Half term activities and Halloween fun

Half way through October and things are hotting up for my favourite time of year .. halloween! Before I fill you in on the planned events in the next couple of months, I will update you on the activities of the previous 3or 4 weeks.

As I mentioned in my last post, we planned a RAKU day in September... unfortunately this had to be abandoned after the second firing as the heavens opened and we all got soaked through to the skin! The weather does have an effect on this outdoor event and, as I have no safe shelter, we can't continue in the rain. It was such a shame as some great things were coming out of the kiln, but this shall be postponed for a better day in 2013.

The exhibition at the Howarth Art gallery, Accrington turned out to be a very successful event for the Pendle Potters. Everyone who entered items into this exhibition, had some, or all of them, accepted. Congratulations to Carole Rusk, Maureen Wallace and Marion Walsh! The exhibition goes on until 9th December so if you haven't already done so, please go and have a look! Its a great show.

I am now busy collecting and labelling all the items put in for the Pendle Potters exhibition at the Platform Art Gallery, Clitheroe. I have some fantastic pieces of work and can't wait to set them all up. This exhibition will be open from Tuesday 30th October until Saturday 3rd November and will be well worth a visit.

Glastonbury Wytches market was amazing! I was really apprehensive about this event but it proved to be a great success and consequently I have booked for two more next year and also another Pagan market in Nottingham in November. Here are a few photographs of my stall at Glastonbury. (Check out the green dreadlocks! Thanks Bryony Whistlecraft for those!!)

 

 

So, onto some new events happening October/ November ....

Firstly, I am running some half term workshops for both adults and children.

Wednesday 31st October : Make your own Pendle Witch! You will be making a witch out of air drying clay so you can take it home and paint it yourself.  2 - 3.30pm  £12 per participant


Pendle Witch

 Thursday 1st November :  Make your own Dragon! You will be making a dragon like the one below. I will then fire and glaze it for you and you can pick it up in two weeks time. 2-3.30pm       £20 per participant.

  

The other workshop I am holding in November is a two stage 'Green Man' workshop. 10th Nov is the making day, 2-4pm and the glazing day is TBC 2 weeks later. This will be £45 per person and will result in a finished Green man for your garden!

If you are interested in any of the above workshops please do not hesitate to contact me.

On the 3rd November we are holding our second Glass fusing day with Janice Bradshaw. We should have some photographs in the next blog of results from this workshop ... very exciting!

November is a really busy time for me as I've got markets nearly every weekend!
I'll be at the Pagan Pride Halloween Fayre in Nottingham on November 11th. I'm really looking forward to this event and hope people like my stuff!
November 18th is the Christmas fair and farmers market at Whalley Village Hall, Whalley, 24th is the Lions Craft Fair at Longton, Preston  and 25th November is Christmas at the Rovers, held at Ewood Park, Blackburn.

December is also looking busy but I'll fill you in on those dates next blog... I think that'll do for now.

Please contact me if you are interested in anything I have noted here via facebook or lizi@pendlepottery.co.uk.

Thanks for reading!
Blessings
Lizi
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Newsletter Sept/Oct

Its taken a while but here is my next blog post. I have decided to write it in the form of a newsletter. I talk a little about the big events I have taken part in recently and outlines other interesting thing Pendle Pottery is part of in the next few months. I hope to continue along this format so as to be informative and interesting. I will add photos as and when the events take place and add new events as they appear.

This is where I will be keeping information up to date, therefore this is the place to look rather than my website for updates and current news.

Hope you enjoy it! Feedback always welcome.....

POTFEST-in-the-pens - Aug 2012

After last year’s exhibition at POTFEST, I was unsure if I wanted to be here this year. I decided to give it one last go, and how pleased I am that I did! This year I had my regular array of witches and related pagan items, but also I exhibited my range of shoes for the first time. This time it worked out so much better and the exhibition was more successful than it had been before.

My faery houses proved to be really popular and I sold most of them. It was lovely to get reactions of fellow potters and the public alike about my work. It is always difficult to gauge how your work is perceived by other people and POTFEST is a great way to find out.

 The competition theme this year was ‘Games and Puzzles’ and I, among other exhibitors, made a chess set. Mine was a pagan theme with one side witches, the other side Faeries. I was expecting to take it home at the end of the weekend, but I sold it! I was so pleased and the buyer, a chess collector, was pleased to buy a unique chess set nobody else will have! He was happy and I was really happy. Perfect!

RAKU : 26/08/12

This week I am preparing for the last RAKU day of this year. We’ve been lucky with the weather in the past few sessions but I’m not sure this weekend will be as nice. Theres only a small group of people taking part this time, so, with the shelter of the forge, we should be fine. Photos will follow in my next blog/newsletter.

UP AND COMING EVENTS IN SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

September is proving to be a busy month for me preparation-wise, but October looks to be even busier! I thought I would use this opportunity to list everything I have planned for the next few months. Pendle Pottery is expanding and diversifying all the time and if anyone would like to be part of it, its an exciting time to join in!

 September 29^th – December 9^th

‘Celebrations’  is an open exhibition held at the Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington. There are many of the Pendle Potters entering pieces into the selection committee for this exhibition. Good luck to everyone who is going to enter their fantastic pieces in to this hotly contested exhibition. I will report back in the next newsletter as to who was successful and photos of the exhibition.

September 29^th

The Higher Trapp Hotel is hosting a Witches Ball in recognition of the 400^th anniversary of the Pendle Witch trials. It’s a meal and disco with lots of witchy surprises and promises to be a fun night out! I have booked a Pendle Pottery table at this event and am making it into a Pendle Potters night out. Any Pendle Potters who would like to join us, please let me know. Tickets are £30 each.

 October 6^th

I am travelling down to Glastonbury for the first time for a Wytches Market in the town. This is the first time I have been to Glastonbury and certainly the first time I have had a stall at this market. They run a few of these markets a year so it’ll be an opportunity to see how my Pendle Witches are received here.

October 20^th

Janice Bradshaw hosted a fantastic glass fusing course at the Pendle Pottery workshop a few months ago. It was brilliant fun and really successful. So much so, Janice is back to hold another workshop. This one is fully booked so she will be returning in November for a final workshop before Christmas. There are a couple of spaces available for the 3^rd November if anyone is interested, £95 for the day including all materials.

October 26^th-28^th

I’m back to Glastonbury again but this time for a Samhain Avalon Faery Fair. This is held at Glastonbury Town hall and attracts the Faes of the Pagan fraternity. I’m looking forward to experiencing this fair as it is a large event that I have not attended before. All my glitter and sparkly items will be available for sale, faeries, pixie shoes and faery houses.

October 30^th – November 3^rd

Pendle Pottery exhibition at the Platform Art Gallery, Clitheroe. This is turning into an annual event. Last year, during Halloween week, I organised an exhibition open to anyone who attends my Pendle Pottery classes. Irrespective of ability and experience, everyone is invited to entre pieces into the exhibition. It is a way of celebrating the diversity, creativity and talent of all the Pendle Potters!  The exhibition will be open from the Tuesday at 2.30pm with an opening then will be there until 5pm on Saturday 3^rd November.

I hope this newsletter gives you a little more information into what has been going on at Pendle Pottery and future events you might like to get involved in. If there is anything you are interested in or have an idea of something Pendle Pottery might be able to be part of, don’t hesitate to contact me!

Thanks for reading

Blessed Be

Hey! Long time no speak!

I'm sorry .. its taking me a while to get into the routine of writing a regular blog but I will try harder!

I thought this would be a good opportunity to tell you about my workshops I am running in May.

May is National Craft and Design month, the first week being National Ceramics week. I am using this excuse to set up a series of taster workshops giving people an opportunity to 'have a go' at some more unusual crafts that you mught not get the chance to try very often.

Below I have listed all the events that are taking part in May. If you are interested in any of these workshops, give me a call to book a place ... 07711 256277 or e-mail me, lizi@pendlepottery.co.uk  ... Places are quite limited so please let me know as soon as possible! I will blog again next week with more info of some exciting events I am doing in the next few weeks..Thanks for reading! xxxx  

Saturday 5^th May – Beginners Pottery

10 - 11.30am
12.30 – 2pm
Two structured sessions – Make a clay tortoise and have a go on the potters wheel.
Min 8 people per session
Kids: £15 / Adults £20
Sunday 6^th May – RAKU pottery
10am -4pm
You will need to book on one or two making sessions at the workshop before this date so you have some items to glaze ... Give me a call if you'd like to book a place and I can chat through more details.

£60 per person (£2 per 1lb for finished pots)

Contact Lizi for details
Saturday 12^th May - Floristry
1 – 4pm
Making a hand tied arrangement for a vase and a table arrangement using basic floristry techniques
Min 6 people
£35
Sunday 13^th May – Glass Fusing
9.30am – 4pm
Learning the techniques of cutting glass right through to producing a large glass wall hanging or glass plate/dish
Min 6 people
£95 per person
Sunday 20^th May – Make a silver ring
10am – 1pm
Learning the techniques to make a solid silver band ring.
Min 6 people
£40 per person
Saturday 26^th May – 3D felting
10am – 12noon
Make a small 3D object using needle felting technique
Min 6 people
£20 per person
Sunday 27^th May – Tin jewellery
1 – 4pm
Make a piece of jewellery using a tin can!
Min 6 people
£35 per person

Tentative first steps ...

So I've decided to write a blog ... it has taken me an hour to get this far ... designing the background was difficult enough but now I have put finger to keyboard, I'll give it a go.

The 1st of March began with the launch of the 3rd witch in my 2012 series to celebrate the 400 year anniversary of the Pendle Witch trials.

I thought this represents motherhood and as Mothers Day is later this month, seemed an appropriate subject for March. This finshed witch was my second attempt, the first one blew up in the kiln! Well, to be more precise, her tummy blew off! Funny really as she had kind of given birth in the kiln, somewhat involuntarily! Anyway, the second one was far more successful and was launched today.

These are the first two in the series.

January's witch is a result of her New Years Eve party and obviously February is Valentines Day. All the witches in the series represent a significant event that happens each month and will be launched on my facebook page on the first of every month.

Pendle Pottery Facebook Page 

They are also available to buy ... each one is unique and will not be replicated so you would be buying the one and only.

I have also been making special order witches, linked to a special day and produced with the particular person in mind. I love personalising the witches as this makes them even more unique. At the moment I am making a witch for someones birthday who's job is a lawyer. This witch has a scroll and is very smartly dressed .... she has a witches hat which is mandatory and a long dress. I'll post a photo in my blog once its finished.

Well, I think that will do for my first entry, blogging is going to be a new experience but hopfully will be an interesting thing for me to do and for you to read. Feedback and comments will of course be very welcome.

Speak soon