20th November - Students are currently studying a teapot and lighting project. As part of the project they have been introduced to moulds and mould making. They also have to make and cast from mould during the projects. This week they visited Potterycrafts to see their mould making department and get an idea of the high [...]
29th September -The second place in Japan the students visited was Tokyo. They stayed in Asakusa, a relatively quiet area of Tokyo reminiscent of 'Old Tokyo' on the west side of the city. This is also the location of the Buddhist Senso-ji Temple and the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Compared to Mashiko this was a very different experience of [...]
In September 12 students from Clay College went on an immersive trip to Japan. This was to augment their understanding of Japanese ceramic techniques and inform their future practice. The visit also enabled a long term link between the College and potters in Japan, specifically Mashiko to develop. 24th September - After a long flight [...]
Stoke on Trent has a rich history of ceramics and is renowned for its bottle kilns. However the last bottle kiln was fired in the city in August 1978. To mark the 40th anniversary of this event a summer programme of activities had been organised by Gladstone Pottery Museum. This culminated in a final festival [...]
The wood kiln that was chosen for the college was a train kiln designed by renowned Australian potter, Steve Harrison. Steve has an international reputation for his pots, for making his own clays and glazes from local materials and for his hand-built electric, gas and wood-fired kilns. He joined the students for two weeks to [...]
During a the first half of the year whilst most days were spent at the main site of Middleport, time was also found to work and finish preparation on the site the wood kiln was to be built. Over winter Richard Heeley (Tutor) had begun with preparations on site. The area to be used had [...]
April brought with it better weather and the opportunity to fire reduction fire pieces made for stoneware briefs. In many cases this was the first opportunity students had had to reduction fire and work with a gas kiln. Onsite there is a large brick gas kiln that students use for firing. Using this kiln helps [...]
