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Coming Soon

I am currently preparing for two important events in the studio after a very quiet summer.

Two years ago I took part in the Makers Cornwall Christmas Fair at the Falmouth University campus in Penryn. It was the most successful and enjoyable event that I have been part of. Everyone was so friendly and the organisation was great so this year I applied to do it again and I got in!

The fair is open, with free entry and free parking, on the following dates:

Friday 6th November 6pm-9pm – cocktails and live music.                              Saturday 7th November 10am-4pm – with street food and cafe.                    Sunday 8th November 10am-3pm – the final brilliant day for shopping.

More information about the event can be found here. Put it in your diary as a great place to shop for locally crafted Christmas presents. .https://www.makerscornwall.co.uk/christmas-fair/

Put it in your diary as a great place to shop for artizan crafted Christmas presents.

The second event is at Trelissick House which is the home of the Cornwall Craft Association. I am honoured to have been asked to be the ‘focus maker’ for the autumn which means that I have a display of work in the foyer of the gallery space. Details of the gallery and all the important stuff such as opening hours can be found here

It is almost time to deliver the work which will be on display by the end of the month. I will give more details here once the event is up and running but, just to wet your taste buds:

Can Ceramic Art Be Sustainable?

I talk a lot of pompous guff about making art in response to the ‘reckless behaviour of man’? Yet, how can I claim to care for my planet and, at the same time, talk about artists needing to hold everyone to account for the damage we are doing to our World whilst, at the same time, making artefacts which will last for ever? Ceramics, more than most art media is guilty of adding to the problem so what right do I have to preach about it?

In an attempt to solve this dilemma I have been having conversations and trialling some new ideas: work which is still made with clay as the main material but where the clay is not fired. Technically, it isn’t ceramic as it never goes through the chemical changes which the kiln subjects clay to. The good thing is that it can be returned to the earth when finished with and won’t hang around until the end of time. The question that I am left with is, why would anyone buy something which could disappear in the next shower of rain?

I begin to think that I might be getting there. Recent experiments are looking quite promising.

Raw clay polished and mounted on bark

It seems that polishing raw clay has been going on for centuries and Japanese Hikaru Dorodango, polished spheres from mud which are very beautiful and fetch hundreds of pounds so . . . .