Shaun Hall's Raku Ceramics Blogspot

Well it's the New Year and I can't wait to get back to normal and back to potting. 2016 has been a year of  some lows (worrying about clay dust,  silicosis, cleaning the workshop top to bottom, to  make it squeaky clean.... Btw, happily I got the  all clear from the doc.), fluctuating gallery sales back home (thanks Brexit) but also the incredible visit from Curocarte all the way from India to buy work. It may never happen again...we'll see, but I have been overwhelmed by the support of Curocarte, their obvious love of craft, respect for the maker..you couldn't deal with a friendlier and enthusiastic and energetic group of people.  To end the year and begin the new..here are some highlights from their range...and that is Curocarte director Ananya Birla and team with one of my sculptural jugs at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai, celebrating the Elle Decor Awards 2016. Regardless of what comes next- it has been an unforgettable year..in some respects!:)

I was just messing around with a firing and I pulled this solitary copper matte piece from the flames. It's a bit of a cracker! (Not literally...) Last of 2016....and it's on show for sale at Rippingham Art. See you in 2017. https://theartonlinegallery.com/art/raku-pisces-xiii/

The work-shed repairs are nearly complete and I can't wait to get back in there at some point over the holidays and resume work. The first thing is to make some tea bowls...just to see if I haven't lost the knack. Hmmm.... Happy Christmas! Happy holidays to one and all, hope it's a peaceful one.

I've nearly finished renovating my workshed, so I am almost ready to resume working and about time. I am getting itchy fingers for the clay!  Meanwhile I've been having a studio sale of some good quality seconds....new work uploaded to Rippingham Art Online , and delivered work to Buckenham Galleries.  Just because I can I thought you might like a glimpse of some of the promotional imagery being used at Curocarte.  The magazine image is of course, GQ . Still can't quite believe it, but I am making the most of it  as they say! Links:  https://theartonlinegallery.com/artist/shaun-hall/   https://www.curocarte.com/in/countries/united-kingdom.html?dir=asc&order=name

Busy sorting out vases and sculptures and parcelling up pots for the winter show at Buckenham   Galleries    in Southwold this year. Here's some of  the pots prior to boxing up.  It's been a year to savour, and I always enjoy showing work at one of my favourite galleries in Suffolk!

Just been told that one of my pots is featured in an article in GQ magazine India. It gets more and more bizarre every day! It took me a while to work out what the mag actually was...stands for Gentlemen's Quarterly I think? Nice. Meanwhile, production has ground to a halt, whilst I paint and generally clean out the workshed. Paranoid about the hazards of clay dust, I decided for health and safety reasons, it was high time. Can't wait to get it finished and back to making,

Very pleased to be included in the gallery section of Craft and Design Magazine. A close up view of a two tone dish  and a gold-green "Pisces." Thanks guys! Meanwhile I am taking a break from potting to re jig the workshed, paint and clean, and re lay some flooring. As I get older I can't stress enough the need for a tidy shed what with clay dust etc. Got to be done!

Well I am busy making new work, not quite over the recent (pleasant) shock of the visit of those lovely Curocarte people all the way from India to my workshop in Essex! But work is progressing, thrown work complete, awaiting firing, and now slab pots being constructed.  I can't wait to get the batch complete and the fun part of actually rakuing again. In the meantime, I am just so proud to be associated with Curocarte in India .

Well the dust has settled now and I can tell you about a lovely opportunity  to team up with Mumbai based company, CuroCarte. Founded   by Ananya Birla , Curocarte aims to source work by artisans from around the world to showcase their talents in an online design/retail website. From what I gather it is mainly aimed at the emerging Indian market and all I can say is that I am "chuffed" with the link up. I was visited by Pragya Awashthi who   came direct from Mumbai to my studio and workshop. I cannot praise Pragya enough and the founding principles of the company, the website is now live and you can judge for yourself. I have to keep pinching myself that this actually just happened. Well back to reality, back to the workshed... CUROCARTE WEBSITE:  https://www.curocarte.com/default/countries/united-kingdom.html

Some interesting stoneware crater and textural glazes tests. I think there may be something workable in these tests for a sculptural piece.The colours are more muted and stoney, but it might just work on a larger sculptural piece.. I really enjoyed seeing these results, reminds me of the need to experiment!