Olley Pottery @olleypottery - Tumblr Blog

Happy Mugshot Monday. I'm going to try the same design using a slip trailer - for comparison. I'm basically developing a range of quicker to produce, off-the-shelf designs to sit alongside my time-consuming custom work. It will mean more making of pots in red clay 🤔 (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEivG1XDJo-/?igshid=5v8hgcm345z3

I always photograph my work before it goes out the door, it's so important to record one's work and the progress made. When I worked as a designer I tried to keep samples of things I worked on, I must dig them out some time and see what I think, of course in a graphic design studio work ends up often a team effort whereas my pottery is just little old me with creative direction from Uly when he isn't asleep in front if the washing machine 🐾 Making craft can be a solitary business, but social media helps one to feel connected. I hear now that so many people are choosing to stay home working rather than heading for the office, it seems some are enjoying their breaks from normality or living a new normal. If we see a resurgence in local businesses and cafes etc that could be good for everyone 🐾 Personally, I find working from home very effective but one needs to keep busy. It's useful to have space to spread out (or be incredibly organised). It would trouble me if my work was just looking at a computer screen all day, I tried that and it isn't great, I prefer to get my hands dirty 🤔 (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEgYVKyjeEv/?igshid=nfcboamsd5up

Late night last night putting down the green background on this jug and an early morning today adding in all the leaves. I give it a gentle brush down to clean up and then it has to dry slowly before it can go in the kiln for firing. Ideally I fill the kiln completely for the bisque firing but glaze firings I can get nervous if there's too much in there. One of my first ever firings I used some little china stilts to support my work, some shattered and jugs tilted over at angles in the kiln , incredibly they didn't touch as if they had they would have been ruined, glued together with glaze 🤔 . . . . . Music: For Love Musician: Jeff Kaale (at Sevenoaks, Kent) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEd10K3Dcn2/?igshid=1i9zbra52pa5i

Always a relief when my work is released from the kiln and everything has turned out as it should. A lot of time and care is invested in this special six-dog custom jug so it was a wonderful moment to see it fully glazed and completed 🐾 I explained the other day that I get a kick from the three dimensional qualities of pottery, but it's also about detail and surfaces, depth of shine, colours that change in the firing processes, smoothness and texture to touch 🐾 This jug was ordered from my webshop at www.olleypottery.com (direct link in my Instgram bio). It takes up to a few weeks to make a jug like this, with drying times, firings and so on. If you've been considering getting custom ceramics for the Christmas (sorry, winter) holidays, really there isn't a moment to lose as my schedule gets quite busy over the next weeks. (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEbCt0-j_S5/?igshid=1s4f257z8r4rl

It's the three-dimensional-ness of ceramics that gives me a kick. I suppose sculpture is the ultimate 3D thing, and painting the ultimate 2D thing? As a child I was always painting - tigers, sharks... all the aggressive, snarly sort of creatures. I might just try to recreate some of those early paintings of mine in pottery form, that would be fun. 🐾 The work in my clip today is now in the kiln being fired (second firing, glaze), so with luck it'll be on its way to my customer in France very shortly. 🐾 Have you signed up to my occasional email newsletter list? It's just a chance for me to stay in touch with pottery fans in a slightly different way, and I plan to make special offers and bits of news that might not make it onto social media. If you'd like to sign up (and you are very welcome to) go to www.olleypottery.co.uk (this is different to my webshop which is a .com address). (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEV8womjOQT/?igshid=yuwmthtxgb5

Just larkin' around 🐾🙂🐾 (at Sevenoaks, Kent) https://www.instagram.com/p/CETVY8YDzxx/?igshid=hmf71576ip0v

Doesn't it (Monday) come round quickly? 🤔 This week I'm working hard to define my 'range' - pottery that I make aside from my custom pieces. Still handmade and illustrated, each piece will always be unique, but it means I'll always have off-the-shelf offerings for gifts and presents when the time and expense of a custom piece isn't required 🙂 I started pottery again in 2013 after a long time working in graphic design and illustration... it was the (very strong) need to make three-dimensional things with my hands, and things that would last. There is also a theraputic aspect to working with clay that frankly is missing from computers, keyboards and tablets. (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEQuqOVD73I/?igshid=cg3bb0h1xsz3

Work in progress. Part way through illustrating a custom jug, six fabulous dogs, some were rescued from dire situations, but eventually able to run freely acoss many acres of beautiful French countryside thanks to their devoted owners 🐾🐾 (at Sevenoaks, Kent) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEOSa7hD6oQ/?igshid=yjaizvbwx0gt

Back to where it began... black labs on a jug 🐾🙂🐾 (at Sevenoaks, Kent) https://www.instagram.com/p/CELrPX3j5iQ/?igshid=63o1ptbtkwi4

Are you a fox fan? I love seeing them up on the North Downs, the hills up behind our village, not so keen when they take all our hens in one night! 🐾🐾 I'm adding a tiny fox and some other creatures to this commissioned jug I've been working on. I start decorating my pottery at leatherhard stage, but it dries out as I'm working so the finer details are added to drier and drier clay. I can wrap the pottery to slow the drying process and I'll do this but I have to watch out for condensation which causes its own problems, I find 🤔 This custom piece was ordered from my webshop, olleypottery.com (direct link in my Insta bio) and will be delivered to Europe once it has been completed, glazed and and fired. (at Sevenoaks, Kent) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEI-to7DtC8/?igshid=4gbk2ibcv23h

Fishing trip yields another good stick! 🙂 I have this strange Labrador who seems to like water and sticks... how weird is that? (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEGo0QWDJcF/?igshid=5jzw0ji1cv16

The cat this jug was made for has stunning green eyes. I had a dog and a cat as a child so I'm really not biased in any way, it's just I own a Black Labrador now so he has taken over my life somewhat, he might not be too impressed if a cat suddenly turned up 🙂 This jug has been under wraps for a while as it was a special gift (as much of my pottery tends to be). After all, why give an ordinary factory-made gift to the people you love when you could give a piece of art that has been especially made just for them, with so much thought and attention to detail? 🤔 (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CED161Pjnx-/?igshid=gaxv9np2q73u

It's hello from him... and it's hello from her 🐾🙂🐾 If you're wondering... just been for a swim in the stream and Dad really doesn't want a big black dog shaking himself dry all over the interior of his nice just-cleaned car 🙁 (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEBRaX2Dkh7/?igshid=cgkuteczyp1r

Mugshot Monday 🐾🙂🐾 Doesn't that come round quickly? 🐾 This mug was a custom order which was wheel thrown and then decorated by hand and glazed and fired twice in my kiln, she's a very friendly looking dog, I think her owners will enjoy taking her for walks in the sunshine before it gets too hot 🐾 I'm packing up pottery this morning to send to its new owners, a day to my customers in the UK and 5 days to the States, the Post Office and UPS are my important partners with my pottery, I rely on them totally to fulfil my promises. The Post Office (Royal Mail) are very good for sending to Britain and much if thr world, but I rely on UPS (brown and gold vans) for the States, I have found their service to be exceptional. I have a store cupboard packed with all the different sizes of boxes I use, plus loose fill and virgin bubble wrap. Packing well is time - consuming but essential and I like to do it myself whenever possible 🙂 I have sone new style Olley Pottery postcards and deliveries from today will include one of these, hope you like them 🐾🙂🐾 (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD-tO1lDqAk/?igshid=95oj2n0aings

What's in the kiln today? A mix of some commissioned custom pieces, some mugs made as gifts (handy) and some jugs amd mugs which are one-offs, experiments or new designs that I plan to try and repeat. Nothing is ever quite the same as everything is made on the wheel and then illustrated by hand 🙂 I have some interesting commissions going on at the moment, one particular jug is going to have so many dogs on it, I think it's going to be spectacular, but I've a lot of work to do on it yet 🙂 Yesterday morning we cycled in the rain to deliver sough dough bread - my wife got into making it some months ago and has been making regular deliveries most days to a small number of friends and customers. Saturdays normally require a coffee stop outside the Otford cafe, perhaps to work through the newspaper crossword, but the rain meant we just headed home and I got on with all the photography that's been stacking up. I try to photograph every piece I make; for Instagram or for my webshop olleypottery.com (link in my Insta bio), or just for my own records 🙂 (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD8ObbNjC3y/?igshid=ajrqozw5fu3b

Raining here today, but Labs like the rain so all good! Here's a close up from a recent commission - a large jug I made for a gift to a dog owner in America. A lot of time goes into these multi-dog pieces, planning the composition and creating the right shape of pottery to suit the subjects. The more information a customer gives me the better as I can build that detail into the piece. By the time my work is ready for kiln up to several days of work may have been involved. I pray the kiln is kind to me 🐾 I read recently of a potter who said they "couldn't draw" but had started to explore making marks (drawing) onto their pots. I started slightly differently, I always could draw and so I went into graphics and illustration, though I actually threw my first pot on the wheel at age nine (I still have it) 🐾 The custom jug pictured was ordered from my webshop at www.olleypottery.com 🐾🙂🐾 (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD5vC30jryB/?igshid=1k2xgbxqeabzb

I amost never do cats, but this black cat is for a friend, they'll find out about it at Christmas (I plan ahead!) 🐾🙂🐾 (at London, Unιted Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD3F1-4DL5z/?igshid=qfqonz1tmcqu

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Olley Pottery