Ceramic college

25/05/2026

Making your own glazes means lots of testing to get the right fit for the clay you apply it to and the temperature you are firing your kiln to. So when everything goes right the pieces look amazing, but when the raw material doesn’t respond to what the label says things can go wrong. Some raw materials have different names and some are pure evil!

19/05/2026

Layering of glazes and clays gives ceramics, depth and visual information that moves the eye around the piece. The questions, it also produces are so much fun to listen to . What glazes have you used? What order did you put them on? What is this here? Potters are always inquiring, I love our conversations with each other.

11/05/2026

Pink and white. Great combination of glazes looking amazing on Lila’s coffee mug and on Freddy’s figure. Not forgetting little Riley’s fluffy white coat.

07/05/2026

We are coming up to our third week in the term and some beautiful handmade pieces have been made. These will go on the bisque shelf ready for their first firing. The black cups have been made on the wheel and then hand cut to create a beautiful surface for the glaze to sit on.

01/05/2026

Had to pull myself away from Friday mornings creative space, watching the kiln opening and the glaze experiments being done, as well as the excitement I have with the church window getting mixed, so to charm down I took the dog for a walk on Cheltenham beach. I hope you are all enjoying this stunning autumn day today while we have it.

30/04/2026

I have seen some beautiful pieces the students have glazed this term, no longer sitting on the shelves. The bowls by Kathryn are made with a stone clay and clear glazed. The birds are part of a New Zealand themed mobile to be posted to England, and Rebecca is going to put a blue tipped orchid in her white and alkaline blue planter. It’s great to hear the stories behind each piece being made and can imagine how they will all look in their new homes.

25/04/2026

23/04/2026

What a stunning day Auckland has had today. Kathryn has found the perfect spot to sand her bowls before glazing them. Thursday morning class was so relaxing and a pure joy to be part of. Thank you to all the students who came and shared the space.

22/04/2026

It is such a pleasure seeing returning students and getting to know new ones. I’m still buzzing with the creative energy in the studio. Thanks heaps for supporting the college and making it a happy place for everyone. Hand building, having a go on the wheel and glazing pieces made last term. I’ll will pop in on the remaining classes and say hi.

19/04/2026

I’m going through the boxes of past work and feeling very proud and thankful of the times spent with other artists in the studio. and what a pleasure it was to share our ideas and thoughts and try and solve the world at the same time. The world from a women’s view and the strength we have as a collective group. It makes me reflect on how powerful we can all be.

17/04/2026

The joy of school holidays and spending time with little ones. So awesome that I get to spend time with my grandchildren and make breakfast together with the added bonus of using homemade pottery. If it breaks we just make another one. No problem, life couldn’t be better.