left to concentrate on form. Ideally I would make a good form, submit it to the kiln and get an interesting pot in return. However, what I found was that just as for electric firings, the more you put in, the more you get from it. Where you take the trouble to stand the pot on its side, for example, a white slip flashes bright orange. Whereas a single layer of slip or glaze might be dull, several layers can be more interesting. Luck plays its part but you can improve the odds, create opportunities, even when firing with wood. It reminds me of an old joke. A man pleads with God "Things are hard down here; maybe this week, you could let me win the lottery?" "You are a good and deserving man", God replies, "but meet me half way, buy a ticket!"

Decoration—outsides Top right, a slip that could be white, salmon pink or bright orange:

China clay 85, Nepheline seyenite 15.

Fired on its side, balanced on shells filled with wadding. Rebecca Harvey clay body. Centre right, a thinly brushed-on sequence of copper carbonate in shino, rutile in water and nepheline seyenite, again in water. Rebecca Harvey clay body. Below, an iron bearing slip:

AT ball clay 50, China clay 50, Nepheline seyenite 10.

Wood ash sprinkled on before firing. Earthstone Original clay body. Bottom right, a porcelain slip brushed Hakame style on to an iron bearing body with sgraffito. Local clay applied thinly as a slip after biscuit firing.

Insides Paul McAllister's honey glaze was great - dark green bleaching to clear on edges.

Potash feldspar 40, Quartz 30, Whiting 20, Hyplas 10, 6% red iron.

(Best seen centre right). A wood ash green/blue adapted from Muellbauer and Ruppert also worked very well (not illustrated):

Willow ash 40, Potash feldspar 40, China clay 10, Ball clay 10, Quartz 10.

8

So, you have just opened your pottery to the public, had a successful opening, persuaded all your coffee-drinking friends to buy another teapot, and shouted about your grand new venture to anyone who will listen. What next? How do you attract new customers to replace the ones you have already saturated? In time honoured tradition, let’s compare and contrast two methods: the brown tourist sign and the website.

I see a sign First the traditional signpost. A brown tourist sign is designed specifically to attract passing trade and to alert motorists to places to visit, and that may be just what you are after. The bad news is that getting one erected involves money and local government. The good news is that potteries often pass the government tests. Brown signs will only point to places that aren’t otherwise on the map and that can be reached directly from the road they are on. The classification of that road is important as well. Brown signs can point from motorways, A roads and B roads, but if you are off an idyllic minor road, you may be out of luck. The only way to know is to apply to your district council, and this is where the fun really starts. Usually, they charge a non-refundable £150 fee for even thinking about whether your application is justified. The council will then weigh up whether your pottery fits their particular criteria for a tourist site, as well as issues about road safety, roadside clutter, their own

resources for putting up the signs, traffic management etc. You can shorten the odds by checking their website to see whether your venture looks eligible. Usually, councils will only consider types of attraction that are recognised by the local tourist board, and for that your pottery will probably need to be open to the public at all reasonable visiting hours ( at least six hours a day and 180 days a year) and have adequate car parking for the flood of visitors a sign will attract. It will also need to be a permanent feature, have planning permission, and not put up any unofficial signs. You will also have had to pay in advance. If you fit all those criteria, and, again, some potteries and other galleries will, there are yet more hurdles to pass. Are there other attractions nearby? If so, you will probably find that only three tourist signs will be allowed from any one junction (time for a talk with the neighbours about a “crafts centre” sign, perhaps). If there are more than three already, or if the council has spent its sign maintenance budget already, or if there is an R in the month, there is a chance that your application will fail at this point. There may be no right of appeal, either, and no refund.

If you are “lucky” and your pottery passes with flying brown colours, then you will be charged a fee that will depend on the particular local authority. In some places, there is a one-off lifetime fee of £600 or more to cover design, erection, maintenance and replacement. In others there may be an annual fee

—Driving people to your pottery— that is itself reviewed annually. But even if all that goes swimmingly, does it work? I spoke to two potters outside our region who have recently had brown tourist signs erected to point to their galleries, and both said quite unequivocally that they work for them, but are seasonal. Bank holiday trade has increased markedly, and one had a particularly good day’s sales on 1 August—perhaps coincidentally the day new cars are traditionally given a spin.

Www-what? If you think that the World Wide Web is still a new-fangled thing, bear in mind that many people setting up home now and looking to fill their kitchen cabinets with your finest hand-crafted pottery will not be able to remember a time before the Web existed. It’s neither new nor necessarily exciting to them—it’s just a part of every day life. If everyone has a website, does it make more sense to sink your time and money into a website than into a dodgy council sign? Not surprisingly, the answer is “it depends”. The process of creating a website can be much simpler that going through a government form. It can also be much cheaper, and it can be even be more effective. But, the converse is also true. In spades. There are so many options for getting your work on the web that it is easy to be disheartened or to assume that you can just pay someone else to do it. If you have an internet connection at home, you will almost certainly have some web space to create your pottery website. There is all the advice you need on the web itself for producing a website, and all the software tools you need are also freely available online. All you need then is time, inclination and a bit of nouse and you are there. Unless of course you hate computers so much that you don’t

9

Anglian Potters clay stores Clay from Valentines, Staffordshire. An inexpensive source of clay for members. Phone to confirm availability and to arrange pickup during office hours. All now will be sold in 12.5 Kg bags with the exception of paper clay. Special Fleck stoneware £5.15 Firing 1150oc -1300oc Red earthenware £3.20 Firing 1080oc - 1140oc White B17C stoneware £4.50 P2 Porcelain £6.65 Firing 1220oc - 1250oc Royal porcelain £8.75 ES5 Stoneware Original £6.70 ES130 White earthenware £6.00 Audrey Blackman porcelain £10.00 ES40 Handbuilding material £8.75 ES50 Crank £6.00 TS Flaxpaper clay ES200 £6.00 per 5 Kg bag V9G £3.65 Roger Phillippo The Old Bakehouse, Harston, Cambridge, CB2 5NP Tel: (01223) 870277 Deborah Baynes Nether Hall, Shotley, Ipswich, Suffolk IP9 19W Tel. 0473 788300 Len Knowles 4 Fairview Avenue, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex SS17 0DW Tel: 01375 404031 Collect with a cheque payable to Anglian Potters with cheque card number and membership number.

want to spend time creating a website, let alone keeping it up to date. This takes us to the second option—find a friend with web space who is dying to use it, but who has no idea what to put up there. This is quite common and can be a perfectly reasonable way forward. The trouble is that if they are creating it for their own reasons as much as for yours, you may feel that what you end up with reflects their interests rather more than your own. The third way is to pay someone—a student, a freelance web designer or an agency. This is where paying £750 for a metal tourist sign can seem like good value for money. Top web designers may charge £150 and hour for their time, and agency fees rarely dip below £250 a day. Any website worth seeing will take several days to produce, and a designer who doesn’t expect you, as the customer, to spend some time approving content etc, isn’t worth having. I talked to two contrasting artists with their own websites. One, a

very successful gallery artist, and book illustrator abandoned his website after he found that it didn’t bring any new trade. He is now represented through a gallery website that, for a fee, keeps his profile up to date. The other artist is still making his own way in the world and finds that he now sells more through his website than through any other way. The somewhat gimcrack appearance of his site fits his anarchic style, but he has succeeded because he keeps his site current, with creative diaries, discussion and all his new work shown online, whether it is for sale or not. This site costs him nothing. Another way to have a web presence is to use other people’s sites. The auction site eBay has a staggering amount of pottery for sale, and it works. Some 40,000 Americans make their entire living now through sales on eBay. The Anglian Potters approach: We don’t do tourist signs, but we do have a website, which includes a gallery of Selected Members work. So get yourself selected—it has to beat struggling with local government.

MB

Put me down! You don’t know where I’ve been.

Peter Spital spotted the following quote in the December 3 issue of The Times: “Potters’ gaffs in general are delightfully mucky places and differ from artists’ studios because there is no sense of ‘oeuvre’ hanging in the air. There’s something so intensely tactile about the textures and forms that it’s impossible not to fondle almost everything you see.” As Peter commented, thank God for the “almost” in there!

10

—White Gold—Beryl Hines

One of the advantages of belonging to AP is the way information gets passed around. As I'm not subscribing to one of the ceramic magazines at the moment I often miss things so I was very grateful to receive information from Ian about the 'White Gold' porcelain symposium at the Royal College of Art in January. It was very gloomy in Suffolk, dull and damp, so I felt in need of something to cheer me up and arranged at short notice to go up to the big city with Eugenie Simmonds, a potter from the Suffolk Craft Society.

It was a splendid couple of days! The focus of the symposium was very wide and covered the story of porcelain from the very early days in China to present day practice. Emmanuel Cooper, Takeshi Yasuda, Nigel Wood and Rose Kerr gave us a very comprehensive view of the history of oriental porcelain. Janet Gleeson and Ian Freestone had some fascinating information about early European attempts to produce this valuable material and Masamichi Yoshikawa, Linda Sormin, Stefanie Hering from Hering Berlin and Felicity Aylieff represented modern practice. It is quite impossible to pick out the highlights! I think each of the speakers could have talked for a week and still had lots to say, the forty-five minutes they were allowed were not nearly enough. However, for me the most fascinating talk was given by Professor Ian Freestone

from Cardiff University. Ian is an archaeological scientist who worked for many years at the British Museum, specialising in the investigation of the technology and origin of artefacts. He talked about the experimental work carried out during the eighteenth century into clay bodies. So much of the information published about early porcelain is written by historians who do not understand the practical aspects of ceramics and it was very interesting to hear the scientific angle on the history. After the first day we were invited to a private view of the associated exhibition at the Flow Gallery in Needham Road. There was work in this exhibition from Felicity Aylieff, Masamichi Yoshikawa, Fuku Fukumoto and Linda Sormin. It is a very interesting and varied collection of work and continues until the 8th March. It was a great couple of days. Good to escape the gloom of wintry Suffolk and spend some quality ceramic time.

Janet Gleeson’s The Arcanum (published by Faber & Faber) is a fascinating and compelling read about the rivalries involved in the development of European porcelain. MB

“China”, by Felicity Aylieff

Detail from 'Priana' by Linda Sormin

11

Courses, shows, kit

New Beginnings Exhibition 24th - 26th March

Margaret Gardiner requests the pleasure of your company at the exhibition of her students’ earthenware work. Exhibitors are children, teenagers and adults who have been having fun with clay once a week in Great Hallingbury and will be showing both useful and decorative work for the first time, some of which will be for sale. Do come to the Private View 6.30pm - 9.00pm Friday 24th March at St John's ARC., St John's Walk, Market Street, Old Harlow, Essex CM17 OAJ. Have a look, a drink and relax with Peter Lemer's piano playing. The exhibition will continue over the weekend 24th and 25th March 10am - 4pm.For further information contact Margaret (details page 2) or St John's ARC 01279 442447

From Chris Hepworth I am looking for workshop room or a pottery to possibly rent in the Suffolk area. I am presently potting up north, producing mainly raku pieces. Anybody who can help with workshop space or knows any workshops for rent, please get in touch. Checkout my work at. www.chrceramics.co.uk. Thankyou

For sale Single-phase Wenger pug mill. Wall mounted, three inch outlet. Buyer collects (Norfolk) £100 ono. For more information call Jerry Finlayson on 01473 788423

Jane Perryman Workshops in rural Suffolk (close to Cambridge) 27/28th May Smoke Firing, Saggar Firing 24-28th July Handbuilding, Smoke Firing 31 July - 4 August Smoke Firing, Saggar Firing, Pit Firing, Newspaper Kilns For details www.janeperryman.com 01440 786228 janeperryman@btinternet.com

It was in 1990 when the first of her infirmities began to trouble her that Margie had to stop potting. She never quite got over the sadness of giving up the pottery, the blackest day being when the kiln was taken out. However, being near her son and grandson in Lancashire and later in Somerset was some compensation during her last 15 years as her infirmities became more and more limiting until she died in November 2005. The photo below was taken in the long, hot summer of 1976, in better times. This is how Peter likes to remember her.

Victor Knibbs

Margie, the “g” was hard, was born in Wandsworth, south London, the daughter of a hospital doctor. She started training at Chelsea College of Art, but after just a year World War 2 started and she began work with the Light Rescue Squads in Lambeth. She met Peter, her future husband in 1943, before he left to serve in India. They married after the war in 1946. Margie was always good with her hands, being skilful at everything from laying paving, woodwork and making clothes for herself, friends and clients. It was, however, only on moving to Cambridge in 1966, and starting at Helen Pincombe’s classes in 1970 that the pottery bug really struck. On retirement from social work in 1980, she was able to set up her own studio at home. Margie and Peter were founding members of East Anglian Potters. Peter was our third secretary and, with Margie’s support, established many of our traditions. They developed the framework of our exhibitions. The sending in sheets, the labelling and accounting system, the collection point system, the invigilating rota, etc. The Committee was smaller in those days and Peter even produced the Newsletter. On retiring from the Committee, they were made our first Honorary Life Members.

Margaret “Margie” Friend 1921-2005

Courses in Holmfirth David Cooke, who shares a studio with Brendan Hesmondhalgh (ceramic animals using folded sheets of clay), Martin Norman (bronze-resin casting) and Joanne Cooke (ceramic dogs) will be running five-day and weekend courses in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire this summer. Holmfirth is a great place to come for a short break - think 'Last of the Summer Wine'. Subjects will be ceramic sculpture, casting and mould making and raku kiln building.

David Cooke making a monitor lizard

12

Having a bit of bother that your supplier can’t resolve? Why not contact one of these members who have agreed to share their expertise? Allan Foxley - handbuilding & reduction firing—01799 522631 Colin Saunders - plaster mould-making—01379 588 278 Victor Knibbs - oxidised stoneware, electric kilns, modifying clay bodies—01480 214741 Deborah Baynes - Raku, stone/earthenware (reduction & oxidised), salt glaze—01473 788300 Beryl Hines - general, earthenware, Raku—01473 735437 Usch Spettigue - raw glazing/single firing—01473 787587 Tony Eeles – paperclay—01366 382586 Erica Mattingly – some woodfired kilns—01223 353765 Margaret Gardiner – salt glaze—01279 654025 Sonia Lewis—high-fired ware including porcelain—01353 688316 If you are willing to give advice, and are willing to be added to this list, please contact the Editor: Mark Boyd 01767 650904.

Ceramic Helpline

Membership of Anglian Potters is open to all

Ordinary £27 (half year, £15) Joint (for two people at the same address) : £45 (half year £25) Institution for a college or workshop: £45 (half year (£27) (details on application to the Membership Secretary) Student open to full time students studying ceramics (proof of status is required) : £10 Apply to the Membership Secretary.

Copy date for Summer 2006 Newsletter,

April 15th Seen any good pots? Been on any good courses? Had any thoughts worth sharing, then let us know! Send your articles, prints, slides or fine-quality picture files (over 100kb) to the Editor. Come on, it’s not my Newsletter, it’s ours!

Virtual potting

Have you seen our new website yet? Treat yourself! www.anglianpotters.org.uk www.annamcarthur.co.uk www.animalceramics.co.uk www.broadwayceramics.com www.cathydarcy.com www.helenmartino.co.uk www.jeremypeake.co.uk www.madeincley.co.uk www.phillippoceramics.co.uk www.potterycourses.net www.rebeccaharvey.com www.richardbaxter.co.uk What’s your website? Tell the Editor.

During last year’s camp, I made a point of having at least one printed test tile in each of the kilns in order to compare the results of different bodies and kiln atmospheres. Several people asked about the technique and so I’ve been volunteered to run a workshop during this year’s camp. The intention is to keep things basic and use screen printing only this year. Screen printing consists of squeezing a printing medium through a mesh. The blocked image does not print. It’s less easy to explain than to see demonstrated. For those who would like to try the technique, I will bring some screens with general imagery, eg lettering, animal or plant forms. These can then be tried to individual choice. It would be best if we print on to leather hard tiles and participants may like to bring their own clay. At least this would give realistic results in conjunction with their own kilns and glazes. This method requires a flat surface, so tiles are ideal tests, but if there are any hand builders out there using slabs, it’s possible for you to use printed slabs to make your work—think of something between a Jim Robison and a Paul Scott. The part of the workshop which may prove to be the most useful is in the mixing of the medium/ink. You can print with slips (tricky), oxides (erratic), stains or underglazes (subtle and possibly anaemic). This is the bit you don’t get in the textbooks, so perhaps I should produce an accompanying factsheet. If anyone is really serious about having a go at printmaking you can contact me and we can arrange for you to provide me with your images prior to the camp. We would need to limit the numbers for this degree of involvement though, as I have only a limited number of screens. For more information, contact Geoff Lee on lee04@peartree10.wanadoo.co.uk

Members are invited to apply for Selected Membership on Saturday 22nd April 2006. Your work would go before a panel of at least 9 existing SMs. This gives you the opportunity to show your work in Selected Member Exhibitions and have photographs of your work in the Selected Member Book which gets shown to galleries and exhibition organisers as well as being on display at our general exhibitions. A degree of commitment will be expected for these added benefits as Anglian Potters is a completely voluntary organisation. Selected Members can provide leadership and raise the artistic standards and expertise of all members of the association. Contact Margaret Gardiner (details page 2) for further details and an application form.

Printmaking on clay Workshop

Selected Membership Application

Geoff Lee