The 'Pocket Rocket'

I fired a new experimental kiln this week. It turned out to be a good firing. Cone 10 was flat and glazed on one shelf and Cone 9 down on another set of cones. I introduced salt and soda whilst firing the kiln with gas and wood. It is only a small test kiln so I have called it my 'Pocket Rocket'

Some of the pots will be with me at the shows over the next couple of months.

Potfest in the Pens, Penrith. August
Art in Clay, Hatfield. August
Pots and Food, Wardlow. September
Ceramics in the City, London. September
Made by Hand, Cardiff. October

New pots added to my selling site

I have just added this Teacup to my selling site

Textured and stamped Tea Cup.
Black, iron rich Tenmoku type glaze which has broken to a rust red on the textured lines
9cm x 8cm
£42.00 incl P&P(UK)
International shipping available, please message me for details.

New pots from this weeks firing.

Here are a few quick snaps from this weeks firing. Not the greatest images, but luckily there are some good pots in there. Most of these will be with me tomorrow at the Hay-on-Wye Thursday market. I will be in the Butter market from 8.30 until 1pm

For the Market at Hay I mostly take my pots for food and drink, serving it, eating from it, or drinking from it. Prices start from £15.00 for a beaker. There will also be a sale box of slight seconds and older pots.

Some new pots from this weeks firing

Here are a few pots from this weeks firing.....a pleasing firing....a couple of cock ups, but totally of my own making!

These and others will be coming with me to the Hay-on-Wye Thursday Market next week.

 

Pots avaiable via Midgley Green

It was a great pleasure to meet the guys from http://www.midgleygreen.com/shop/ Their enthusiasm for handmade work of all sorts of materials is infectious. I'm very pleased to have some work available via their online shop.

They have written some lovely words about my work and practice.....

 
Based in the rural countryside of Carmarthenshire Tim Lake produces his beautiful ceramic tableware. As a potter Tim is influenced by a vast array of cultures and objects, his pieces hold a reference to a long line of Japanese and Eastern influenced pots but on the other hand they also seem full of life with contemporary input. It is a difficult task to come across pots that are truly alive and playful yet raw and earthy, Tim strikes that balance perfectly. The St Agnes clay that performs such an important role in creating the rough textural finish in his work is then confronted with the painterly slip that is applied onto the surface, which appears light and effortless. Tim works with the very traditional clays, slips and firings that are common practice in studio pottery but his ceramics hold on tightly to a progressive movement forward bearing in mind contemporary needs and aesthetics.

This White Slip Bowl is exquisite. Not a term that we would normally use but we have fallen entirely for the exposed rugged tactile underside that is complimented with the smooth brushed upper surface. The sense of unknowing in the process, almost as if this bowl was a happy accident keeps us wondering, how an earth did Tim do that?!. But of course Tim is a very talented potter and he knows his practice extremely well. The Bowl is reduction fired to around 1300°C, this creates an environment for the glaze to react to the heat by bursting into colour or slightly crackling. A history is formed in the making.

 

Teeming with textures, tones, colours and contours, these Teacups are a sensual delight. The ritual of sitting down to tea or coffee is only enhanced by the use of these pieces; they engage you with their ever-changing surface. Using Ash glazes, red clay and white slip, each cup holds an ancient tradition in its making which can be felt through the finish. It is a truly wonderful and enriching experience to use these Teacups daily.

Clay and Lime is set up

Clay and Lime is set up! Ready to have the first visitors tomorrow from 10am. I'll need to do a bit of titivating before they arrive, but pretty happy with how the show looks. Joe has hung some fantastic new pieces and as usual they compliment my work perfectly.
If you look carefully at some of the images you'll spot a rare sight.....some porcelain. I haven't made any porcelain for years, but I've had some bags of the stuff for ages which I normally turn into slip for slipping bisque ware.....we will see how it's received by the visitors to the show.
Looking forward to seeing lots of friendly faces over the next few days.

Clay & Lime returns for 2016

I'm happy to say that Joe Morris and I are returning to The Spring Gallery at The Poly, Falmouth this month for the fifth Clay & Lime exhibition. The show will run from 19th - 25th April. We will be having a evening opening on Tuesday 19th between 7pm - 9pm, it would be great to see lots of people there.

I'm looking forward to coming back to Falmouth for the week having been in Wales now for a few months and as always looking forward to putting on the show Joe. It's always exciting to see what fantastic new pieces Joe has to show and see our work sitting together again.

Hope to see you at the show.