1

NEWSLETTERWINTER 2009

www.anglianpotters.org.uk

IN THIS ISSUE:Potters’ CampJosie WalterWendy LawrenceAnimal Magic

IN THIS ISSUE:Potters’ CampJosie WalterWendy LawrenceAnimal Magic

2

CHAIRMAN'S REPORTOur Summer open exhibition, atEmmanuel College, ran smoothlyand looked good, with record salesat the well-attended Private View.Thanks to all who helped orcontributed in any way. I understandthat both this and the Ely CathedralSelected Members exhibition, havebeen financial successes.

AGM AGENDAFollowing the AGM and onreflection, I have decided that weneed to be more formal. Anyproposals or suggestions that haveimplications involving possiblechanges to our Constitution cannotbe accepted under Any OtherBusiness. The full membership isentitled to forward notice of suchproposals. Please submit items forthe AGM agenda to the secretary,in writing, at least a month beforethe meeting.

CLAY SUPPLIESMay I remind members that thehosts of our clay supplies stocksare volunteers! Please beconsiderate and be aware that theymay be away at times. Try to planahead so that you don’t becomeneedful of clay at short notice. Ifyou cannot contact the host, phoneme or Susan Cupitt, and we will tryto help.

ICKWORTHOur display and rakudemonstration at Ickworth were agreat success and well received.The weather was dry and theattendances were very good.Thanks to all who helped and tookpart, especially to Jerry whodelivered the marquees andorganised the erecting and takingdown.

ALL SAINTS’ CHURCHAs I write all is in hand for ourChristmas exhibition. The rota hasjust arrived and it seems 66members are involved, whichproves that Anglian Potters is ingood health and thriving.Season’s GreetingsVictor

EDITOR’S NOTESThis issue has been expanded to include some of the many photographsmembers took at the Potters’ Camp – I hope you enjoy the Photomontageon pages 9-12, which gives a taste of the atmosphere at Camp, a glimpseinto the wide variety of activities on offer, and the large number of potsmade, glazed and fired!Other pages cover some of the many exhibitions and demonstrationswhich have been part of the Anglian Potters programme this autumn. Morephotographs of work in the Christmas Show at All Saints’ Church will beincluded in the next issue of the Newsletter.Don’t forget to send me details if your work is in shows elsewhere – I amalways happy to include news of members’ shows.

HARROW CERAMICS COURSE PETITIONI expect many members already know that the University of Westminster isproposing to close the Harrow Ceramics Degree Course. There is apetition to No 10 Downing Street to stop the closure. The deadline forsigning is 2 January 2010, so act now if this affects you!More information is available from Kyra Cane: kc-jb@ntlworld.com, andthe petition can be signed online athttp://petitions.number10.gov.uk/CeramicsHarrow/Carolyn

Cover: Rhapsody in Blue The saltglaze kiln at Potters’ Camp, by anunknown photographer – if it isyour photograph, email the editorfor a credit in the next issue!

ANGLIAN POTTERS OFFICERSPRESIDENT LADY SAINSBURY

CHAIRMANVictor Knibbs8 Nightingale Way, St NeotsHuntingdon PE19 1UQ 01480 214741SECRETARYSusan Cupitt62 Humberstone RoadCambridge CB4 1JF 01223 311937susan.cupitt@gmail.comTREASURERLiz Chipchase46 Carlyle RoadCambridge CB4 3DH 01223 527781liz.howes@ntlworld.comEDITORCarolyn Postgate5 Whitwell Way, CotonCambridge CB23 7PW 01954 211033carolyn@clara.co.ukMEMBERSHIP SECRETARYMary Wyatt68 Ranelagh RoadFelixstoweSuffolk IP11 7HY 01394 671033mary@24wyatt.freeserve.co.ukPUBLICITY SECRETARYSally MacphersonElm Cottage, 39 Upland RoadThornwoodEssex CM16 6NJ 01992 560807sallymach2@aol.comEXHIBITIONS ORGANISERSCathy D’Arcy89 Friday Street, West RowMildenhall IP28 8PB 07866 391380cathydarcy3@googlemail.com

Helen Humphreys18 Rosemary RoadWaterbeach CB5 9NB 01223 862968helenmh@tiscali.co.ukSELECTED MEMBERS SECRETARYAnja Penger23 Park Lane, BlunhamBedfordshire MK44 3NH 01767 641435anja.penger@gmx.deWEBMASTERIan George117 Histon Road, CottenhamCambridge CB24 8UQ 01954 250647ian.george@anglianpotters.org.ukEVENTS ORGANISERSHeather Graham17 Dereham RoadWattonNorfolk IP25 6ER 01953 882572hgpots@tiscali.co.uk

Felicity Hoyle95 Main Street, HockwoldThetford IP26 4LW 01842 828343flicka.h@tesco.netPOTTERS CAMP ORGANISERJerry FinlaysonMill Farm Barn, Wades LaneShotleyIpswich IP9 1EG 01473 788423

3

The Show opened on Saturday 14November on a blustery day whichmade the mince pies and mulledwine very welcome, despite thenew heating in the church.Numbers attending were down onprevious years, but sales werequite good nevertheless. Many newmembers were exhibiting for thefirst time, and the variety of work onshow was very impressive.Alan Foxley writes:I thought the exhibition had a nicecoherence about it and the curatingteam had done a good job. Thegeneral standard of work seemedhigher, but some members need tolook at their pricing. Some piecesare ridiculously cheap. They needto remember that some potters aretrying to earn a living and haveprices governed by externalsources – but where, oh, where aremany of the Selected members?

CHRISTMAS SHOW ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH, CAMBRIDGE

Ala

n Fo

xley

Ala

n Fo

xley

Har

vey

Bra

dley

Har

vey

Bra

dley

4

JOSIE WALTER AT MUNDFORDThe makers of pots often arrive at this occupationthrough very different channels. Josie Walter is noexception. She led us through her early years inanthropology at University, and the diverse influenceswhich led to her current status as a well respectedpotter.Her reminiscences included crouching in a darkSpanish cave copying prehistoric paintings, and herexperiences working for a country potter’s family inSpain. The latter involved her living in the mountains,a sole occupant of an isolated caravan, and made usadmire her youthful intrepidity. Her early experience incountry pottery traditions was a great influence on herlater work.When she decided to take a teacher training course, itwas her wish to extend her interest in the methods ofthe old salt glaze potteries around Chesterfield nearher home. Her recently published book Country PotsAbroad illustrates this enduring interestShe described the hard times and the good times ofher attempts to set up various workshops and sellingoutlets, an experience so many potters starting uphave gone through.Her slides showed how she worked through thedesign process from intricacies and layering of slips,to the refinement and simplification of her work today.Her tenet that her pots were to be primarily usableinformed her designs and her experience of rawglazing in the salt glaze industry brought her toemploy single firing in her own work.She works with a mixture of Valentine’s Earthstoneand Potclays Chocolate Black, which gives a richterracotta for slip decoration. She demonstrateddifferent methods of construction for her signatureoval and square dishes. Her thrown ware all hadedges roundly robust for domestic use. These simpleforms were ideal for the use of decorative slips, andshe showed her use of paper resist and otherdecorative techniques.Even if once-fired earthenware is not a majorityinterest, Josie Walter gave an interesting andinformative demonstration, with a warmth and insightinto why we do what we do!Words: June GentlePictures: Carolyn Postgate & Heather Graham

5

Left: Josie demonstrates her method of creating designs with paperresist and slip; above: slip-trailed pears.

6

WENDY LAWRENCE AT MUNDFORDWendy Lawrence began her excellent demonstrationwith a slide show of the objects that inspire her work. Herphotographs can essentially be divided into two groups.The first consists of natural forms with lovely flowinglines such as an extraordinary aerial view of a frozenSiberian river system or layered rock faces pockmarkedand polished by millions of years of erosion. The secondcontains man-made objects ranging from carvedmemorial stones and pieces of architecture softened byrain and sprinkled with lichens to the stark beauty ofmonumental standing stones. Probably many of us takesimilar photographs but Wendy’s genius lies in her abilityto take elements of these and recreate the forms andsurface effects in her own work. This is achieved largelyby her method of carving leather-hard clay and by heruse of many glaze layers including volcanic glazes.Her work is sculptural and she showed us how toconstruct a number of pieces including her work inspiredby standing stones, troughs suitable for plants, liddedboxes and platters reminiscent of the depressions thatform in rocks below falling streams of water. All thepieces are built from a remarkably forgiving clay,Valentine’s Jim Robison crank body PF540 and areformed by slab building, coiling or carving from a solidlump of clay. It is always fascinating to see the toolsused by our demonstrators and Wendy’s selection didn’tdisappoint. First she produced a chunky foot-long pieceof wood, the sort of thing that might support a sturdyfireside chair; this was followed by a mallet, a surform, atool that looked a bit like a plumber’s lead dresser, alarge wire brush and a chunk of coral large enough to

Pho

tos:

Hea

ther

Gra

ham

7

over this.Similar techniques are used topattern the clay when makingtroughs and platters. In the formercase a solid piece of clay isvigorously beaten into arectangular shape and the sidesare carved or imprinted. Clay isthen excavated from the centre ofthe piece to leave a trough withstout one inch-thick walls. Plattersare formed from a slab of clayflattened with a mallet and heavilyimpressed with textured rocks andcoral, the edges are rolled and theslab is then placed in a simpleformer consisting of canvas looselysuspended over a wooden frameuntil it has dried. The thickness ofthese pieces and the depth of thecarving of the walls means that theinitial firing needs to be very slowwith a climb of just 15° per houruntil 550°C is achieved.Wendy claims to dislike glazing buther work requires the application ofa number of glazes quite thicklylayered on top of one another toachieve the appearance she isaiming for. Pieces are painted withcopper oxide and this is thenwashed back so that it remainsonly in detailed areas. Matt glazesapplied over this are stonewareglazes that do not flux at the firingtemperature used. More liquid,glossy glazes that do reach theirfluxing temperature are added ontop of these and raw materials suchas titanium are added to thesurface before firing. Siliconcarbide is added to some of theglazes to achieve the volcaniceffect that is such an importantelement of the surface texture.

finish off one of the many victims inan episode of Midsomer Murders.There was also a sharp knife forcarving and a fork for scoringedges but these looked rather tameby comparison.As these tools suggest, Wendy’scoiling and slab building are on animpressive scale. She starts her tall‘standing stone’ pieces with a slabof clay approximately 2 inches thickwhich is laid in a plaster mould togently curve up the outer edges.Wendy explained this was to givethe base of the piece a ‘bounce’ sothat it doesn’t appear too heavilyrooted to the ground. Coils with asquare cross-section of about 2inches are built up on this baseusing the fork for scoring and aspray of water rather than slip tohelp the edges adhere, a processaided by some vigorous bashingwith the length of wood. As morecoils are added a tall form emergesand the overall shape of the pieceis gradually modified by beatingand by adding or removing slices ofclay. At this point the piece wouldnormally be left until it was leatherhard before carving the surface.Surface patterning can take anumber of forms but to achieve theeffect Wendy is seeking it isimportant to have uneven areas ofsurface where glazes can pool. Toemulate rock strata Wendy marksthe whole surface with a series ofcurved lines and then cuts deeplyinto the clay removing a V-shapedstrip between alternate sets oflines. Further, thinner, grooves arecut in some areas and the cutedges are softened using the wirebrush. Sometimes more formalpatterns are cut into parts of thesurface and the coral is used totexture the rest. At the moment,inspired by the ring of tea left by amug put down on a piece of paperon which she was sketchingdesigns, Wendy is experimentingwith circular patterns. She uses thebase of a can as a template tomark out her design and gougesout craters in the clay with acircular turning tool producing aneffect reminiscent of an ice creamscoop. The pitted effect is modifiedby partially filling some of thecraters with scraps of clay and thecoral is used to imprint patterns

ANGLIAN POTTERS

CLAY STORES

Clay from Valentines, Staffs: aninexpensive source of clay formembers. Phone to confirmavailability and to arrange pickupduring office hours. Sold in12.5 kg bags, with the exceptionof paper clay.

Special Fleck stoneware£3.70 Firing 1150°C -1300°CRed earthenware£3.25 Firing 1080°C – 1140°CWhite B17C stoneware £5.40P2 Porcelain£7.45 Firing 1220°C – 1250°CRoyale porcelain £10.50Grogged porcelain (Royale)£11.00ES5 Stoneware Original£7.50ES130 White earthenware£6.50Audrey Blackman porcelain£12.00ES40 Handbuilding material£9.75ES50 Crank £7.30ES200 TS Flaxpaper clay£6.00 per 5 Kg bagV9G Dark stoneware £3.75

CAMBRIDGESusan Van Valkenburg5 Cow LaneRamptonCambridgeCB24 8QG01954 252834

SUFFOLKDeborah BaynesNether Hall, Shotley, IpswichSuffolk IP9 1PW01473 788300

Telephone to arrange a collectiontime, and collect with a chequepayable to Anglian Potterswith cheque card number andmembership number. NB paperclay may not be available.Brick House Crafts operate from5,000 sq ft premises in Essex. They arepleased to confirm the continuation oftheir 10% discount scheme to membersof Anglian Potters on raw materials,clays (up to 1/2t) and hand tools.Lessons available on an hourly basistogether with City & Guilds Level 2 & 3courses (100% pass rate to date).Contact Mary or Maureen on 01376585655.

www.brickhouseceramics.co.uk

Liz

Chi

pcha

se

8

This releases gas during firingwhich leads to localised reductionand the formation of surfaceeruptions. This technique canproduce sharp edges so thesurface is ground after firing.Wendy routinely uses an electrickiln and fires her pieces to 1240°Cand soaks them for 10 minutes.Some of Wendy’s basic glazerecipes will be included in the nextNewsletter, but she emphasisesthat the real secret of her successis constant experimentation.In complete contrast to the piecesshe brought to show us, Wendyalso gave a brief and entertainingpresentation of her work for CraigBragdy, a firm specialising inmurals for swimming pools and forthe walls of underpasses. Thesheer scale of the work was mind-boggling; imagine a small team ofpeople flattening out a sufficientlylarge area of clay to cover anOlympic-sized swimming pool,crawling around to transfer andcarve a design on to it, thencutting, numbering, firing andglazing the whole lot. If you know asheikh or a Russian oligarch inneed of a status symbol or wouldjust like to have a look at the sort ofwork involved, visitwww.craigbragdydesign.co.uk.Words: Liz ChipchasePictures: Heather Graham, LizChipchase, Sally Macpherson

Hea

ther

Gra

ham

CERAMIC HELPLINEMembers to contact:Alan Foxley: handbuilding, reductionfiring 01799 522631Colin Saunders: mould-making,slipware, transfers 01379 588278Victor Knibbs: oxidised stoneware,electric kilns, modifying clay bodies

01480 214741Deborah Baynes: raku, stoneware,earthenware (reduction & oxidised),salt glaze 01473 788300Beryl Hines: general, earthenware, raku

01473 735437Usch Spettigue: raw glazing/singlefiring 01473 787587Margaret Gardiner: salt glaze

01279 654025Sonia Lewis: high-fired ware, porcelain

01353 688316If you are willing to give advice, and beadded to this list, please contact the Editor.

MEMBERS' WEBSITES:www.angelamellor.comwww.angelamellorgallery.comwww.brendagreenart.co.ukwww.broadwayceramics.comwww.cathydarcy.comwww.ceramicsbuyanja.co.ukwww.corbykilns.co.ukwww.chrisrumsey.co.ukwww.heathergrahampotter.comwww.helenhpottery.co.ukwww.helenmartino.co.ukwww.iangeorgeceramics.co.ukwww.janburridge.co.ukwww.janehollidge.co.ukwww.jjvincent.comwww.judsonsinfrance.comwww.madeincley.co.ukwww.maggygardiner.comwww.matthewblakely.co.ukwww.potterycourses.comwww.potterycourses.netwww.rebeccaharvey.comwww.richardbaxter.co.ukwww.rowanhumberstone.co.ukwww.sculpturelounge.comwww.secretceramics.co.ukwww.susancupitt.co.ukwww.suffolkstoneware.co.uk

Contact the Editor if you wantto add your site to this list.

www.anglianpotters.org.uk

ANGELA MELLOR GALLERYAngela is going to rent out hergallery in 2010 for exhibitions.

Please contact her on01353 666675 or email

angela@angelamellorgallery.com

Hea

ther

Gra

ham

Liz

Chi

pcha

seS

ally

Mac

pher

son

9

POTTERS’ CAMP 2009PHOTO MONTAGE

Saturday Night

Talented Kids

Conversations

Pizza Time

10

Sally Macpherson writes:We fired salt, soda, wood and gaskilns, a roman kiln, oil drum firingsand a bonfire firing. We glazed andfired about 100 plates in an electrickiln and a gas kiln; more than 60were ready for the pizza night onFriday and the remainder wereready for the Social on Saturday.There were endless raku firingsduring the week, with unknownnumbers of pots. I counted the potsthat came out of the other kilns:3 Gas reduction kilns 230 pots6 Oil drum firings: 100 pots & beadsWood kiln: 275 potsRoman Kiln: 100 pots & 50 beadsSalt Kiln: 104 potsSoda kiln: 325 potsElectric kiln & gas kiln (non-reduction): 100 platesBonfire: 30 potsGrand Total: 1264 & beads & rakuPhotographs by Robi Bateman,Chris & Martin George, Liz Lewis,Sally Macpherson, Anja Penger,Marie Thompson, Peter Spitaland an unknown photographer

11

12

Ray Auker’s teapots -giant and dwarf

Wild things

Jigger & Jolly Mould-making

13

Rosella Schembri organised agroup of Anglian Potters torepresent us at the Newmarket Art,Craft and Design Show.We had a good position on thesecond floor and our stall lookedvery professional. There was agreat deal of interest in ourAssociation and especially in thePotters in Jesus Lane exhibitionwhich was due to open thefollowing week. Although two otherAnglian Potters exhibitingseparately were happy with sales,our group did find salesdisappointing.The work represented atNewmarket by Anglian Potters wasa testament to the vast knowledge,creativity and talent of our

ANGLIAN POTTERS AT NEWMARKET

Mar

y W

yatt

Ros

ella

Sch

embr

i

members. Many thanks to Rosella for her excellent organisation and formaking it possible for our Association to be advertised to a wider public.Words: Mary WyattPictures: Mary Wyatt, Rosella Schembri

14

ICKWORTH WOOD SALE AND CRAFT FAIR

coming up with the idea in the firstplace. This year again he wasadministrator, showed leadership inour teamwork, gave throwingdemonstrations and was as a fellow‘stall holder’ – wow… I know he,with me, wishes to re-echo a big‘thanks’ to all who helped andmade it such a successful weekend– and that of course was everyone.Words: Harvey BradleyPictures: Harvey Bradley, DaveHough

When we meet together as Anglianpotters we do so for a whole rangeof reasons. Our contribution to theIckworth Wood Fair in October wasparticularly rich in these. As anassociation it is significant that, aswith nearly all of our events, agreat number of members madelight work of a big task; in this casesetting up two large marquees toform our long exhibition gallery.As friendly competitors the table-top displays varied from ‘tried andtested’ professional display to moreexperimental set ups. As someoneput it, seeing your work along sideother members’ pottery really getsyou to ‘raise your game’. For somemembers this was their firstoccasion of presenting their work inthis sort of public setting and thelessons learnt will be valuable, I amsure.Many found the social aspects ofsharing views and consideringadvice, combined with theopportunity to glaze and raku pots,reminded them of the potters’camp. Next year it is possible thatsome will even camp overnight tomake the most of the weekend.Who knows, we might find evenmore aspects of the potters’weekend creeping into theproceedings.Speaking of which we must againthank Jerry for his energy indelivering and masterminding theconstructing and deconstructing ofthe marquees, and keeping them instore for future use. Ian of courseneeds again to be commended for

Dav

e H

ough

Har

vey

Bra

dley

Har

vey

Bra

dley

Dav

e H

ough

15

Har

vey

Bra

dley

Ian demonstrating to an enthralled audience

16

ANIMAL MAGICDown on the Farm with theSculpture LoungeI don’t often go on courses asgroup tuition isn’t my thing – toomany bad memories of school, Ithink! However, I am all too awarethat enthusiasm can only get youso far and that, sometimes, theguidance of an expert hand canmake all the difference to theprogress of your work. So, it waswith mixed feelings of hope andterror that I signed up for a four-daycourse with Brendan Hesmonhalghat The Sculpture Lounge, justoutside Holmfirth.I had been mulling over the idea fora couple of years, actually; eversince I first saw David Cooke’samazing wildlife sculptures at Art inClay and picked up one of hisleaflets. And, having spoken tosome people, I soon establishedthat there is a well trodden pathbetween East Anglia and thisparticular corner of the PeakDistrict. In fact, when I arrived, Imet another member of AnglianPotters, who had come up fromNorfolk like me, and who has beenon several courses with theSculpture Lounge.We spent our first morningfamiliarizing ourselves with thestudio space where we would beworking, and we were introduced tothe mould-making studio, which isthe domain of Martin Norman.Martin makes bronze and bronzeresin castings for Brendan andDavid, as well as several otherwell-known sculptors, including oneof my favourites, Paul Smith. It wasa rare treat to watch him work andto be able to ask questions aboutthe various moulding processesinvolved – and, I gather that Martin

will be offering courses himself inthe coming year.After a good lunch we were eachinstructed to make one or severalmaquettes of our chosen animal.We had been given the briefbeforehand and the suggestedsubject for this course was afarmyard animal, although this wasnot prescriptive, and those whohad an entirely different kind ofcreature in mind were encouragedto follow their own idea.Not having tackled any kind ofanimal standing on four legsbefore, I felt that a farm animalwould be challenge enough and Iplumped for a goat, for no otherreason than that I think they havesweet faces. I came armed withsheaves of photographs I hadtaken at a local rare breeds farmand, as the week progressed, wasgrateful for the preparation I haddone. My first attempt, however,was not a success: never havingworked this way before, I think Itried to put too much detail into mymodel, with the result that Icompletely forgot to put it in aninteresting pose or give it any ‘life’.I then spent a sleepless nightfretting and fearing that I was goingto be spending the next three daysstruggling and fighting to getanything out of the clay.I buttonholed Brendan at morningcoffee the following day and

basically threw myself on hismercy, explaining that I hated whatI had done so far and had no ideahow to get back on track.“There’s always one on everycourse!” he responded, cheerfully,before talking me through what Iliked/disliked about my maquetteand what I wanted to achieve fromthe final sculpture. He encouragedme to play around with the clay andmake a few more studies;experiment with different attitudesand really look at the way a goat isput together in real life. He didn’thave to say it, but I knew how muchI have neglected my sketch booksin recent years, and resolved to getinto good habits of life drawingwhen I got back to my own studio,since there is no more certain key

to successful sculpting than to becompletely familiar with yoursubject.The majority of day two was takenup with making the body, whichBrendan feels is the most importantpart and which enables the rest ofa piece to come together moreeasily. There were three choices ofclay on offer, all of which weregrogged stoneware. One, which Ididn’t try, (maybe next time!), firesto a rich chocolatey black and hasalmost the appearance of beingwood-fired.Brendan showed us a slab buildingtechnique to make a hollowstructure, which is then pushedgently from the inside to build outthe shape of belly, backbone,upper thighs, etc. I had seen ElainePeto demonstrate somethingsimilar before at a show, so wasfamiliar with the idea in principle –Brendan’s bronze hare

17

putting it into practice was quite adifferent matter, however, and I wassurprised at how long it took to getmy clay cylinder to resemble thebody of a pot bellied goat.We were taught by a combinationof formal group demonstration andindividual tuition and, with TheSculpture Lounge only taking asmall number of students on eachcourse, Brendan was able to getaround to everyone quitecomfortably. He is definitely anatural teacher and knowsinstinctively when to intervene andwhen to stand back and let youwork something out for yourself. Heis also good at pushing you toachieve just that little bit more thanyou thought yourself capable of.Over the four days I saw a varietyof pieces take shape, from a pig toa hare, to an ambitious waterfeature involving a flock of guineafowl, and a lively sculpture of theMusicians of Bremen – and eachone was completely individual andreflected the personality of itsmaker, rather than being paleimitations of Brendan’s own work.Days three and four were taken upwith the making of limbs and head.Like the body, these are made fromhollow slabs of clay and Brendanshowed us how to create wrinkles,paw pads, and even fur texture, byscoring the clay from behind andthen pushing it gently into shape.The most difficult thing to learn washow to do this without handling theclay too much and losing what hecalls the ‘clayness’ of the clay.My goat came together quitequickly once I had got his back legson and there was something of anend of term feeling on the last day,with everyone putting the finishingtouches to their pieces. There wasmuch hilarity and ribald discussionabout the size of a boy piglet’s

‘bits’, which Brendan and the onlymale student on the course wiselykept out of!I came on this course because Iwanted to learn how to sculpt morefreely and, having seen Brendan’swork before and admired his style,felt that I could learn a lot from him.I took away with me far more than Icould have hoped for: a renewedconfidence, a fresh perspective,and memories of an exhilaratingweek in the company of manytalented people. I will definitely goback again and, next time, I shalltake full advantage of TheSculpture Lounge’s facilities andgenerous stock of clay and makesomething really big… a life-sizedwater buffalo, perhaps?...Words and pictures: Christine Pike

18

RAKU WEEKEND AT WEST ROW, MILDENHALLThe raku day with Beryl Hinesproved so popular that theorganisers, Cathy D’Arcy andSusan Cupitt, arranged to extend itto a whole weekend. About tenpeople arrived at Cathy’s house inWest Row each day. We were veryfortunate that the weather wasperfect on both days.The days started with Beryl givingus a very informative talk on thehistory of raku followed by a greatdeal of practical information withregard to different types of kiln andfiring possibilities: the makeup andapplication of glazes, uses of lustreetc. Beryl also stressed theimportance of preparing a clear andorganised space in which to fire akiln and of observing simple safetyrules.After a splendid communallyprovided lunch in the garden wegot on with glazing the pots we hadbrought with us. Both Beryl andCathy fired kilns, three in all, andeveryone was able to be ‘hands on’

Unit 9 Pywell Court,Pywell Road, Willowbrook

Industrial Estate,Corby

NorthantsNN17 5WA

Telephone and Fax:01536 269229

Mobile:07711 773913

Email:info@corbykilns.co.uk

Web:www.corbykilns.co.uk

Please mention the Anglian Potters Newsletter when replying to this advert.

NEW CONTROLLER FOR 13 amp KILNS

Based on the successful ST315 kiln controller, this modelhas been developed for use specifically with 13 amp kilns. Itwill store up to 9 programmes, each with up to 9 segments.One controlled heating or cooling ramp and one soak per

segment. Fitted with a 13 A UK fused moulded plug, 2metres of cable. You simply plug your kiln into the socket onthe controller, plug the controller into the wall, and insert a

thermocouple into the kiln.No call-out charge as you can upgrade your kiln

yourself!!If your kiln has a kiln sitter device we recommend that you

use a high fire mini-bar in it, just as an over-firing precaution.Optional wall bracket also available.

Our price for the controller, wall bracket and a type Rthermocouple is normally £294 + VAT (£338.10). For

Anglian Potters members we are pleased to offer a discountof £20. (£318.10).

For more information on this and other controllers we can offerplease email or phone.

throughout the whole process of the firing and reductions of the pots.I personally found the day very confidence-building and can approachfiring my small raku kiln with much less trepidation! The whole experiencewas most enjoyable and provided yet another way of meeting with otherAnglian Potters, learning new skills and exchanging news and views.Thanks to Beryl for sharing her expertise and to Susan and Cathy for theorganisation and provision of such a great venue.Words: Marie Thompson; pictures: Barry Pratt and Susan Cupitt

Sus

an C

upitt

19

Pho

tos:

Bar

ry P

ratt

20

DIARY DATES 2010:Stephen Parry:Demonstration7 February, MundfordSally & Alasdair MacDonell:Demonstration28 March, MundfordAGM & JJ Vincent:16 May, MundfordPotters’ Camp:29 July-1 August, ShotleySummer Show:Exhibition14 August-1 September,Emmanuel CollegeBridget Drakeford:Demonstration7 September, MundfordChristine Hester Smith:Demonstration17 October, Mundford

MEMBERSHIP FEES:Ordinary £27 (half year £15)Joint £45 for two people at thesame address – half year £25Institution £50 for a college orworkshop – half year £27(details on application to theMembership Secretary)Student £10 for full-timestudents of ceramics – proof ofstatus is required

ADVERTISING RATESPrice per issue, 4 issues a yearFull page w 18cm x h 26.8cm £60.00Half page w 18cm x h 13.4cm £30.00Third page w 18cm x h 8.8cm £20.002 column w 11.8cm x h 17.6cm £26.002 column w 11.8cm x h 8.8cm £13.001 column w 5.7cm x h 17.6cm £13.001 column w 5.7cm x h 8.8cm £6.50Leaflet inserts (300) £30.00

Copy dates:Spring Issue 1 FebruarySummer Issue 1 MayAutumn Issue 1 AugustWinter Issue 1 NovemberCopy to be supplied as .jpg, .tif, .pdfAdvertisements can be designed if textand pictures (minimum 300dpi) areprovided Printed in full colourContact Carolyn Postgate, Editore: carolyn@clara.co.ukt: 01954 211033

COPY DATE FOR

SPRING NEWSLETTER:1 FEBRUARY 2010FOR PUBLICATION BY:1 MARCH 2010

Returning potterdesperately seekingused Ray Scott gaskiln in return for real

immediate money.S.J. Perks Tel: 07799 482342email: perkssj@yahoo.co.uk

MEMBERS’ WORK ON

DISPLAY AT MUNDFORD

AGM PROPOSAL ON

SELECTED MEMBERSAt the AGM this year the subject ofSelected Membership came upagain, and the discussion endedwith the proposal that thecommittee should contact SelectedMembers who have been inactivefor three years. The committee hasdiscussed this proposal, but feelsthat there is nothing to be gainedby the association from doing this.Although the constitution statesthat Selected Members are‘expected to contribute to therunning of the association’, weshould bear in mind that thesituation may not always be withintheir control. There are manyreasons why one of us, whetherselected or otherwise, might notplay an active role. It can be age, illhealth, or a trauma which bringswith it a period of inactivity. Is it inthe interest of the association toencourage members to resign whomay not be active (although theymay have contributed much in thepast) but who out of loyalty to theassociation and to old friends arestill paying their subscriptions? Wefeel that contacting them is not inthe spirit of friendship and mutualsupport that the association standsfor.However, the fact remains thatSelected Membership is seen as aproblem by some members. Whatcan we do about this? If anymember wishes to make aproposal, please submit thisformally in writing to the Secretaryby 15 January 2010. This and anyproposal that the committee mightrecommend will be discussed at theAGM.Happy potting to you all,Susan Cupitt

Pho

tos:

Car

olyn

Pos

tgat

e

Colin Saunders

Victor Knibbs

Marianne Toogood

Helen Humphreys