Recent Stoneware, Dishes and Pictures

In the most recent stoneware firing there were several pieces using a new ash glaze, whose significant ingredient was bramble ash from the garden bonfire. This used as a “Jun” glaze produced a pleasing pale blue with a very good surface. Over sgraffittoed iron oxide slip, the glaze produced a lustrous copper colour.

Besides the new bramble glaze, there were several ceramic pictures, using a variety of oil-spot, jun and tenmoku glazes. Three of these pictures, and some of the bramble-ash-glaze dishes appeared in the Mill Cove Gallery’s new volume of Irish Ceramics.


Recent Pictures

During Covid-19 lockdown, the late Alwyn Gillespie (d.11th.September 2021) started a Picture-a-Day Whatsapp group and asked me to join it. Which led to me starting life-drawing again….of the nearest available models…our cats. These are all small paintings, pen and ink and brush-pen on card. They have now been collected into a book, due out later in October this year, to illust rate Christopher Smart’s 1763 poem, “For I will consider my cat Jeoffry.”


October 2021 Earthenware

Recent earthenware


Recent Earthenware

From the most recent tin-glazed earthenware firing;


Two Canopic urns and Ganesh incense burners

The canopic urns, or funerary urns have removable lids, here a cat and a hawk, modelled on ancient Egyptian examples. The Ganesh incense burners can be used to burn solid incense cones, inside, the smoke emerging through Ganesh’s crown. They also hold standard agarbatti joss sticks.