The Dog Formally Known as "Big".

Here is the most perfect manifestation of the dog formally know as “Big”. Morag seemed to start with the puppy “Big”, she had several photographs to work from, at all stages of his life and this is more the fully grown dog. Morag also worked two other practice mutts before she went to this one. I feel there is a touch of the Wiley Coyote around the nose here!

Seen here he is in the unfired state so there will be changes and I will post them when I get the photographs.

The Dog Formally Known as "Big".

This is a quick post to show you the dog, formally know as "Big". He still is "Big" of course; the point is he has gone to dog heaven now. I introduced you to Morag MacInnes in a post a few months ago when I went to her house to watch a pit firing. She was commissioned to make a life image of a very particular dog in July. It has not been easy as you can imagine, working from a few photographs of what to me looked to be very highly spirited, full of character canine. This one here is just a little version which Morag did to begin her creative process; the magic of shape-shifting is such an intense process.

Pit fired and covered in slips and oxides, there is an element of chance to the result but Morag has become so practiced at this technique she can almost predict the out come. I took loads of photographs of this one and the definitive “Big”, so more tomorrow when I have had a chance to resize them.
I am still painting the Mr. Whippy pot, my bum goes numb after a couple of hours though and I have to stop and walk about for a bit!

This Is How It Tastes

Oh so last minute! But that is how I do it. This is a days painting, I think I am just about going to make my deadline of Monday firing and Tuesday glaze, open up kiln on Wednesday morning stuff the pot into my handbag and run for the plane. I am calling this one “This Is How It Tastes”. The decoration involves multi layers of black and white slips carving and slip trailing finished off with a bit of jewelling on the Mr. Whippy ice creams. All in all an extreme psychedelic display of indulgence!

I have to show you my Leonard Cohen tickets brought home tonight by mi amor. This is why I am rushing back from The Joze Show, to see the great man in concert just up the road from us. He is playing in the bull ring in Granada, a fairly small venue. I am beside myself with excitement!

How To Frame A Tile

A few weeks ago I wrote on one of Linda Starr’s posts about her new tiles and tried to explain how to make a wooden tile frame. In words alone this was a bit of a challenge so here are some explanatory photographs to illustrate the way I do it.

The most challenging part of the process is to source framers moulding that is completely plain on the reverse, i.e. without makers marks or stamps or indeed the residue of front of the mould staining. The tile is placed into a mitered picture frame backwards so that the rebate is the platform the tile sits on rather than the lip that would normally hold a picture and glass in position. If I get the wood cut just right I can just push into place the tile and it stays firm, if not I use epoxy cement in each corner. The best part of this frame is that the reverse of the tile can be viewed.

Clear as mud now, isn't it?

Polly George @ The Joze Show 09

Polly George is simply so English! These ceramics are very much of the moment designer house wares of the highest quality made of English Bone China. Not only do her ceramics look great they function beautifully too. They are modern, and her three dimensional springs and motifs lend the pieces a sculptural quality. The setting of the Joze Show is so perfect for these whimsical pieces, they cast a spell, you have to lay a tray and head off into the woods with picnic rug and a Fortnum’s hamper and have tea with the fairies!

For the Joze Show Polly is showing her tea, breakfast and cake sets with butterflies and the very new addition of coloured wings, usually all Polly's work is white. Prices range from £25 for a single item to £360 for a set. All these pieces can be viewed online from Sunday 6th September when a catalogue will be published.

Look carefully; here is Norma the deer at Accolds Farm watching the excitement as the Joze Show takes delivery of some sculpture. She thinks she is coming for tea in the woods with Polly George!

Ardmore Ceramics @ The Joze Show 09

Ardmore is a world-renowned ceramic studio based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to my delight they are bringing several pieces of their work to the Joze Show.

After spotting these works in a Ceramic Review Josie Waldie set out to locate them for the exhibition this year. Josie didn’t have to go all the way to the Ardmore studios in the foothills of the Drakensberg or to the rolling hills of Caversham in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa. No, luckily Josie was able to catch an Ardmore opening at the African Embassy in London to meet the organisers and see the ceramcs in the flesh there.



Many of the Ardmore artists have little knowledge of sculpture and painting and mostly no experience of ceramic art, but they learn quickly and within a short time develop their own particular styles of sculpting and painting. When Ardmore first opened the doors of its ceramic studio, the ceramics were produced mainly by women. Gradually, however, their male partners realized that they, too, could work with clay.

I think some of the most interesting pieces form the Ardmore collective are about Aids and the pandemic that creates a constant strain on Ardmore’s potters. As a reaction to this devastating disease the group has made some special Aids awareness pieces one of which is picture above, Three Best Ways made by Elias Lulanga painted by Andrew Sokhela.

Below, is another plate; Days of our Lives showing powerful painting and prose by one of Ardmore’s most collectable artists, Wonderboy “Thokozolo” Nxumalo, plate made by Elias Lulanga

I have no idea yet which pieces are going to be on show in September or who will be there form this group to represent the collection.

I will feature another potter tomorrow from the Joze Show line up.

The Commission

Is this daunting? Well maybe a bit, but it is also very exciting. These are the tables I am to create a pair of ginger jars for; the tables have been made by Thomas Messel for my client as a special commission.
They are a very fine example of English baroque cabinet making. The mirror is hand cut glass with brilliant cut decoration over modern antiqued mercury silver mirror. The frame is water gilt carved wood. The console was designed to co-ordinate with the mirror and is also carved gilt wood. The carved shell on the console is also represented on the mirror and is an important element of the clients’ heraldry.

The jars are to be 48 cm high and 33cm wide on the shoulder. My estimated date to have them finished is January 2010. I am building virtual jars first, watching them flash across my brain, this way, that way. Writing things down, but not committing anything like a drawing yet to paper. This (by my own past track record) is a good start.

Hello Granada, Goodbye England

Before I leave England behind I have to share these photographs with you. Are these long gone, spent childhoods contained in these boxes? I can't help but feel they would make wonderful paintings. And here they are all laid bare for sale and probably not for the playing with either.

Photographs taken at an auction house in England.

Spanish life continues now for the next four months with very a short return visit to Sussex for the Joze Show launch in September.

Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew in London

This is the smallest of the hot houses at Kew Gardens and it contains the Lily pond. My daughter Jess says this is the size of hot house she needs to make her life perfect, I hope she has one one day. These lily's are what I went to see to get some more ideas for my lily pad plates, there were so many different leaves I couldn't post them all up, but here are a few.

Long Eared Bat

Found dead in the woods!

Local Shop for Local People

We have the local shop here in England too, but sadly it does not have a window. I love the lantern above the iron gateway; it has Plaistow Stores etched into the glass. It is said that Plaistow is seven miles from nowhere and winding your way through endless wooded country lanes you soon discover why.
This idiosyncratic little village store serves several villages over quite a large area and it stocks some extraordinary things. For example long stripy socks of the kind Alice in Wonderland would wear, essential round here for all the rabbit holes. The main emphasis of the shop however was astonishingly towards party props, things like paper cake frills made from crepe paper with fringed edges which I haven’t seen for years. There were birthday candles with plastic holders, party invitations and novelty hats and novelty toys. But there was some real diversity in this little shop, a DVD film rental service containing about 20 films and a small bread oven producing fresh bread. The best bit though were the books shown below, they contain all the individual accounts, sorted by Christian name…of course! Sue, Fred, Wendy, Ronnie, Audrey, Sally, Steph, Christine, Tony, Sabina, Robb, Jennie, and Alvin (probably Stardust he lives round here) I also spy a Lady Fors ---g, difficult to make it out.

Next post is ceramics and art; tomorrow I hope.