Shaun Hall's Raku Ceramics Blogspot

It's that time of year again to wish my reader- happy Christmas! Just time to plug a Christmas/ New Year exhibition down in Westcliff on Sea at the WOA Gallery. http://idea13.org/event/november-preview-westcliff-art/ Some assorted work is en route. (see below- prior to boxing and sending) It's been a manic time combining teaching and getting stuff ready for exhibitions and sales. I will be glad of a rest and the chance to make some new pots again. I wish everyone a very happy and peaceful New Year. See you next year!

I was really pleased to have my "Pisces" pot featured in Ceramic Review's current January/February edition. It's in the Gallery section, and from previous experience- it's tremendously difficult to get your work submitted! I was lucky this time, a good photo helped- which seemed to capture the essence of the pot. Anyhow- at £9.50 per copy- CR mag is not cheap- but you can subscribe to it's online edition for a lot less than the print edition. It's always a fascinating read for potters, and full of good ideas and often quite radical work. On the front cover is sculptor Kerry Jameson. That's my pot in the bottom left corner. 

I was recently asked to make about 20 tiles all 20cm x 10cm for a customer. It really is challenging not only making them- (all the same!) but to fire them too and achieve a consistant -lasting result. Raku by it's nature is pretty randomn, and especially with copper lustre- the effects can be fleeting. I'll try and answer some of these points. Making:  Firstly- I made the tiles using roller guides- rolling onto a wooden board, covered with canvass or paper. They key thing is have enough space to work and not to lift or move them! They all need to be a uniform thickness so roller guides area  must. Use a template and a ruler- and a potter's knife to cut. A wooden board can be placed on top to stop warping. You will need to periodically check for this as they dry. Make more than you will need. Firing: Supposing you get through the bisque firing unscathed- it's the "fun" part. I place the tiles onto a pad of ceramic fibre onto the kiln shelf. This helps...

I can't believe I forgot to blog this pot-post! After a visit last month, from a nice customer, one of my copper matte pots is currently  travelling round the world- ( in India as we speak) en -route to it's new home in Melbourne, Australia.  It was nice to sell a work "face to face" from  a private gallery/studio visit, and to hear the customer's own interpretation of my work which was quite fascinating. I must admit, I had quite expected a different work to sell, but after much consideration, the piece pictured below was the one to go. You can never tell.  Needless to say I am very proud that this will be taking up residence in Oz. It's getting ridiculous- France, America, Australia, India ....all ticked off the "Pottery Tour Bucket List".   Melbourne on the map- and the pot in question- a Pisces now Australia bound. 

I was very lucky to have been asked to bring some work to Haylett's Fine Art Gallery in Maldon, Essex. The owner was very pleasant and requested some small items- and bowls with a view to bringing some larger pieces in the new year. I noted some ceramic work on show from Pam   Schomberg  and Richard Baxter - two well known Essex potters! Things have been quite lately, baring one or two very nice nice on-line commissions.  I've been using the time to make pots back in  the studio. It's been nice to do that, after all the problems I've experienced  recently, getting both my electric kiln and Raku gas kiln to work again! Therapy again....  Flyer for Haylett's Art Gallery  Greenware pots drying out Raku bowl

I thought I'd take stock of some of my pots at the weekend, with a view to pressing on and making some new work in the run up to .......(Christmas)-say it quietly! Summer proved a bit of a revelation sales wise- probably the best certainly since the recession kicked in - so maybe things are turning a corner. I've been doing all my usual regular supplies of Gallery stuff to   Buckenham   Galleries  (Southwold) and the  Taplin Gallery (Woodbridge). I'm also stocking work at Quirky Art in Denbeighshire, Wales. These days I get as many enquiries from online galleries as I do from "physical" galleries. The most notable that I sell on are Studio Pottery.co.uk and for me, at any rate- Rippingham Art. It's the way of things I suppose these days. It is sad not to exhibit in a real space for sure and to get to know the owners and proprietors- but there you go. Both Stephen Dee of Studio Pottery and Jan Rippingham though, have been really friendly, helpful and sup...

I've just had the scare of my working life! Last weekend I made some repairs to the firebricks in my electric top-loading kiln. The fire-cement was quite wet, but I 've done these repairs before.... however not with a new RCD circuit and trip switch fitted onto the house. The problem started on Sunday- I dried the cement out on Saturday- or so I thought- by placing an electric heater inside the kiln. Sunday- the kiln clicked once- then tripped off all the power. And kept doing it- OVER AND OVER AGAIN!   Disaster! I got Essex Kilns in, they asked if the fire cement was still wet. No I replied it's all dry. And yes it was touch dry- or so it seemed.  Out they come- "N othing wrong with the kiln mate-there's a small leak of  electricity onto the casing- makes it trip. Up the millampage from 30-100 that'll sort it and get it put on a separate RCD circuit.Bob's yer uncle."    Well with the prospect of hundreds of pounds of work looming, it made me s...