From Suffolk with Love

I spent a few lovely days in East Anglia earlier this month. Never realised how expansive that part of the UK is and how loooong it takes to get around - not exactly criss-crossed with motorways! The pace of life struck me as much more relaxed than in the South East where I live.

I had my camera at the ready for the inevitable pictorial record of the kind of sights I enjoy.

Walberswick nr Southwold, Suffolk

who's camera-shy?

can you spot them?

for Zanna

3 lions

weirdo at a momentum wheel in the museum of Saffron Waldon - I don't look a bit like him, honestly!

I made two little birdies on Mother's Day when I decided to be idle from dawn to dusk. I've since Raku-fired them coated in a shimmering glaze. Heads, tails and wings were covered in wax to prevent the glaze from adhering to the clay. In the kiln the wax burnt off. The fire produced during the Raku process turned the unglazed parts black. It's the first time ever I tried my hand at making sculptures. It may not be the last ... ;))

Mad Dog Raku

The song Mad Dogs and Englishmen often springs to my mind. 

It did again today when I came across a group of cyclists needing the fix of an 80 mile ride to enjoy this freezing Sunday in March. 

Yesterday I woke to a white blanket of snow. That didn't stop me from doing what I'd set out to do either: Spent the day in the open - temperature hovering around zero - with a group of similarly driven mad folk raku-firing our ceramic creations.

Our arctic pursuit was mercifully followed by an evening thawing out in front of my log-burner.... best invention ever ;)

Raku-firing is a hit and miss process. It was my unlucky day as quite a few of my pieces didn't survive the thermal shock to which they were subjected. But I had a few good results too. Here are three of them:

Hope you like them too :)

Easter Decorations: Bunnies, Chicks, Eggs & Hearts

Fresh out of the kiln are these ceramic Easter decorations. All individually made from earthenware clay and painted with selected brush-on glazes. 

Some of these chaps will soon be swinging from branches brought in from the garden. Others are on their way to my Folksy shop to bring Easter cheer to others :)

biscuits and more biscuits

It is rather cruel that the first firing cycle is described as bisque or biscuit firing.
When the pieces emerge from the kiln, they really do look like biscuits. 

A mean old trick especially to sweet toothed folk like me.
Right now, I've got no shortage of these inedible teasers around. All waiting to be glazed
followed by their second and final 1200+ degrees C sauna.

One giant biscuit - I mean teapot complete with spare lid

a bamboo handle will be added in time

heart-shaped bowls intended for mother's day waiting to be biscuit fired
I've been so busy that I won't be getting them finished in time
but I think they'll be lovely for all sorts of occasions 

ceramic Easter eggs in the making - I used lace for the patterns

drying bunnies awaiting their turn in the sweat-box

some cute little buttons - easily mistaken for biscuits

Test tiles - all with different combinations of glazes and oxides
they are going to be the most  exciting part of the next glaze firing

Will be showing some of these in their finished state soon - promise :)))

pots for purple lovers

I know there's not the tiniest clue anywhere in this blog ;)

But I just love the colour purple. 

Half the flowers in my garden are purple, blue, lavender and mauve. 

My office is painted in 3 shades of it. 

As is my bedroom. 

My car would be purple if only the colour had been on offer.

So you can imagine how delighted I was when this bowl came out of the kiln.

Thankfully, I have the glaze recipe. So I'll be making some more ;)