Onearmedpotter

This morning's haul.
Although the orchids have nothing to do with pottery I thought I'd post a pic as they seem to do really well in the kitchen window and they look awesome🤪

A no pottery day today,a day with my grandsons instead, bit of beach time followed by nerf wars.... Pottery is easier😜

A wee experiment with a lighter blue and a bit of Naples yellow. To my eyes they are basically a cup of Cornwall on a sunny day😜
I have some larger mugs in this combo currently in the kiln so I'm looking forward to seeing those.

Believe it or not but this is actually quite tidy🤪. Bright, white,tidy and airy studio it is not but it's my favourite place to be 😊.

A few samples from a recent glaze fire. I've been a bit slack on posting what I make of late, just not enough hours in the day😜

It's been a productive few days🤪 once all the new pots have dried out the kiln is going to busy for sure. Making bowls is a nice change and the fact I don't have to worry about handles is quite satisfying. The platter is possibly the biggest piece I've thrown at just over a foot in diameter. It's the drying and trimming bit which will test me I expect but if it survives bisque it will be a lovely big pot.
In a week or so I'll be back to making no doubt😊.

This week I'm making various sized bowls. Not a bad start to the morning with these three 🤪. The next trick will be turning the bu**ers over to trim without any mishaps ( wouldn't be the first time)
My shelves are currently full of bisqued bits and bobs but it could be a week or two before I'm back to glazing as I'm aiming to get as many bigger bowls made beforehand so that they can dry out properly before they go in the kiln too. I have been known to rush this and have pots explode 😜

A before and after post.
I do try to have a "system" to how I work. Generally I'll throw 30 mugs, have a tidy up and trim anything I've made the day before and then I might recycle some clay, depending on how energetic I'm feeling😜
A day later I remove the mugs from the wooden tiles, place the mugs on shelves to dry out a bit,clean the tiles and then pump out some handles with my extruder.
Once the mugs are nearly leather hard I then start the trimming process.
The mugs are centered on the wheel head and held in place with some clay and the mugs are trimmed and tidied up.
Next it's the handles. The whole process is a few hours and then the mugs go back on the shelves to dry out.
The next day is basically a repeat, make a few bits, tidy etc.
I bloody love it😊

Another successful firing and I'm particularly pleased with the fish😜. It took 3 attempts but the end result is worth it.
The beach vibe is looking particularly cheerful in the Cornish sunshine top😊
I'm not sure where these will end up as yet but current stockists are










As one load comes out another one goes in so more goodies to see tomorrow including a few more fish, a different glaze so I'm looking forward to seeing how these come out.

There is also a good chance that I'll be reopening my Etsy shop in a week or two (depending on stock)
Today I've got more glaze being delivered and then it's up to St Agnes to get some lovely Dobles clay, it's the simple things in life for sure.

This week will be a glazing week. I have a mixed bag of goodies, mugs, espresso cups, plates,bowls and....... Fishes🤪. They finally got through to the bisque stage and made it through. Just got to think about the glaze now as it could make or break the fish.

It's been a productive week😊 the fish are a bit of a leap of faith seeing as how my first lot I got the glaze wrong, the second lot exploded so hopefully this will be "third time lucky"
I have a kiln load which will be bisqued today and that will help speed up the drying process for this lot.
I really need to learn the art of taking more "atmospheric" and "moody" pictures😜 nah not really, I'm just about competent in actually getting pics off my phone🤣.
As it's going to be too hot in the shed with the kiln on I think I'll enjoy a bit of time in the garden, after I've done a skip run😊.

Having found a bag of clay that was a bit on the stiff side I thought I'd have another attempt at fish. The last lot I made I tried drying too quickly and paid the price😜
Hopefully these will make it all the way through the process😊
These are just generic fish shaped pieces and they are fun to make,most of the time. A couple of hours zoning out is as good as a rest.

It's the simple things in life. A weekend spent with my grandson followed by a Sunday evening coffee watching the sun cast a lovely light on my pottery hideout
A busy week ahead, more plates and bowls to do and ....... A skip run, just clocked the 3 bags of failed firings in the pic,bu**er

I've been making espresso cups,mugs and bud vases today but for a change of pace I've revisited fish. Hopefully, once they are finished and glazed, they'll be a fun item to put on a wall, probably my own wall 😜. I quite like em.

So the plate curse happened sooner than anticipated😱 trying to be economical I tried to do a batch in one firing, that has bitten me on the ass. On the plus side I still have 18 left and this pile of debris can be recycled and turned back into throwable clay. I won't lie, there was a bit of swearing😜, bloody plates, oh well, lesson learned and I guess I'm making plates again🤣😊
This is the reality of pottery sometimes, it's not all fluffy bunnies and lovelyness.
**er *thappens

It doesn't get much more Cornish beach than these bits and bobs😊, a mixed bag of functional and "thingamajigs".
Most of these will be heading to just in time for the weekend🤪
Next week it will be time to start glazing plates so that could be interesting and,quite possibly traumatic🙊
Before the glazing starts I will be making more bits in order to take advantage of the quicker drying times due to the heat generated from the kiln, it's all about timing😜.

Another batch of plates now trimmed and waiting to dry as well as a batch ready to bisque.
I've tended to avoid making plates as they can be a bu**er. They also take up a lot of space in the kiln and so I've simply avoided them. I have actually enjoyed making these so, assuming they survive the next two stages, I may well add plates to my usual repertoire😜
Whatever I decide to make it always seems to take several attempts before I settle into my "groove" and achieve a modicum of consistency.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's kiln opening and hopefully the bud vases will pop

This week it's all plates.The first pic is a trimmed plate from a day or so ago and the other two pics are this morning's efforts.
As a one handed potter plates are "challenging" but, if you put a wee bit of effort in and don't get too dejected at the ones that fail, and they do, the end results are quite satisfying. Obviously a lot can happen between making and glazing but so far so good 😊
In the meantime my other bits and bobs can be found at the following outlets

Today, I had no plans on what to make. I was going to be trimming but not quite dry enough. I had a load of reclaimed clay, nice and soft and so I just went with the flow🤪, I bloody love em and have a few ideas re glaze. No, they aren't identical and no they aren't perfect but they are just right.

Hmm, this firing didn't go as well as expected.The first pic illustrates what the glaze should look like and the other pics show what it shouldn't do.
I'm not 100% sure why this glaze reacted the way it did and not every piece came out like this. I do know that it's a tad frustrating though, all that work and the end results not what you hoped for. It does make you much more appreciative when things do go to plan though🤪

I like to show the good with the bad as it gives a more accurate picture of what the pottery process can be like sometimes.

7 pots which will now be used as planters so at least they have some use😜

A cheerful start to the day. Sugar bowls / dip bowls and other bits and bobs.
I'm still undecided as to whether glossy turquoise would be better on the plates so I'll make another batch. I do like the matte look though.
I have another kiln load of bowls and mugs to glaze and then I'll be back on the wheel making plates of varying size.

Last week was all about bowls and plates. The last batch were trimmed yesterday and will now sit on my shelves drying out. The drying out process will be helped by tomorrow's bisque firing of plates mugs and a few sugar/dip bowls ( I think)
I'm keeping my fingers crossed with the plates as there is every chance they may warp, hopefully they won't but in my experience it pays to expect the worst and hopefully for the best with plates😜.
Tomorrow will be an attempt to tidy the shed a wee bit, this basically involves me moving stuff and then putting it back exactly where it was😆
I'll also have a ponder and a think about making something different although this can get frustrating as some forms are a bit out of reach for this particular one handed potter, doesn't stop me trying though😜

Doing something I haven't done for awhile, plates😱. For me personally these are probably the most frustrating item to make. For every good one I'll lose a couple and that's before they make it to the bisque stage.sometimes they will warp but some make it. The final part,glazing, is the make or break. When they work it's great😜 let's see how it pans out

The third firing of the week went well. I'm particularly happy with the marbled mugs, especially after yesterday's mishap. As I'd made a few marbled mugs I was a wee bit concerned that bad wedging would leave all the mugs with blisters (see yesterday's post). I decided to change tack and opted to try a very slow cooling glaze fire. This involves holding the kiln at a higher temperature for much longer than normal, amongst other things. This keeps the glaze in a liquid state for longer and my theory was that if any air was released during the process that the glaze would self heal. I had no idea of it would work but I'm delighted to say that it worked perfectly - all marbled mugs came out as intended and no blemishes 🤪, I'm a happy and relieved chappy.
I will delivering a few pieces to later today
Other stockists are

First pic is the best part of glazing,everything did as it should and came out lovely........ However, sometimes it goes wrong too. The bloated, blistered mugs weren't what was expected and the worst part ? My own fault🤪. The clay wasn't wedged properly and air has forced its way out during the glaze process. It wasn't apparent after bisque so I assumed ,as you do, that all was well.
Lesson learned though so onwards and upwards 😊. You certainly tend to learn lessons and they are usually harsh ones but you only make it once😜

has received lots of new stock today so, if you are around St Ives do pop in.
will be receiving stock tomorrow and Monday I will be delivering to

These are from this week's first glaze firing. I'm very happy with how these turned out and it is now time to get these out to the shops😊
This batch will be heading to,




I have another kiln load of goodies to fire today and then one more before it's back to the start again.
Other stockists are,

Carrying on with the nautical theme, turtles,whales,dolphin and pretty fish🤪
I'm already thinking about glazes and how they may look🙂. The designs were sketched out and cut out from slabs of clay id prepped a few days. I won't take all the credit though as the designs were drawn by my good friend
With Harleys drawing skills there may well be much more on the horizon🙂.

It has been a really eclectic week this week🤪
I'm also very pleased with myself as I finally bit the bullet and sourced a longer piece of plywood for my "popup" workbench, 4ft x 2 ft, size does matter🤣
When you don't have masses of space you have to improvise and it's amazing how useful a couple of trestles and length of plywood can be in a smaller pottery studio. When I don't need it it simply gets dismantled and stored out of the way, it's the simple things in life😜.

I'm trying something completely different from my normal 🤪 a change is as good as a rest apparently so I've decided to try some more fish and even some seahorses. These are handmade rather than moulds and I'm undecided as to what thickness to go with. I quite like the coloured clay look, I think more vibrant colours would work really well. I have a mix of 21 fishes and seahorses (plus a shark) and it's going to be a week or two until these are ready for bisque. Could be amazingly good or really terrible but there's only one way to find out😜
In the meantime I'm back on mugs and bowls 😎

A few weeks back one of my grandsons decided to make a cup, a sugar bowl and a teapot. He's 5. I fired them and glazed them. This is the result🙂. Bloody awesome wee objects🤪