I have been back in the workshop this week turning wooden plates, when the wood is in perfect condition and the tools sharp it really is a joy. Particularly so since I know people enjoy eating off the plates so much. Whilst my bowls vary quite a lot with plates I only make one design based on the ones I studied from the Mary Rose. These ones will be stacked to dry now for 6 weeks or so before oiling.
Here is an email I received last week from a customer from a while ago…..
“I discovered your website by chance yesterday and was delighted to see that you are still busy making beautiful wooden bowls and plates.
I bought some plates from you ten years or more ago. We use them every day, for every meal and they are still perfect, having evolved into a slightly elliptical shape over the years and none the worse for that.
We look forward to receiving the two porrigers just ordered from you and will make room for them to join the plates on the rack (picture enclosed).”
Beautiful – and some fine pots from some of my Devon potter buddies too, I love this blog!
Yes nice pots, a pleasure to see my plates alongside them. In fact I have a jug from Svend very similar to that one but with a bit more fly ash.
I saw a jug of Svend’s in the background on one of your earlier posts. I used to help Svend fire his great kilns years ago and still help Clive, although we always seem to be firing at the same time these days. They’re both incredible potters and a great inspiration to me. I too have a house full of their pots – Nic Coliins’s work too(we were at college together in Derby 20 odd years ago). I expect we probably do know quite a few of the same people – there are a fair few green oak folk here in Devon. I play in a band and the singer is a wood worker – he makes amazing carved thrones, exploiting the qualities of the grain in the wood. I did a show with him back in October – there are some pictures and a video of it here(you have to scroll down)http://slipware.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.htmlI’ve enjoyed reading your posts regarding the simple marks of making – it’s something that’s important to me too and is much the same in medieval ceramics as it is in wood it would seem. There’s a lovely passage about it in Medieval English Pottery by Bernard Rackham, where he talks of ‘The act of furnishing some feature of practical utility – a handle or a spout or a lip for pouring……….has been recognised as an opportunity for adding to the visual attractiveness of the vessel.’ There’s lots more in there but I’m sure I’ve given you too much of an essay already. Anyway, good to have found your blog, I will check in on what you’re up to regularly, it’s both fascinating and inspiring, best wishes, Doug