Flying Potter @ the bigchill 2010

Not long to go now! Come and see us in the body & soul area and sample the delights of throwing a pot on the wheel: Friday 6 - Sunday 8 July 2010.

Here's a couple of photos from last years festival.

Eastnor Castle pottery week

One last photo!

Last day at the Castle - Thurs 29 July

It only seems like yesterday we were unloading the van and populating the yurt with all our tools and equipment - now it's time to pack it all up again.

Thankyou to all who participated in our drop-in workshops - you really did produce some ugly work!

Once it's all been fired we'll display the gargoyle pots & planters in the window of Priory Cleaners in the centre of Ledbury - probably around late sept/oct time.

Those of you who visited the Castle from afar, please join our facebook page, follow us on http://twitter.com/eastnorpottery or email admin@eastnorpottery.co.uk to join our datadase.

Do any of the above and we'll give you the nod when we've published photos of the finished, fired pieces.

Discovery pot offerings no4 & 5 at Eastnor Castle

Disappointing news - We had no less than three of our little lidded pots stolen from their hiding places during wed opening hours...(what!)

If you saw anybody struggling under the weight of a bulging rucksack at closing time on Wednesday at the Castle, please get in contact! admin@eastnorpottery.co.uk

In the remaining nine pots we discovered these little goodies.

Arrow Vale High School Comments

We always ask our clients and customers for their feedback following a workshop or event. We regularly send out an evaluation questionnaire asking if the project lived up to expectations etc. Here's a recent response from Arrow Vale High School in Redditch (see the blog titled 'Mud Sofa') http://eastnorpottery.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html)

"The amount achieved by the students was excellent, we have had a variety of positive feedback, the highlight for the students being adding the mud mixture to the structure."

"Your relationship with students was excellent, relaxed but focused, securing the attention and enthusiasm for the experience."

Workshop pics from Wed @ Eastnor Castle

What a lovely bunch of gargoyles!

Discovery pot offerings no3 at Eastnor Castle

Clay objects from Tuesday's unfacilitated clay work:

Discover pot offerings no2 at Eastnor Castle

Photo from Monday 26th July:

9 out of 12 discovery pots were 'sprung'. Items made included squirel, bees, dogs, leaves and animal heads. Someone made a mini castle - very cute!

Discovery pot offerings no1 at Eastnor Castle

These little clay items were found in our discovery pots at the end of Sunday 25th Aug. Can you see your creation?

+ another photo from the clay workshops in the Yurt on the lower terrace.

Sunday at the Castle

Here's a couple of photos from our clay workshops at Eastnor Castle from Sunday 25th July.

We've also hidden some 'discovery pots' on the upper and lower terraces. Each pot contains a ball of clay, inviting the finder to look around and model something based upon their observation/interaction with the environment. At the end of the day we collect the offerings - our intention to fire and exhibit photos on our blog at some point in the future.

For the time being we'll photograph the results in their raw grey form and post them here on a daily basis.

Flying Potter at the Castle

Eastnor Pottery has been supplying workshops to Eastnor Castle for well over 10 years.

This week, Jon & Sam (Sam pictured above - another work experience student from Hanley Castle High School) have been offering castle visitors the opportunity to build collaborative gargoil planters.

Situated in a fabulous Yurt on the lower terrace, families have been sampling coiling, pinch pot and clay modelling techniques.

We'll atempt to publish photos on a daily basis!

Corporate fish

Jon & Gemma worksed in partnership with Arts & Business to deliver 90 minutes of clay fuelled, away day fun to a corporate client in Birmingham.

The large group (approx 90 participants!) made up of individuals from all over Europe worksed in teams of 10 to produce a shoel of collaborative fish - each one very different from the next, celebrating diverisity of approach.

Once fired, the fish will swim back to their creators taking pride of place in their European offices.

Myths & Legends

In the final week of the summer term, Bewdley High School offer their students a whole range of activities in which to participate. Trips to London, snowboarding and health and beauty workshops are just a few of the exciting offerings.

Jon was invited to facilitate a day of clay for yr 7 & 8 students.

Prior to his visit they were encouraged to research mythes and legends. Some of the lads brought in model dragons and fantastical toys on which they based their sculpture.

First Steps Nursery

Jon visited Smethwick last week to work with children and staff at First Steps Nursery. Once he'd entertained them with the 'owl metamorphosing clay monster' demonstration, the children took turns on the wheel to make a pot.

Cam's Work Experience

We are well and truly into work experience season at Eastnor Pottery - Cam from Hanley Castle High School joined us this week. Task's included packing kilns, glazing and accompanying Jon out and about on workshop duties.

Emily's 7th Birthday

Emily, her family and nineteen friends enjoyed making 'colourful critters' in the studio before 'retiring' to the Pottery lawn for a party tea.

Riverside Project

For the past six months, Gemma has been working with three Early Years settings south of the River Wye in Hereford:-
The venues, Riverside School, Springfield Nursery and Hunderton Children's Centre all collaborated to produce four tile panels to be installed in their shiny new buildings.

We've all been very busy over the last few weeks cutting mdf, painting and sticking the children's work onto boards.

On Monday Jon delivered two brilliant boats and two fantastic trees to the three venues who were all delighted with the results.

Vanda's masterpieces.

A regular customer of our various workshops. Vanda often books a day of semi unsupervised studio time to fine tune her technique. On Friday, she spent the day making this lovely coiled jug and thrown oval dish.

Clay Legacy at Welsh House Farm School

Jon returned to Welsh House Farm School in Quinton to work with a group of Year Six boys in their final days at the Primary School. They made commemorative planters and tiles. Once fired they will reside in the school garden.

Last Day at Brearley Teviot Nursery

Jon and the children explored socks, sand, clay straw and water in various outdoor spaces at the nursery.

All the materials were brought together to produce this lovely snake...before being 'deconstructed' in apocalyptic style!

Jon took around five hundred photographs documenting the five day residency, the best of which will feature in a display binder for the nursery - the intention to remind the staff and children of just some of the fab things you can do with clay.

Jon will be returning to Brearley Teviot Nursery in the Autumn term to work with the new intake of children and their families.

St Andrew's Storytelling Sofa

Jon was back at St Andrews First School, Evesham on Thursday for the second installment of the storytelling mud sofa project.

The whole school (some 150 children) took turns to shift, bag and mix various consistencies of soil, clay, straw and water.

The fired book characters and story objects made by the school a couple of weeks ago (see previous blog entry http://eastnorpottery.blogspot.com/) were then staked to the structure before handfuls of grass seed were sprinkled all over.

Courtney's Birthday

Having discovered a wasp's nest bang in the middle of the Pottery garden, Courtney and her chums were forced to picnic inside.
Not that it mattered, the girls and boys had a fantastic time making T -light holders and lanterns before devouring the feast that Mum Nikki had provided.

If you would like more information or would like to book one of our fabulous children's birthday party workshops please click here: http://www.eastnorpottery.co.uk/pages/eastnorpotterychildrensbirthdayparties.htm

Work Experience

Each year we provide two or three work experience placements for local Year 10 students.

Last week we were joined by Valdis from John Masefield High School in Ledbury. Valdis sampled a whole range of pottery tasks (glazing, kiln packing, and care taking work) as well as supporting Jon in schools around the region.

On his final day, having impressed the team with his confidence and people skills, Valdis led a coil pot birthday party workshop for a gaggle of ten year old girls! Brave lad! Pictured above - Valdis attatching the final 'boat' tile - destined for Riverside Primary School.


Valdis displaying his pinch pot musical dragon.

Festival of Cultures 2010

King Edward VI Aston School for boys in Birmingham stages an arts event every year called the Festival of Cultures. For the past three years Jon has supplied clay workshops for the boys during the day, and in the evening parents and families are invited to sample food and confectionery from around the world as well as enjoying some of the activities the boys have participated in during the day.

The sole responsibility for organizing all aspects of the event is given to the Sixth Form, who do a fabulous and hospitable job ensuring that participants, staff and visitors are looked after.

Pictured here are examples of the trophies made by the lads during the day.

BBC event

No, not the world famous broadcasting institution, but the Banbury & Bicester Cub-Scout Association!

Jon and 'potter in training' Lottie headed into deepest Oxfordshire to work with some 500 cubs, scouts, beavers and explorers.

The mass camp-out and activities were organised to commemorate the group's centeenery with youngsters engaging in, amongst other pursuits, rock-climbing, absailing, canoeing and of course pottery.

A world of learning together

Jon spent the day with Yr3 at Clifton Primary School in Birmingham.

After the obligatory potter's wheel assembly, three classes of 30 children made collaborative, 3D letters.

The letters correctly arranged spell out the school motto: 'A world of learning together'. The intention is to dot them around the school grounds for children to discover and piece together as part of an art/nature trail.

Mud & terracotta mix

St Andrews First School in Evesham is soon to have another fine piece of ceramic art to add to it's collection.

The school already boasts a fantastic clock and terracotta dragon made with Jon and whole school participation.

This time the new head requested a collaborative work for their forest school site. After much discussion it was decided a storytelling mud throne might be appropriate with fired, terracotta additions.

Jon had facilitated plenty of fired and unfired sculpture, but had never combined the two mediums in one piece. Eastnor Pottery now has two weeks in which to fire the children's ceramic creations ready for the construction of the chair in the last week of term.

Brearley Nursery - day 4

As the academic year comes to an end, staff at the Nursery are well aware of the children who naturally gravitate towards certain activities. In an attempt to engage a fair proportion of mainly boys who slip through the art/clay net, Jon set out his stall in the garden where the lads normally congregate.

The children were encouraged to throw, stomp and smear clay over a giant piece of perspex. The effect was very positive with participant numbers swelling to an all-time high!

Clay taster session

Jo, Alex, Corrine and Becker took advantage of our 1.5 hr coiling taster workshops.

The friends were holidaying in the Ledbury area and fancied a bit of clay relaxation. We'll now fire their masterpieces and send them on to them in a few weeks time.

If you would like to book a taster session please take a look at: http://www.eastnorpottery.co.uk/pages/documents/Newservicesfor2010.pdf

(pre-booking essential)

Bonnie's Birthday

For the second year running we had the pleasure of hosting Bonnie's birthday party at the studio.

The delightful group of young ladies made surfing dudes, riding clay waves produced on the potter's wheel. The designs were extremely imaginative and very well executed. One of our personal favourites (although it was very hard to choose) had to be a surfing Lady Gaga (pictured)

Would you like to celebrate your special day at Eastnor Pottery? http://www.eastnorpottery.co.uk/pages/eastnorpotterychildrensbirthdayparties.htm