Harriet Caslin Studio

Unsettled Conditions

Much like this summer 🌞

The car is packed with ceramics, flowers, trestles, tents and picnics ready for the drive to tomorrow for firm favourite of the year 🌻⛺️🌿
Looking forward to catching up with friends, busy fair days, dips in the river and morning yoga in the park!

It has been a prolific feat to make in time for the show, alongside other shows and exhibitions recently with more to come in the next couple of weeks but it feels good to get to this point where I'm almost packed and can sit for an hour with a cup of tea and actually make a quick post to tell you all about it. It truly is a beautiful event so if you are anywhere in the South West and a fan of the handmade I can highly recommend you come and visit, I'm on stand B9 🌞

“Sharing art is the price of making it. Exposing your vulnerability is the fee.”

Truly a heartfelt weekend

To have shared tears with people that resonated with the work and who thanked me for sharing my vulnerability is all that I could have hoped for when making and of course sharing this part of me.

Struggling a little to really expose myself here digitally, but I feel like I will write a blog about the experience so to move on to the next chapter.

It’s been an incredibly intense weekend and months moving into the show, and truly was a brilliant weekend. Thanks you to all that came by, the organisers, the wonderful volunteers, my family, meeting old friends and making new. Really a special community to be part of and I am filled with gratitude🌻

Some favourite pieces on show at
It has been brilliant to show this collection and get such wonderful feedback. I’ve known intuitively it’s the right direction to go but to have it affirmed on day 1 has been all I could hope for. Thank you to those that kept me busy talking yesterday, excited to see what day 2 will bring.

Display plans for . A lot of different work here that I am so excited to finally get out of the dusty crevices of the studio and in front of some eyes other than my own. There's been a lot to explore with this collection over the last few months that will continue to evolve as the act of doing inevitably creates more ideas.

Here's a little statement about the work...

I am forever inspired by people and the quest to understand not only myself but others, the tensions and ease that occur between our internal and external worlds and how these relate to one another.

This collection of sculptural vessels was developed to explore what lies beneath the surface and held within the container to make it whole. The forms are figurative, symbolic to a variety of emotions and nuances of the human experience. The repetition of line reveal layers, shadows and contrast that are often held within oneself. Exploring the nature within our internal and external worlds, the colour palettes are reflective of the seasons and elements that we are fundamentally part of and so affected by; the darkness of the winters in our life are necessary to make way for the movement of spring and summer, and so the cycle continues. All are whole- heartedly embraced and carried within us as an act of self acceptance of who we are and where we find ourselves during this time in our existence.

Coming out of my winter hibernation / hiatus on here with a little shot of a corner in the studio filling up with new work, older work and not quite finished work lining up to show next month 19th - 21st April at London Olympia.

I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to indulge testing and experimenting making some new work with some significance to it over the last few months, and am amazed equally at how quickly and slowly this time has seemed to go by.

But now as there is more light in the day then dark and I’m emerging bleary eyed from a few months drifting in the studio things will start to come together with a month to go and I’m certain will continue to evolve into the year.

More news to follow 🫡
Harriet xx 🌞

What a fantastic last market of the year yesterday ✨
Truly thank you to the Crafty Fox team and to those that stopped by, bought something and also those of you that came and told me you follow along here and so is why you came in the first place! I often feel like it’s just friends and family that pay any attention to me on here, and even then that’s questionable 😂

It really has been a fantastic end to a pretty busy period in the studio the last 4 months making work for different shows, exhibitions and stockist. I’m looking forward to winding down this week to go again in the new year which I tend to find is my most creative time when the days find a little more stillness.

I have updated the very last pieces that are ready to post from the studio including a handful of the star candle holders and tree toppers, there are just 2 star ornaments left and a small selection from my main collection. If, like me, you are looking for some last minute gifts this week I can get those sent out to you with upgraded express shipping, but of course it’s better to let me know sooner rather then later 🙏

Thank you again, it really is a dream to do this 🌞🌝🌿

 

Not a lot of natural light here in the studio as we creep to the winter solstice. Today has felt like the treadmill of the last few months is beginning to ease slightly as I plan the last few firings of the year and get ready for the last event of the year this weekend. I can feel my body, the animal part of me wanting to slow down, hide away and spend my headspace in a quieter place that isn’t focused around the momentum and crescendo of Christmas, or at least in the commercial part of it I find myself in this time of year.

Today, once the packing and shipping was done and the kiln switched on, has been about softer warm light, candles and the permission to do a yoga class in the middle of the day led by my good friend and studio neighbour 🌝

Think we’re into the final stretch of the year now with two weeks to go until Christmas Eve and I seem to have found a second wind!

There’s been a lovely bustle in the studio these last few weeks sending your online orders out, (thank you!) topping up stockists and getting ready for a handful of Christmas markets.

My last one will be next week on Sunday 17th December for the epic handmade Christmas at the Crossing in Kings Cross just behind Granary Square. Over 100 different makers on both Saturday and Sunday so you’re guaranteed to find something different (I’ll be there on Sunday if you fancied popping by)

A little note that I’ll be posting out any online orders placed until next Monday 18th December for delivery that week before Christmas. Have a little scroll through here for what’s still on offer but please don’t leave it too late as certain bits are running low. As always thank you so much for your support, not just now but throughout the year 🙏✨🌞

   

I've spotted some of my decorations on your trees and in you living rooms through your stories and posts on here already and it is so lovely to see! 🎄

I've seen quite a few Tree Topper's which has been a bit of a favourite because of it's simplicity, just a little hole in the bottom and the top of the tree nestles nicely into the inside of the top of the star if that makes sense? No fiddly springs or wonky stars to play around with here (unless that's the look you're going for of course 😉)

A fresh batch are making there way through the kiln this week and heading with me to at the Crossing in King's Cross on Sunday, they're also ready to order on my website now if you missed out last year ✨
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Star candle holders ✨

Another favourite that has returned from previous years are these star candle holders (also up on the website now) made from the same glazes and clays as my current collection, the mottled textures of the glaze give an almost perfectly frosted effect to the surface, perfectly appropriate as the temperature has dropped outside 🌝

It’s finally time to introduce what’s new with the Stars ✨(lots of you have been asking when they will be available online, which they are now!)

The season favourite from my collection return this year with an added extra dose of festive smell with the inclusion of a little lava bead threaded at the top charged with fresh clementine, pine needle and musky sandalwood essential oils.

Why the inclusion of smell? Well, for me Christmas decorations are really so nostalgic and transport me back to childhood which can also be done instantly with smell. The excitement of finally getting my favourite decorations from the loft which smelt of old pine, hessian and a little musky from being in the damp attic for a year was more exciting then the actual day itself.

Lava beads are made from volcanic rock and are extremely porous and so hold fragrance for quite a while, the stars hanging in my studio still have a lovely fresh scent and the bead can be charged up again with your one essential oil once the scent fades.

As ever thank you for your support and for following along here, it really is so appreciated!

A touch of Christmas creeping into the studio ready for this weekends Cheltenham Craft Festival

A few of you have been patiently waiting on the seasons favourite star ornaments (which will be coming with me this weekend)

I’m changing them a little this year to add something a little “extra” and will share exactly what that is in the coming days, I’m just waiting for the little “extra” to arrive by post hopefully in the next day or two!

I am very much looking forward to heading back to Cheltenham Town Hall next week for at Christmas! This time next week the work should all be set up ready for the doors at to open on Friday 17th until Sunday 19th November 10am - 5pm. There’ll be 100 of my fellow makers also there that I’m equally as excited to catch up with and see what they’ve been making…

I’ll be chatting to event organiser (and very recently MBE for services to craft!) Sarah James live on Instagram at 2pm on Friday 10th November, tune if you’re free, I’m sure it’ll be an interesting chat about what’s to come next week 🌟🌞🌝

So here’s a long over due update on what’s been going on in the last month… It’s been a busy one and apologies for not sharing more of this sooner, but nothing wrong with a retrospective anyway…

I have been making for some exhibitions and stockists coming up which I will share more details with separately, but you can now find a selection of my work in in Worcester, .home.of.handmade in Loughborough and opening in a couple of weeks time the Under the Tree exhibition in in Devon…

This past weekend I had 2 events, late night shopping on Thursday night, which my wonderful mum manned the stand for me (hello to all the new followers from that event!)

The reason I couldn’t be there myself was because I was exhibiting at Made London in Angel, Islington with , a return after 4 years in a new venue which I think is very promising…

I also squeezed in a trip to Portugal that was meant to be quite a big trip but became something else but was fun and warm and a bit wet and much neeed!

There’s definitely a lot more to come in the last couple of months of the year, usually the busiest for me so stay tuned and thanks for following along!

A lot of mug making has been happening recently (and not all that successfully) Still trying to find the sweet temperature spot in my kiln now there’s a new set of elements in there… New elements means it becomes more efficient which is a plus cost wise but sometimes the slower climb up to the top allows the glaze to get a bit richer.

Another firing going on tonight with more of a hold at the top tonight to see if this will do it. These and more will be coming with me to on Friday from 5-8pm, 10-6pm on Saturday and 11-5pm@on Sunday. Completely free entry and there’ll be 30 others to have a browse around, looking like it will be a sunny weekend in Highgate if you’re nearby 🌞🌻

autumn show is coming up next weekend and I’m thrilled my image has been used for the show this year…

I took the photo back in June having picked lots of wild flowers along the way on my cycle into the studio, now I’m picking blackberries and noticing all the other rich red berries that have suddenly appeared over the last week. The fields have mostly been ploughed and all the bleached out pinks and whites are turning golden and into enormous seed heads. I’m also looking out at a rich rain filled sky contemplating the ride home right now before it gets dark. But anyway…

If you’re in the area for the show do pop by, it’s a lovely little curated event in a beautiful building and I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces!

There’s a bigger collection of work heading to in Cambridge tomorrow along with lots of dried flowers and foliage to be included as one of the featured artists this coming autumn. Always enjoy dropping work off as I get to visit the city too 🌻

This kiln has already been such a work horse since being back after I was away for the last 2 weeks of August. It’s probably time I let you know why and whats coming up this month…

Firstly I sent half of an oder to new stockist The Home of Handmadefor the opening of their new store in Loughborough, the other half and some lights to follow, the new store looks amazing, well done Alex!

Next up is a one day pop up shop this coming Saturday at Neptune literally 5 minutes form the studio. If you’re nearby do pop by (if you can pull yourself away from the sunshine!) I’ll be there 10-5pm this Saturday along with other local independent businesses Waxkind and

Next week I’ll be dropping off a bigger collection to lovely stockist Cambridge Contemporary Crafts to be one of their featured artist this autumn, really looking forward to seeing my work featured in the window of this beautiful gallery in such a beautiful city.

Then next weekend I’ll be camping at Replenish Festival ~ In Aid of SoulJourn Charity organised by .org.uk and Souljourn Yoga with some work to sell, but I have to admit I’ll mainly be there for the yoga and rest for this divine sounding 2 day event. There are still day and full weekend tickets left if you’re in the area, go and have a look at their page if it’s your sort of thing, it’s certainly mine!

Finally at the very end of September I’ll be back at the delightful Handmade In Highgate for their autumn fair, always a favourite and the first time I’ve had a show in London for a little while.

Still plenty to make and a lot more to come in October!

I’ve been making some changes to these larger pendant lights recently by making a little internal step on the rim of the light, creating a bit of a chunky look.

This has been good for a couple of reasons. Firstly it means I can fire them in the kiln the right way up and the friction of the kiln shelf against the light as it shrinks keeps the pendant perfectly round, something I’ve struggled to figure out how to achieve for a while.

When it didn’t have this lip there was too much weight on the thin rim and it would crack or collapse as it fired. If I fired them on a setter (a disc of clay that shrinks with the light) the rim would tend to get quite wobbly.

Up until now I would fire them upside down but the rim would tend to warp a little bit which I was never totally happy with.

Secondly the reinforced base and chunky look means they feel a bit more robust whilst retaining the translucency. I cast them quite thinly as I want them to transform when you turn them on, but the rim always felt a bit vulnerable. It’s quite a simple change that seems so obvious to have made now but still very pleased with the result.

I’ll be bringing a little collection of my pendant lights to show this weekend for the pop up shop It’s going to be lovely to see them out of the studio!

The first big event to kick off the new season for me this September will be a pop up shop this coming Saturday 11th September in store at Neptune in Colchester

Very excited to bring a collection of my homewares and pendant lighting into one of the beautiful show rooms for the launch of Neptune's new Autumn collection. If you're in the area do pop by, I'll be there from 10 - 5pm on Saturday but there's also lot's going on for the weekend in store so have a little look. Thanks for hosting me gang!

My favourite spot in the studio, with all my current favourite pieces in my collection... there might be an argument that less is more but really I can’t resist having everything out on show at the moment 🌞

I made some new moulds last week for a candle holder and they’re already dry and casting beautifully, the seam lines are neatly hidden into the design and actually adds to it so glad the efforts to make these have worked out.

The 2 moulds took much longer then they probably should have done to make, and it’s been a while since I made a 5 part mould in this way. Sadly the model didn’t survive as I used some old plaster to make it and it’s kind of just disintegrated (note to self, don’t be cheap and use questionable plaster with lumps in it) so when I eventually have to remake these it will have to be right from the beginning but for now these are working well. I filmed some clips of the making process so expect a little vid to follow...

I recently wrote about why I made this for an application for a show and thought I’d share. Over a year on it feels good to really get my feeling behind it.

Heaven Light (2022)
As I’ve found myself growing older, I have found more inspiration by where I find myself in this life, the world, the universe, the galaxy, infinity.... When day to day life kicks in, familiar habitual survival patterns are activated and I become my own worse enemy, I find myself looking up to remind myself of where I am and who I am, really. The moon, this planet, our sun and the infinite stars within this space we share that allows everything to symbiotically just be. Heaven Light was made in reflection of just this, where line, light, repetition and a welcoming glow reminds me that I am simply here, existing too.

Summer days in the studio, where the light is abundant, soft and warm and there’s plenty of wild blooms to pick along the way in (but watch out for the hemlock, looks very pretty but very toxic 😅)

I find the next couple of months can tend to get a little quieter round here in the lead up to the busyness that the last few months of the year brings so I’m quietly doing all the bitty jobs I never quite get round to doing, the list seems quite long! But in an attempt to not feel like I’m chasing my tail like I have the last two years I’m determined to not drift off into a summer haze!

Some shots in the studio before I went off on my adventures in the west country. This was me mocking up my stand and layout for , the dotted lines on the wall are where the shelves were! Looking forward to get back in here and unpack properly, organise and start tackling that list that I never seem to get through. One such thing is to update the photos of all of the new bits I’ve made recently that so far haven’t made it online, like this new green little pendant, a new favourite of mine that made it out of the kiln just in time to come with me!

Beautiful Falmouth. In some ways it’s changed so much and in others not at all since I was an art student here some years ago. I even bumped in to some familiar faces that never left and why would they? Thank you for a stunning few days, drifting in the sea, hiking around the coast, eating delicious food and being inspired by the creative hustle. What a special place.

Some pics of my stand over the weekend that I never really post in real time but here it is anyway. Really such a wonderful and friendly weekend with river dips, makers chats, stretching in the wet grass and a lot of talking to people interested in making things by hand. I was delighted to be there again, thank you all. Now to drift around in the sea for a little bit having spent 90% of the past 4 days under canvas 🎪⛺️🌞

Just over a week to go before in Bovey Tracey opens it’s doors once again... such a beautiful event on the edge of Dartmoor truly enjoyed as much by exhibitors to take part in as the visitors enjoy visiting! The weather forecast isn’t looking too bad either 🌞

I’ll be chatting to event director Sarah James on an Instagram live about what I’m bringing to the festival next Wednesday at 1pm, there’s a whole series in the lead up to the event where she is chatting to different exhibitors so worth having a little follow along if you don’t already

My Studio Samples and Seconds Sale is now live on my website ✨

There’s lots of old samples particularly of pendant lighting at some great reduced prices so do take a look if you’ve been a distant admirer for a while.

As ever thank you for liking, sharing and supporting this little business, it really means the world to me 🌻