18.03.13

As I wrote in the recent post about mugs, my cousin, who lives in China, asked if I would make a series of pots for him as a birthday gift for his sister, one of which was a water jug. I am really pleased that he asked for it has lead to some unexpected results, the first of which being the pulled handles for my mugs rather than the ‘cut’ ones I was going to use. I love the process of pulling handles and enjoy the vitality of the results. The other unexpected consequence is that to throw the water jugs I am using about twice as much clay as I have thrown with before (1200g or just under 3lbs), which has lead me to think more generally about pot size. On the back of that I have increased the size of two of my pots, the little milk jug and the beaker. I have not increased them by much but enough to make them more practical on an everyday level.

This was my second attempt at creating a jug. It’s approximately 17 cms high. The handle is out of proportion and the balance isn’t great. I also kept coming back to some drawings in my note book.

Last Friday, I put a handle on this jug.

It is about 20 cms high. I don’t yet know how it feels as it hasn’t been fired yet, but I like how it looks, so we are getting somewhere. Thank you to my cousin for challenging me to make a water jug; I am grateful on many fronts.

If you are in the area tomorrow, don’t forget the opening of the workshops here in Shipley, West Yorkshire. The Lord Mayor will be performing his official opening duties at 5pm but I’ll be in my workshop from 12pm until 8pm. I hope to see you then…