Firings and more firings - success and disaster

This week has been madness. I have done so many firings that I lost count! I have also been mainly glazing for 9-10 hours a day. It is quite tiring. Today was back to back firings. I unloaded the the kiln, first in the morning, and loaded for glaze-firing.

Monday morning- Glaze-firing. Are you ready? Start!

Tuesday - back to back firing. This is top shelf. 

These two didn't have space in the kiln. 

There were several whippets on the lower shelf. Ah-oh! This new batch of bronze glaze is disaster! It needs adjustment... and it needed more tests!

Yesterday - Because of potential loss of whippets, I had to quickly make more! So I also made three bunnies! :D

Anteater, masks and accessories! 

The first this morning, I unloaded the kiln. All are safe! 

Empress seems happy,too! 

Back to back! The kiln was loaded for glaze-firing. 

After this, I spent a half day to pack and send the orders today. One of them was a complicated one! I hope they travel safely

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Look at this brochure. My Hope is in it! I will be at Windsor Contemporary Art Fair, 8-9 Nov. PV is on the 7th. Invitations and more details are here. 

People who made the fair so lovely! - Landmark midsummer Art Fair 3

Mike and I went to London to see Matisse at the Tate today. It rained in London again!  Despite that, it was a lovely exhibition, and we both enjoyed it. I even bought a Tate original coloured card set to make cut-out like his! I am so easily influenced! :D I will share the experience next time. 

Tate gallery, London

Today is the last of the art fair story. I would like to introduce the lovely people I met at the fair today. One of the joy of our lives is to meet nice people. 

I have already thanked visitors. Here I would like to thank volunteers. Everyone was wonderful! We made friends with an elderly couple. They had been always helpful and kind. Thank you so much! 

We had met lovely exhibitors. Sadly I didn't take everyone's pictures, but here are some of my neighbours.

Arleen Wild is so kind and friendly. Everyone loved her. She makes her work from by acrylic painting and textile.  

Arleen Wild

Alan Emsden's works are sensitive and peaceful. His works were popular. His wife is so lovely and supportive. A very nice couple!  He told me that he could hear my 'people' humming together!  

Alan Emsden

Bridget Skanski-Such showed her Morris dance skill before the fair was open. Amazing! She also uses textile to make her beautiful work. She is from Lincolnshire. 

Bridget Skanski-Such

Diane Haddon-Moore uses strong colours. Her work looks dynamic. Her husband and I chatted about his experience in Japan.

Diane Haddon-Moore

Irina had manned, oil painter, Anna Ravliuc, her mother's stand. She has a business degree. What a nice combination! She is standing next to two paintings I loved. 

Anna Ravliuc's work with Irina

Dawn Reader, oil painter, paints cool landscapes. One of them was with penguins. Mike and I loved it. She went to see them!  I'm jealous. Her partner is Swedish Aikido-ka.

Dawn Reader

Orson Kartt, from Suffolk, is funky. His work is the mixture of humour and irony. Social political agenda like Zimbabwe's inflation is his theme.    

Orson Kartt

There are more people I made friends with although they were not close to my stand. Stephanie Wilkinson is a local artist, and she is also on twitter. Her work is beautiful.

Stephanie Wilkinson

Glass artist, Alma Caira lives in Whitstable, a sea side town near to Canterbury. I have seen her work before. Mike, especially, loves her chickens and fish, She also teaches glass art.

Alma Caira

So that was my adventure.  

 

   

Landmark midsummer Art Fair 1

Landmark midsummer art fair at Teddington was fun. Fortunately, it went well for me even though it had been a bit quiet due to, most probably, the glorious weather we had had. We came home after 9pm exhausted last Sunday. Poor Mike couldn't take any time off this week. Even so, he surprised me by saying it was such fun that he would love to do it again. How wonderful! I have recovered from fatigue after having two good nights sleep.

It was built to be a cathedral, but remained unfinished for a long time. 

This is my stand, In hindsight, I have created way too many for the space. But I prefer being well-prepared.

During daytime

 As light changed, they showed different expression.

I am talking to visitors. 

All three days, the weather had been so good. I would have been to beach if I hadn't been there! 

High street

A pub

We walked to Teddington Lock after a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant. I had Dorset crab. : ) It was the longest day.

Over the bridge, I heard typical parrot calls. There were three Indian ringneck parakeets flying over us. Amazing! Then I saw two town pigeons flew over us and landed on a metal structure on the bridge about 5 meter ahead. Mike told me to be careful, as they could soil clothes. I looked up. One lifted his tail, and his dropping came onto a young man's shoulder! Oh dear! As I witnessed, I said very loud 'Ah, the pigeon pooped on him!' His girlfriend looked at the mess laughing. She gave him a Kleenex. 

The bridge a pigeon pooped on a man's shoulder. 

Just in case you wonder how we loaded everything in our tiny Yaris. This way! It took us an hour or more to put everything in. Next time we will hire a van. :D

  

Where the wind blows, Hope and Freedom

Hello. Beautiful sunshine came back. I am so glad. I thought our summer was over as soon as I put our winter clothes away!

Our house is full of boxes. In order to solve the space problem in our little car, I got Really useful boxes from the loft, and emptied the contents, our winter clothes, into bin liners(!) and packed loose delicate works. They are stackable, so I hope this will save some space.

Some of my pieces are really difficult to pack. As you know, I sell online, so I usually make something easy to ship. But for exhibitions, shows and art fair, I enjoy creating more free style pieces. This, of course, causes some headache and heart break when I have to pack them.

Where the wind blows. She is attached to a steel rod. This caused such a problem. But Mike with his great engineering brain, came up with solution. I hope she will be intact.

Where the wind blows

Where the wind blows - detail

I love this angle.

Hope
She comes with Travertine plinth, which is attached to her feet. This requires a careful balancing act. The real problem is her arm and little flowers on her head. Lots of bubble wraps are strategically placed around her.

Hope

Hope

Freedom
She was even more difficult to pack. She is too tall for most boxes in our house. Her arm is sticking out quite a lot. Travertine plinth is also attached. In the end, she went to a box without a lid and then to a Really useful box. Her arm is sticking out from the box!

Freedom

Freedom - detail

I hope all will make it to Teddington. Fingers crossed!

Art in Clay in Hatfield and Susanne Lukacs-Ringel's beautiful porcelain

Hello everyone. Mike and I went to Art in Clay in Hatfield today. We have visited several times in past. We usually get caught by rain, but, today it was just lovely, sunny and hot!

As we drove from Kent to Essex, we cross the Thames via the tunnel under the river. On the way back, we go over the Thames with this a beautiful bridge. I thought nobody wants to see the picture of the tunnel, so I share that of the bridge here. ; )

Woohoo! A nice view!

I saw two old style Double Deckers on the motorway. This one is really old one. Probably it was made in 1950's. I also saw the one I used in 1980's. People including myself used to hop in and out when the bus stopped at the signals. It was a fun! 

Old style Double Decker

Hatfield house is a very old house built in early 17th century. Lord Salisbury still lives there. The ground is huge. It is a park.

Hatfield ground

 While we were sitting on the bench and eating our lunch, I saw this. Huh? Topaz!

The dog jumped up to the air to kiss the lady on the right. 

She looks just like Topaz! 

I took this photo from distance, so I guess the dog is a bit larger than Topaz, but the appearance and behaviour were just like our Topaz. She and Pearl were well looked after by our lovely Theresa at home.

There were several marquees in the ground. We saw this display in one of them. This dish is large, about 60 cm in diameter.

In the first marquee, I fell in love with these beautiful porcelain made by Susanne Lukacs-Ringel from Germany. (Links at the end)

Porcelain fired in wood firing kiln, Anagama, Japanese style kiln.

Last year she has visited a potter in Japan. She told us that she had very exciting experience there. She is a friendly nice lady. It was such pleasure to purchase her works. We bought a pair of coffee cups and saucers.

Outside has orange blush

Saucers and inside are celadon. 

She apologised that she only had crumpled papers to wrap them; new ones were already ran out. We didn't mind. We are recycling type! She gave us this Japanese bamboo spoon. Isn't it lovely?

Japanese bamboo spoon

It looks very nice with the set!

And I kept the best part until now. A sneaky view of inside. See? Now you know why I fell in love with them.

Beautiful celadon

 And the back of saucers have this beautiful warm orange colours.  I love them!

After that, we got some ice cream. I had rum raisins, and Mike Vanilla. £3 each per scoop! I first thought it was rather expensive, but they were delicious! Mine had real rum in it! So I think it was worth it.

Mike is ordering ice cream. : )

It was about 29 c. We went from autumn to summer suddenly. 

Sheep look hot, too! Fleece needs to be cut!  By Jonathan Barrett-Danes

 Mike took this photo. He said that water looks so attractive in this heat.

Sarah Cox Ceramics

We bought our ceramic supply and decided to head back. Mike spotted a nice vintage Mercedes. There were lots of Jaguar, Audi and Mercedes and Porsche in the parking.

Ours? This little red Toyota. : ) I am resting while Mike took photos.

Our little Toyota., Yaris 

Mike was taking this scene. Many exhibitors have stayed in tents for three nights for this show.  I always think it's a tough job. I can't bear. Remember? It often rains. But this year, I hope they had pleasant camping.

Once we were back home we watched Andy Murray's victory. It has been a lovely day for everyone. (well, except for Djokovic...)

Susanne Lukacs-Ringel's Website
Her main gallery

Hatfield House

Art in Clay