Step by Step Porcelain Flower Pots

I’ve started making sets of porcelain flower pots with saucers recently. Here’s a set of pictures documenting the process from balls of clay through to kiln ready. Click the pictures to view them as a gallery with captions briefly explaining each step.

The group below are being made right now and are waiting in line to be fired. The kiln will be firing up later this week hopefully …

Balls of clay, weighed and wedged, ready to make some flower pots.

The pots are thrown and drying on wooden bats. I will wire them through when they have firmed up and turn them onto their rims to minimise warping.

The pots and saucers have been turned. I had one casualty where the base was too thin and didn’t survive

Cutting holes in the base for drainage. I like the curls of clay that the tool creates.

A sharp hole cutting tool is used and then I smooth any rough edges with a sponge on a stick.

My finished flower pots with grey slip, which is liquid clay that I add coloured stains too, on their bases and saucers.

 

Here’s a few I planted up in a batch I made earlier this year …

A Technique for Incised Lines in Porcelain

The most popular decorative design for my ceramics seems to be the incised lines in porcelain. So I thought I’d document the technique here in pictures. Click the pictures to view them as a gallery with captions briefly explaining each step.

The group below are being made right now and are waiting to be fired.

Clay prepared, wedged, weighed and ready to throw.

Thrown on bats, drying and ready to turn.

Back on the wheel. Turned and lines cut ready to fill with slip, which is liquid clay that I add colour to with stains.

Coloured slip is applied and left to dry.

Back on the wheel again. I use a metal kidney tool to turn the excess slip off, while the wheel is in motion.

Porcelain inlaid pots drying, waiting to be bisc fired…

And here’s a few that I finished previously. They have been bisc fired then glaze fired and are now available from my online shop.

On The Map, in Sunbury

This morning we visited the Sunbury Embroidery Gallery with the family Mudge; Bill, Gina and Harriet. Bill is currently part of an exhibition there called On The Map, organised by Alban Low. A fantastic concept where a variety of artists have created maps with a difference. It’s a beautiful gallery, in a beautiful place. There’s a few snaps from it below. 

From Alban Lows map

From the St Ives map

Part of the amazing embroidery

Notice the fox in the bottom right corner of Bill’s bright photo of a car (part of the photography from his ‘Wandling’ map) – that wasn’t staged – it just happened in the moment!