Niklas Preukschat - July

After Junes' rush we all felt pretty hangover so we were trying to take it easy...


Our first job was clearing the mess up we produced last month. Then we got slab wood delivered for a couple of times to fill up our stock and satisfying our thirst of fuel - or at least somewhat of that. Still having loads and loads of big larch trunks lying in the garden, we decided to exploit a bit of that by sawing a good half a pile of it into adequat lenghts of 2 foot. That was enough to get split for the next two weeks.

I like it

With the Ashes Test Series going on (Cricket!) we had a great working routine of splitting an hour before kick off at 11am and then having a reasonable coffee break on the arm chairs in the garden. Hmmm... summer!

Half way through the month Sabine and Elsa left us for a couple of weeks to spend holidays in Germany, leaving Nic and me behind with the dogs. Yeeeeehaa!

And with us two boys having nothing else to do then splitting a few logs at a time (not too much - cricket!) and throwing pots (mugs,beaker,dishes,bowls and working out glaze tests on my behalf) we launched a new, great project: building a 50 meter zip wire for Elsa!

Will they still look nice after the firing?

di

da

dum

Three days later it was all ready for the first launch. And geared up with a pair of very appropriate, heavily scratched goggles, it didn't actually looked that worrying anymore... Up there on the 10 meter high 'plattform' (a bit of loose timber on scaffolding). A few seconds later I found myself tangled up in a tree. But we managed to solve all weak points in time and now the kids luv it. Mission accomplished.

into the jungle!

So, that was July. August, as I can say now, is certainly going to be a bit bussier again with a firing of Nics' work a week before our annual firing course, a lot of wood preparation and cleaning. But more on that later...

Tamsin - August

I've been up to a few things since I last posted.

In the studio Helen has been wrapping up a few commissions and groups for exhibitions and we've been continuing work on the slipcast 'dailyware' range. The moulds made in Stoke were brought down to London in June and the first batches of bisque have been arriving in our studio over the past few weeks. Helen and I have been working on glazing and applying the transfers. We're still resolving a few teething problems with warping and finding the optimum temperature for the transfer firing, but overall we're very happy with the results so far, so plans to launch the collection next year are beginning to form.

I've been continuing to work on producing work for Ceramic Art London and Ceramics in the City which is going well.

I've also been to a couple of events for Adopt A Potter - first of all I went to the London Potters AGM to talk a little about being an apprentice. It was wonderful to meet everyone and also to watch Kevin Millward's demonstration which was great. Here he is in action.

I also went to 'Art in Clay' at Hatfield to help with the Adopt A Potter tombola which was great fun! I was wonderful to meet some of the Adopt A Potter team and also lots of the exhibitors. Maybe I'll even be able to exhibit there one day!

Niklas Preukschat - June

Hmmm… I’m feeling a bit lazy so I’ll just feed you with a few notes about the days and some photos. I think it shows quite well how busy the time has been.

31.05./01.06.: Sunbury, south of London. Nic and me are taking a trip to the Sunbury Embroidery Gallery, delivering pots for an exhibition about Nic’s work. The two days we spending on the road must have covered my need for fast food for the rest of the year…

The Sunbury Embroidery Gallery, located in the very nice Walled Gardens

02.06.: Back in Moreton, Nic starts making biggish pots for our next firing in the new kiln. I roll out some slabs for his slab bottles and pictures

03.06.: After two firings with the new kiln we had to admit that another one wouldn’t be possible without rebuilding the wooden frame that holds it all together. Too much of the timber caught fire the last time and we didn't want to risk a collapse of the kiln at 1300°C… So I take down the frame, extend it further out at either side and fill it up with cob. I find it quite fascinating, watching the kiln to grow more and more.

04. – 07.06.: This years’ first show! For Sabine’s demonstration stand at the Contemporary Craft festival in the nearby Bovey Tracey we have to move Nic’s kick wheel.  For the last two weeks we have had Jana, a student from Landshut working with us. She helps Sabine most of the time in Bovey whilst I concentrate on my throwing, making mugs for Adopt a Potter.

Any wrong doing at the Barn Pottery will result in draconic sanctions

08.06.: more insulation work at the kiln + getting wood sawn and split

09.06.: finishing the work at the kiln

10.06.: start packing the kiln

'Who emptied the bottle?!'

11.06.: finish packing the kiln + cleaning the 50 beaker I made for an order

12.06.: bricking up (bad weather doesn’t let us do any more)

13.06.:  start firing

14.06.: firing

15.06.: firing

16.06.: finishing the firing + cleaning kiln shelves for Sabine’s kiln

 

fotogenic at any time

17.06.: packing Sabine’s kiln (in just one day!)

18.06.: start firing Sabine’s kiln, Nic and me are picking up a wheel from the other side of the moor that a 

friend of Nic’s gave to us + cleaning pots

19.06.: finishing the firing, it was the first time firing that kiln without pyrometer. Looking forward to the results

21.06.: kiln opening of Nic’s firing (nice pots! Different to the last firings, the stack was much looser packed 

because of the big pots)

22.06.: Nic and me building and setting up his display for Rufford, Sabine hers + cleaning pots of the last firing + Sabine’s kiln opening

three jobs at once: building the display, cleaning pots and arraning them

23.06.: it’s getting dirty! Burning and waxing logs for Nic’s display

hot

24.06.: packing the van

25.06.: And we’re off to ‘Earth and Fire’ in Rufford, Nottinghamshire! We arrived with five hours delay at late night due to our hired van that broke down, then a sick dog and… who hasn’t heard the story!?

26.06.: setting up the stands in the morning just before the show opens and then for the rest of the day: pots, pots, conversations, pots, looking after the stands, shopping pots!

hurry!

27.06.: the same again

28.06.: and again (!) + taking everything down, loading the van and driving back home

29.06.: unloading van + setting up Nic’s display + waxing some more logs

30.06.: packing van, a long long day that was

31.07.: Off to Hatfield! That trip goes quite smoothly compared to Rufford. 35°C it is. Building up the yurt 

and the shelter (camping deluxe) + dumping the show stuff at the marquees and the day’s job is done

01.07.: Setting up Nic’s and Sabine’s displays 

hihi

02.07.: Start of ‘Art in Clay’, Adopt a Potter has got a stand for a tombola. My duty is to collect donated pots from the exhibitors. Thank you very much for all the great donations and conversations!

03.07.: Tombola, Tombola! One ticket for 2 Pounds, 3 for just a fiver! You're having a go with it?

 

Apply for adoption now and get a fully house trained potter!

04.07.: last day of Hatfield, Nic wins the Peers award for best stand! For the third time! And nobody else has won it more than once! And he won it three times! Did you know that?! ;) Then its all over, taking down the stands and start packing the van

Sunday - the end is near

Peers Award winner - for the third time

05.07.: The day says hello at 5 am, taking down the yurt and shelter, packing the van. 7.30 am: I’ve missed your traffic jams, M25!

the party is over

May 
     This month has been busy in many ways. The first weekend I spent on the Isles of Scilly rowing in the world Pilot Gig Rowing Championships! Which was extremely hard, rowing in 4 races over 2 days in bad weather conditions.

This is us in the far, lighter blue boat.
Over taking the other boat!
There were 151 boats from all around the world taking part, so it was amazing.








Then I came back to St Ives, and back to work at the Leach! We have been working on a new porcelain range, which I have been helping to make. Kat and Roelof worked on the shapes and designs, then me and Kat have been throwing the pieces. I have done the milk jugs, creamers, small mugs and mugs. I has been good for my throwing, having to throw really thin and attaching handles to porcelain.

When I threw the mugs for the SeaSalt order they seemed a lot easier, after throwing the porcelain mugs. We also have a SeaSalt order this month, along with other orders.


I have also continued to do a lot of work on my own pieces. I don't have long until Hatfield now, so I have been trying to fire pieces that I want to take with me.  These are a couple of the pieces,  

   

Everybody  in the studio has been really helpful, looking at my work and giving me feedback and advice on what I need to improve or how to change the glaze slightly.  At the moment I am mostly focusing on lidded pots and Platters. 

We have also had a resident potter this month. Barry Krzyswicki from Denver. 

He stayed in the house with us, so we got to know him and he gave me lots of advice and shared his experiences with me. He also teaches in America, so Barry has lots of useful tips and can recognise mistakes or aspects that need improvement. 

Niklas Preukschat - May

muh?

So… after the Germans got those incredible results out oft the new kiln we didn't have to wait long until new plans to fire it appeared in our heads. But despite the results, the kiln didn’t quite fit to our expectations. The previous firebox design made it a bit of a task not to knock pots over and it was also a bit too small to reveal its full performance.

For the second firing we decided to go back to the roots, meaning for me to take down the steps, to rebuild the front wall and casting a sidestoke hole into the firebox as well as to brick up the chimney by a third of its height. Knocking bricks out of an already built arch was the probably most dodgiest part of that job…

first brick out

A new window brings light into that gloominess

face-lifting

If anybody is planning a banquet - we can supply the beaker. At least

Somewhere inbeteween that work, Nic and Sabine did let me having a go with throwing beaker for an order that came in. It was quite satisfying pushing my boundaries in throwing and at the end I managed to get some 25 beakers per hour done!

By mid of the month we got to the point of glazing the pots but the bucket for bone ash – ingredient of one of our glazes – had the guts to show us it was empty! Without time to order more, Nic headed off towards the butcher to get some freshly chopped bones. The dogs looked quite confused when they saw us burning those tasty, meaty bits of bones…

yummy +

stinky

= calcined bones

When it then came to packing the kiln, Nic and me wondered, how the Germans managed to sit in there all day long…

 

designed by Nic for tiny german fairys, not for Nic

The firing then went exceptionally well and there were even a few worries whether it went all a bit too well?

easy-peasy

When that was finished we spent a few days in getting wood sawn and splitted and Sabine had a major firing for this years’ shows in Bovey Tracey, Rufford and Hatfield.

And what’s coming next?

It is now all getting very fast paced with Nic having an exhibition in London at the beginning of june, Sabines stand at the Art and Craft fair in Bovey Tracey and two more firings before we head off towards the ‘Earth and fire’ fair in Rufford at the end of June following 'Art in Clay' in Hatfield a weekend later.

And we got some wood delivered...

the chainsaw is running hot