03/09/2009 by PottyonPots.

And sadly no wiser!!  Been a mad couple of months - as decided to go out to the Art markets, and had some pieces selected for a gallery in Arundel. Some were fantastic and nearly cleared me out of stock, and some were just opportunities to cook myself or freeze to death for little return! Still I now know have a list of the good ones so hopefully will avoid the bad’uns next year! Been mainly working on commissionsand tableware for the last few months - it has been too hot in my pottery to work on sculpture, and have needed to work on saleable wares, but looking forward to a lonely quiet autumn when i can feed my inner artistic hermit!

Going to go to a costume art fayre (medieval) at Chateau Larcher in  September dressed as a medieval wench! We have to be costumed, and I couldn’t really see Guinevere selling pottery (or me as Guinevere, to be honest)

I am just over halfway to my target sales for the year so hopefully can hit it during the winter Christmas period and feel like I have done something constructive (and paid for my new kiln as the old one died in July

So I have some peace, 350 kg of clay………………all I need now is some inspiration!

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20/05/2009 by PottyonPots.

Not happy at the mo, the artisan market season has arrived and it has rained at 2 out of 3 so far!

I’m sure when we moved here , I was told Poitou-Charentes had its own micro-climate and the second most sunny days a year in France! Must be the number of English here, as my french neighbour tells me frequently!

Still , in a stoical English way, it’s good for the garden! But not for budding marketeers!! I am thinking of going to some medieval markets (they seem keen on them here) but  not so keen on dressing up, which you have to do, my husband says my own look is approaching  medieval peasant anyway, after a year here!Bless, he says the sweetest things !

My kiln is against me, too! 2 elements fused in one week, when I was trying to fire all the stock for the may markets, Grrh! Who’d be an artist, people think you flounce around in a smock having big ideas, but mostly you are arguing  with suppliers, mending equipment that won’t play or sticking 100 brooch pins on the backs of animals (not real animals- that would be unnecessarily cruel!) Speaking of which…………

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12/05/2009 by PottyonPots.

I know, I know, I’ve been bad, and haven’t posted forever! So much for my new year’s resolution!

In my defence, Your Honour, I’ve been busy! As Follows:

• Front garden- remodelled
• Veg garden dug and planted
• Pottery floor tiled
• Hot water(and water!) installed in pottery
• kitchen finished
• upstairs (currently the Village hall!) started
• craft fair schedule booked for 09
• Portfolio designed and gone to print…………..
• First adverts in France placed
• Leaflets produced
• Oh and i did do some pottery too!

So you can see that the flesh has only just grown back on my fingers to type now!

But seriously, this year is about Meerkating - sorry Marketing - apparently I am not allowed to hide, humming to The Prodigy (have you ever tried humming to The Prodigy -quite an achivevement) in my studio wearing my pyjamas  anymore!!(I am actually wearing them at the mo, but don’t tell anyone!)

I have to go out to shows and meet people and show them my work! I am quite shy about that (nothing else apparently!) My Marketing-savvy sister and i did a tour of some local shows, apparently shyness, sulleness, and even downright apathy are not that uncommon to the artist exhibiting - so I feel a bit better!

I have designed my stall, laid it out and now have to engage people - cor ! think i’ll stay in my pyjamas in the pottery for a while!

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26/09/2008 by PottyonPots.

It is freezing in my pottery…… I can only do an hour tops at a time before my hands stop working. Him indoors has replaced the roof (brilliant) but it is not insulated yet, and there is a 10 inch gap around the eaves that the north wind whistles through. I am having a ” doing my commissions” phase of work at the moment…. and getting distracted by a new texture and colour thing - I’m into Damask , don’t ask me  why!!! I also want to start the tiles for my bathroom, and think I want to do tubelined art nouveau panels. I also need to do about 40 edging moulding tiles as well - so far done 6…..

Here are some piccies of the current work in the raw , I am currently underglazing on leather hard work to get the colours more “in the clay”.

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09/09/2008 by PottyonPots.

It’s been a busy old month here at Dwarf’s bottom, not least due to the eternal stream of visitors that a bad British summer (is there any other kind?) has brought to our door. The pottery has a new roof and I am almost ready to open my upstairs Gallery as an “atelier ouvert”… which brings me to my current dilemma…. I have nothing to show them!!

All of my pieces are now ensconced in two galleries at either end of Poitou Charente!!! This is very good and I have sold some pieces in them, but now I have to “create” in super fast speed in order to show anyone who might wander in …. and hopefully sell them , hmmm!

I also want to do an atelier ouvert before christmas -with mulled wine (any excuse for mulled wine I think ) What do you think?

Anyway I am currently busy bringing in the Dwarf’s bottom lavender harvest, and  torturing him indoors with my endless courgette supply -suggestions for use of courgettes gratefully received!!!

My granny is currently in the lead with Courgette jam/toffee whic she has made by the jar ful!!

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17/08/2008 by PottyonPots.

Well time passes and projects are devised and completed - or nearly completed here at Dwarf’s bottom. The Olds are out for august and mark the start of a steady flow of Brit visitors throughout August and September. Dad was extremely unhappy as I had asked him to bring me a bit (95kg) of raw glaze materials from the UK and became extremely alarmed when this transpired to be 95kg of white powders in plastic bags!! He carried the potters’ suppliers receipt with him at all times on the ferry! Last time he brought over my new kiln - which he thought looked like a nuclear reactor!!

We have just taken the entire roof off the pottery and replaced it in the last two weeks ! Him indoors is exhausted and desperate to go back to work (not least because of his imminent family arrival

I have become obsessed with the idea of the cricket who sang all summer and starved in the winter so am obsessing about heating and insulation and also manically freezing my vast courgette crop ( him indoors is not happy about this!)

I also frightened my neighbour by shouting (to no-one in particular) in my garden -

“I’ve got two little melons!!!” - a point which is manifestly untrue (but is in terms of my charentais ones that have finally appeared

When he mentioned this in the bar the follwoing night I reassured him that my pumpkins were indeed massive, and I had no idea what to do with them, ….other than soup!!

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07/07/2008 by PottyonPots.

Did my first craft show yesterday, courtesy of a fantastic lady called Samanta who creates beautiful silver jewellery - check out her site www.samantabijoux.eu/.

She was exhibiting in Montalembert (my commune) and let me put some of my work out on her stand! It was very quiet, but sold a piece and was heartened by the interest,both english and french in the pieces, and hopefully will have some visits to my atelier soon. Will have to polish up my pottery french as a few of the french guys wanted to know the technicalities of their creation!

It reminded me a bit of our local village fetes to be honest! A parisienne with a local holiday home is interested in a handcut mosaic of her grandfather’s photo - how cool would that be!

Currently working on the first piece of series called “dance of the ancients” inspired by the beautiful old trees around us here- been mulling it over for weeks so quite excited to actually get going -here are the greenware shots….

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30/06/2008 by PottyonPots.

Today is the day they turn the power up (i hope) and I can finally turn on my big kiln ! There is a selection of stoneware and porcelain pieces sitting forlornly on my shelves, waiting to be glazed - but if the power comes do I load the whole kiln and risk trashing it all, or put one sacrificial piece in all on its own ????

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05/06/2008 by PottyonPots.

Today was mostly a good day three eggs (full production), no exploded pots (V unusual!) and only rained at 5.30pm (so much for french weather!)
Tomorrow is a big day - I get a day out with him in doors at Limoges (Centre of Porcelain) and also location of Ceradel Potterycrafts of France! I definitely need some supplies! and some fun!
It is also the day the kiln I am sniping ends on ebay- oh the excitement!
It is exactly what I want hopefully at a much reduced price - it will have to travel from the UK with my parents but I’m sure it will survive!
Then on Monday the electric board come to see if they can upgrade our supply from two lightbulbs and a TV to enough to run a stoneware tempt kiln! I only have my earthenware at the mo
Then on Tuesday I have to take our car for the Controle Technique (like an MOT) and thurs I pick my new kitten up - what stress! may have to goto bed for the week after!
Here is a wetware shot I quite like this but it is stoneware and too big for my current kiln - here’s hoping!

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05/06/2008 by PottyonPots.

Hi Let’s call me Potty on Pots  and I am 36. I am married to Him Indoors. In April we upped and left the UK to start a new life in Poitou-Charente, France!

Andy was a farmer and now works as a builder, I was an It Manager and am trying to carve out a new career as a ceramic artist. This was a hobby for a couple of years ! this blog will tell of our trials and tribulations!

We are also doing a bit of the “Good Life” growing veg and  having chickens, so there will be a wide range of items discussed!

We have three dogs - 2 Springer Spaniels  Yogi and Paddy and a Jack Russell called Suzi, we also have three chickens Fifi, FrouFrou and Elle.Arrving next friday is another new member Marmalade the ginger tom kitten! No wonder my family call me Ma Larkin!

Iwould love to hear from other potters especially in France!

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