Today I started work early so that I could get a lot done before the garden is filled with visitors. It is lovely being in the workshop this early, the birds are singing and the light is lovely. Now that the piece is built, i have a lot to do to create the surface and […]

Almost there… Phewwwwwww!Tomorrow i will start to work on the surface.

Almost there, feeling exhausted today, wouldn’t mind being the dog!

The piece is coming on nicely, I am now coiling the sides in and slightly up so that the form has a definite shoulder and a gently curved top that is pleasant to sit upon. Now that it is dry enough to hold its own weight, I will wrap the lower section. I want to manipulate […]

Last layer before I start to bring it sharply in. It’s a lot of work at this stage and my fingers are pretty sore, but I am very pleased with it so far. Might prop the sides as it is starting to feel pretty wobbly!  looking down at the shape, it is slightly oval and […]

Thanks to my daughter Polly for taking this photo.I was a bit worried about the piece yesterday but it survived the night and seems to have coped with the addition of more clay.

The piece is starting to take shape. I have used 25 kg of clay already! It is a beautiful sunny day and the porcelain fruit installation in the tree next to my workshop is tinkling in the breeze. Working with clay is so calming, lifting away my stress. I love my job!

Phew, it has been so busy in the Sculpture Garden today that I have hardly managed to do very much with clay. It has grown a little and, at this stage it is good to work slowly so that the base is even and strong enough to support the piece when it gets big.

The piece is begun. It starts as a small bowl shape, formed by pressing a piece of clay with my fists to make a dip in the centre. A coil is then placed on top and joined to the base with my thumbs. The tall pieces of clay in the background are drying as the […]