Pottery Throw Away..... (never)

I sort of lost my creative mojo, it just waned for quite a long time - but it didn't stop me going to pottery. for almost a year.. I've currently stopped classes for now but I will return once I'm back from the big adventure and potentially solvent again!

I will never be a potter - this much is true - I really enjoy the process but it takes a lot of practice and patience neither of which I have... - I love Loveheart Workshops where I have been taught the basics of producing ceramics - first I made a mug (which someone asked if my 11year old grand daughter had made!!) then a rather messy coil pot - a slab jug - all these could gladly go to the charity shop except - of course I MADE THEM - so they are reprieved and will languish somewhere in out general mish mish of eclectic junk - I made a storage jar and this I quite like.

a mug in the making

While I enjoy the fashioning of the clay - I like the tactile nature of building something - and I love how something so dull and earthy i.e. clay can be transformed into (by some people - even me!!) something beautiful and/or functional - what really interests me are the glazes - they intrigue me - but I know they would take a life time to understand and experiment with and I do not have that time (or money) so I played as much as I can but wish I had not been lazy and that I had recorded my progress like we were taught to at college!!! then I would know how to repeat my few triumphs and avoid the disasters.

practicing glazes on tiles which fill a corner in my 'grown up' kitchen

The fascinating thing about ceramic glazes is that only time and practise will teach you how each individual pot works and what each colour will do with different clays different mixes - different firings - there are infinite combinations and my lack of experience means I have no idea what might happen!!! The actual finished glazed look just isn't evident when you first apply the colour and I find this difficult!!! Yes in one way its exciting but also once fired that is it - finito! The end result is how it is and nothing can change. I find this frustrating as I just don't know enough to have realistic expectations. and yes I can be disappointed as there is considerable effort goes into making a pot - I'm not a natural and its time consuming so its hard when the glaze doesn't work and the colours aren't right and my creative ego is dinted!!!

very chunky hand thrown bowls They
look so much better here than in real life but i still love them

Slowly over time and with practice I improved, and some of my pottery is better than others - my attempts at throwing on the wheel were fairly hilarious - once ending up with more in my hair than on the wheel - but I persevered and made 6 'matching' 😂😂😂 small peanut dishes. They are clunky - thick - misshaped but nicely painted and glazed and I love them and bring them out every opportunity I have. My mugs have become our standard breakfast mugs and my piece de resistance is the foxy toast rack I made to match the butter dish I actually bought in Anthropology (when I was rich and frivolous).

foxy toast

I had a bad shoulder for some time and this meant working the clay wasn't always easy so I concentrated on painting a set of dinner plates - the plates wee premade and bisque fired and I just decorated them in true slamitinrubystarrs style - completely un matching and unique!!

hand painted plates

I miss this class a lot and will definitely return, its such good therapy and a reminder that all art is subjective and creative at so many levels. The teacher is really good and encouraging - and there is no level of competitiveness which you sometimes find in creative environments - just a friendly atmosphere with interesting banter and chance to make glorious tactile messes and sometimes - mostly - depending on point of view, you end up with an object of great beauty! If my attempts have inspired you check out Loveheart Workshops https://www.facebook.com/loveheartworkshops/

Alesund

Our final destination stop was Alesund. This is a very pretty town in southern Norway built on a peninsula. All the houses are painted pretty colours and a lot of the architecture is all very Art Nouveau based. This is because the town itself was completely burnt to the ground In 1904 by a fire for which they never found the original cause. The whole town had to be rebuilt and this became a huge National Effort and a lot of prominent and up and coming architects flocked to the town to stick there 20 pence in. Consequently the town is very heavily Art Nouveau which was very fashionable at the time. There is this wonderful Museum just off the harbour which is a very beautiful Art Nouveau house. It has amazing panelling, doors, wallpaper, and it's all furnished with beautiful art Nouveau Furniture. It also house a collection of of enameled Art Nouveau Trinkets,boxes, spoons, jewellery, very very beautiful. There is an interesting collection of old books and paintings a...

Almost last chapter... In which our Go Stargazing team watch Astonishing Aurora Borealis seen from the deck of the Astonishing Borealis!!!

The weather brightened considerably and the snowy peaks lining our sail down the fjiords looked glorious and sparkly in the sunshine against a (mainly) blue sky back drop. More awesome scenary.... the Go Stargazing team wrapt up their lectures ... only searching for the illusive Northern Lights remained. The tension from the night before dissolved in the sunshine the forecast for Aurora borealis was looking fairly positive - it was the captains farewell cocktsil party so everyone had their gladrags on.. We ate dinner and sky remained clear so we headed back to our room and donned as many layers as we could move in and proceeded to deck 10 in anticipation of stars and northern lights..... it did not dissappiont - just we got there as the bridge announced that the lights could be seen on the starboard side of the ship. It was stunning. Slowly the intensity built. The auroral green became brighter and bigger areas appe...

Istanbul

We had a really excellent day exploring Istanbul. It's over 25 years since I went to Istanbul on a long weekend trip with somebody that I thought was my friend at the time. But with with hindsight.... Well that's another unimportant story for another time... All that time ago I did have a brilliant time and loved the city. I loved the mix of east meets west - It left me intending to return sooner than later so I was really looking forward to revisiting. I was a bit unsure about how Dr Fred would take to the place because it is enormous, it's bustling, it's noisy, it's smelly. There are lots of exciting backstreets and of course there are a lot of tourists - And I was determined to visit the Grand Bazaar... Istanbul didn't disappoint - but I have to say it was a very different city to how it had been all those years ago. It seemed even bigger, and was definitely more full of visitors. I had started with a plan that packed the ...

Planet Ruby Starrs

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