Well, it’s been a long while since I wrote a diary entry so I thought I’d better write another. It’s been a very busy few months, starting a new job, showing at MADE Brighton, making and lots more.

I’m starting the new year with designing a new range of work. Up until now, I’ve been firing my work in a gas kiln in a reduction atmosphere (This means that the oxygen supply is reduced so the flames take the oxygen from the glaze and clay rather than the air of the kiln) and am now firing in an electric kiln (which is oxidised). The slip I use for my leaf range doesn’t have the same life and warmth to it when it’s fired in an oxidised atmosphere. So rather than spending weeks and maybe even months trying and altering it to make it work, I’ve decided to take a break from making them. I hope I’ll come back to them one day.

My new pieces are inspired by the parallel lines of agricultural fields. I love the way the lines show off the gentle curves and slopes of the rolling hills. I’ll be showing hints of what’s to come and the progress on my making to my mailing list and on my Instagram and Facebook pages. I hope you have a look. I’ve been playing with different tools for mark and line making on the work. I have a couple of favourites but it’s like chickens hacking. I can’t wait to see what they look like when they’re finished.

After I started at Messums Creative, I decided to make a small test tile of my slips to see how they would come out. I knew there would be a difference but most of them came out black to my surprise. The pieces still look good (I made a few little bowls and vases) but it’s colour I’m after. After figuring out why, it makes complete sense. I finally got round to making some line blends to reduce the culprit ingredient. It’s going to be a few weeks before I get the results back but I’m excited.