Guest
Book & Comments
Currently being revamped, soon to be reinstalled but you can see some of the questions and replies we have had recently. Please use the email address on the contacts page if you want to send me something.
January
15th 2007
I am in awe of your work! I make slipware but in a far more 'clinical'
way. I just use bags of Scarva clay and a cream slip. I fire in
a very new top loading electric kiln. The kiln I purchased very
recently and have found it very difficult to reproduce the colours
and finish I got in my old electric kiln!! ( How bizarre and inexplicable
is that?)
I live in Surrey near Redhill and am fairly tied as I have three
sons all at school. I pot whilst they are all out at school.Where
is the nearest place I could see your work and buy something.
Is it possible to visit your workshop?
-
Margaret Brampton (Surrey)
Reply:
Thank
you for the email, you're the first to use the new facility on
my web site, how exciting! I'm rubbish with technology but I have
a friend who sorts it all out for me.
Good
to hear you're making slipware. Interesting what you were saying
about the difference in firing with your new kiln. Is the firing
significantly shorter, that could make a difference? These things
are never straightforward, I guess that's why we do it.
If
you're down this way at all please call round. I live about seven
miles from the workshop so give me a shout first.
I
don't know whether you'd fancy taking a chance with one of your
pots as I do have a tendency to turn everything brown, but if
you'd like to put something in one of my firings you'd be very
welcome.
As
regards my outlets, they're rather few and far between at the
moment. I've been doing the pottery part time until this week
when I've finally taken the plunge(woohooo!!!) so I've only really
been supplying a couple of galleries and doing the summer shows
and the odd exhibition here and there. I've got work in The Roundhouse
Gallery, Foston, Derbyshire and Contemporary Studio Ceramics in
Chagford, Devon. Obviously I've got to start getting it out and
about in the next few months so I'm going to be approaching galleries
nationwide. Either that or starve!
I'm
treating myself to a decent camera and some lights next week when
my redundancy cheque comes through so that I can get a proper
finished work page sorted out on my site with regularly updated,
better pictures of pots for sale. I'm going to be at Rufford and
Hatfield this year again.
I'm
chuffed to hear from you, thanks for getting in touch and for
looking at my site.
Good
luck with the slipware and if you do fancy woodfiring a pot or
two for fun, we can sort something out
Best
wishes
Doug
March
28th
Hello,
I
really enjoy reading your website and love the pots. Nice to see
wood fired earthenware. I hope to get to Rufford this year and
buy some of yours and Clive Bowen's pots. I am returning to N.Ireland
from Spain in May and want to start potting again. I used to make
ashglazed stoneware but my original inspiration to make pottery
came after seeing Clive Bowen pots in a magazine, and eventually
I want to make wood fired slipware.
I
never studied ceramics or pottery so at times I am fishing in
the dark, but I love to throw and have commited myself to becoming
a potter, therefore, I am seeking as much advice as possible.
I
plan to build a wood fired kiln myself but have no experience
in kiln builbing or wood firing. A 40 to 60 cu ft would be my
plan. A bit of advice would be great in regard as to where to
get kiln bricks and what types are needed.
-
Matt Liddle
Reply:
Hello
Matt
Thank
you for your mail.
The
cheapest source of bricks that I found was from a company called
Yorkshire Refractories, who are based in Halifax. They were a
great company to deal with and are happy to take time to advise
on the most suitable product for the job in hand. They also supply
ceramic fibre insulation blanket which I've used on the outside
of my kiln.
Mine
is about 64 cubic feet and I used about five hundred dense fire
bricks for the fireboxes and five hundred high temperature insulation
bricks (HTI) for the chamber. The chimney is built from common
house brick which is fine, certainly at earthenware temperatures
and a lot cheaper than specialist bricks which are very, very
expensive.
I
would recommend The Kiln Book by Frederick Olsen which has numerous
kiln designs in it if you're looking for plans. Amazon is probably
the best place to find it. Also Joe Finch has brought out a book
called Kiln Construction: a brick by brick approach. I haven't
seen inside the book but judging by the images on the cover it
looks good and Joe Finch certainly knows his stuff.
What
type of kiln are you thinking of building? Mine is a variation
on the Olsen Fastfire downdraft which seems to be ok for slipware
although it's taken me a while to get it right, but that's the
same with any new kiln I think. I've got hundreds of photographs
of my kiln at every stage of construction(some of them are on
this site) and you are very welcome to access them when the time
comes. I borrowed pictures from Sabine, Nic Collins's partner,
who built a kiln similar to mine and they were extremely useful.
Anyway,
thanks for reading the site and hope to meet you at Rufford. Please
feel free to give me a shout if you think there's anything I can
do to help and please keep me posted of your progress.
Good
luck!!!
Yorkshire
Refractories' site is
www.yorkshirerefractoryproducts.com
April
8th
Hello
Douglas!
Can
I say how delightful I find your site and see the beautiful work
that you do. As a recent ordinary 'collector' of pottery I find
your forms fascinating. The whole experience has been very educational
for me. Even at 68yrs I'm 'learning' still:-)
I
will try to get across to Chagford some time this summer and add
one of your pots to my 'ever-growing' collection.Being
an OAP means that I don't have lots of cash to throw away (poor
'ole s*d!), I'm sure I'll find enough for one of your beautiful
creations though:-).
I
managed to buy a couple of pieces by Sven Bayer on Ebay so who
knows - I may have something to leave to my heirs and successors!
I
am fascinated by the medium of clay and the art of the potter.
Being Dartmoor born & bred I was always aware of hard materials
- like granite, quartz, tin and its associated ores and minerals.
The
ability to master the art of turning Earth into such beautiful,
tangible and tactile objects is a gift indeed. I gently envy you.
I don't need to wish you success - you already have it. But I
thank you for lifting the curtain upon your craft a bit more for
me. I am the richer for it. Thank you for sharing.
-
Gerry 'Crying Fox'
Reply:
Dear
Gerry 'Crying Fox'
Thank
you so much for your kind words, I'm thrilled you enjoy my site
and that you like my work too. I'm hoping to start putting some
video streams on soon which should bring everything life.
Have
you ever come across Nic Collins who pots on the outskirts of
Moretonhampstead? He uses a lot of the Dartmoor minerals you mentioned
in your mail, adding quartz etc. to his clay. His pots reflect
his rugged Dartmoor surroundings, definately worth a trip if you're
on that side of the Moor. He's got a web site you may find interesting
www.nic-collins.co.uk
Well
done with the Svend pots. He's a wonderful potter. I used to help
him fire his kiln years ago and amassed quite a collection of
his work. Unfortunately I've just moved to a smaller house and
there's hardly space for my collection so they're all packed away
in boxes where they'll probably stay for my heirs and successors!
Expect I'll still keep collecting though!
Thank
you again for taking the time to write, please give me a shout
if you're in the Crediton area and drop by
Very
best wishes
Doug
May
19th
Douglas
A
pleasure to meet with you both today. Bottle is safely home and
liked by the management, which always helps; now have to find
free horizontal...hope Clayart was successful. You have a good
product and this website works well-as always it's the marketing
that makes the difference between success and failure! more shows,i
guess, with all the production disruption and expense that entails.
Good luck
-Simon Bird
Reply:
Hello
Simon
Lovely
meeting you at the weekend, it was a real pleasure to talk with
you. I enjoyed your passion for and understanding off pottery.
Great that the bottle was well received at home. I was pleased
with that piece so I'm glad you are too. As I probably mentioned,
I have a number of Buckley pots including a bottle and my trip
to Wales inspired me to make your pot based on the Buckley piece.
Hope
to meet you again soon, perhaps at Rufford in June?
Best
wishes and many thanks again
Doug
