The Owl and the Pussycat provided the theme for Verity’s 7th birthday party celebrations at the weekend. Partygoers got to sample the potter’s wheel as well as various hand-modelling techniques. The fantastic weather allowed the group to picnic on the pottery lawn afterwards.
Archive for Author Jon
Collaborative Clay Construction
It was good to be back at the St Thomas Children’s Centre this week.
I spent the morning in the willow room, working with groups of talented 2-3 year olds. The aim – to start work on a huge collaborative planter.
We all sat around the circular table singing along to the “squeeze squeeze, roll roll, roll faster, roll faster” song, an improvised ditty instigated by one of the young potters.
Once the coils had been smoothed, the children took great delight in dowsing the pot with paintbrushes loaded with water – the resulting and spectacular ‘mess’ provided the perfect sticky surface for the children’s models and textured blobs.
In the afternoon, the stay and play crowd (parents and children) added to the piece with modelled suns, trees, birds and flowers.
It’s a Mug’s Game!
Mary and friends dropped by the Pottery last week to sample our one and a half hour hand-building taster session.
Once the ladies were settled in and sorted for tea and fresh coffee, they were treated to a coilpot demonstration. Although it is an age old, simple technique, we suggest a variety of approaches and creative interpretation. On this occasion, the participants decided to make personalised mugs – and very striking they were too!
The groups masterpieces will be fired, glazed and ready for collection in a few weeks time.
If you fancy a go yourself, then please contact the pottery (Tel 01531 633886, or email admin@eastnorpottery.co.uk to book your session. Places cost £20 and there’s no minimum order – so you could even come on your own if you so wished!
Sensational Clay
Brearley and Teviot Nursery Open Day
This magnificent collaborative coil pot was made by parents and children attending Brearley & Teviot Nursery open day 2011.
Other attractions included a police car, complete with officers and their sniffer dogs, a fire engine, bouncy castle and face-painting.
