Got clay, will pot
Bought some stoneware sculpture clay today. Very heavily grogged, so throwing it will be interesting. I’m trying to match Andrew Walford’s warm grey clay. This is close enough – an Aussie clay. Lets see how I go.
Pottery stamp fired
I used recycled stoneware and fired to stoneware glaze temperature. the clay body doesn’t finish off to a fantastic colour. It’s a bit too pink for me, insipid. It was a bit of a test of WPA’s stoneware clay for future reference. Not sure where to go to now for the body colour. Maybe a dash of yellow ochre.
A new pottery mark/stamp
Finally changed my pottery mark stamp from a simple “S” to a intersecting double “S” connoting Steven Smith. My previous stamp made a depressed “S” into the clay, this new one will emboss outward. Examples to follow once I actually make something to stamp! And the stamp’s got to be fired still.
Gabriella watching Masahiro
Here’s 3-year old Gabriella’s first day with dad. Watched Masahiro for a hour and a half. Good girl. Loved the clay. Made patterns in clay and bashed around with a rolling pin. Sweet thing.
Masahiro demo workshop
I attended the Masahiro workshop at WPA studio today. Just fab to see someone working in clay. Working the wheel in the opposite direction to the western tradition – typically Japanese potters work on a clockwise rotation. He made a two-piece pot using a blowtorch to dry off each part as he went.
Muddy Hands
Welcome to my first post in my new pottery journal. It’s been years since I got my hands muddy. Really keen to get back into it. I hope this will be the first of
many posts as I launch myself back into it. Just emigrated to Wellington New Zealand from my home in South Africa. All I bought from my studio is my small Tupperware of pottery tools. Tally ho!
Visiting Japanese Potter
Wellington Potters Association is hosting a workshop by Masahiro Wadayama. A young potter from Sakai, Japan. I can’t wait.
Wellington Potters Association
I took the leap and joined the Wellington Potters Association. They have a communal studio. How fab! Just what I need. Wheels, kilns, all sorts – lovely. Will start slowly and get into it. Looking forward to it.
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