Oxford Clay

Having a perfectly flat base or rim on a pot adds a professional feel to handmade pottery.In this episode, I tell you about an amazingly simple and easy technique to create perfectly flat bases or rims on your pottery. After having read about this pottery technique in a book, it is now something I use on every one of my pots!-------------------------------*New book: Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.-------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog------------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. 

Disappointment in pottery can happen when the pot in your mind's eye isn’t the same as the one that comes out of the kiln! That sinking feeling of disappointment can really hold us back as potters and can affect even the most experienced of Potters. In this episode, I talk about three mindset shifts that I use to deal with my own feelings of disappointment in pottery; 1. That disappointment is a natural part of the creative process. 2. That disappointment is a natural part of pottery-making so much out of our control as potters (especially what happens inside a kiln firing!). 3. That experiencing failure and disappointment in pottery means that you are at the growth edge of your skills and experience.I hope this episode inspires you not to be discouraged if feelings of disappointment ever come up in your pottery-making. The book featured in this episode is ‘A Potters Book’ by Bernard Leach, 1976 edition published by Faber and Faber.-------------------------------*New book: Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.-------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog------------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. 

It's Autumn here in the UK and the leaves on the trees are starting to fall! But did you know that you can actually make a pottery glaze from fallen leaves?! Whilst wood ash is often quoted in glaze recipes, leaf ash can actually be used instead. In fact it is often the leaves of plants which have fallen naturally at the end of their growing cycle which create the most beautiful pottery glazes!  In part two of this two-part episode series on making pottery glazes with fallen leaf ash we discuss: *How to make a stoneware glaze using quartz, cornish stone, leaf ash and water. *How to weigh out glaze-making ingredients. *How to mix a glaze and sieve it.The eBook Leaf Ash Glazing: A guide to sustainable pottery glazing with fallen leaves is available here.The ash glazing recipe in this episode and also used in the book Leaf Ash Glazing: A guide to sustainable pottery glazing with fallen leaves is:*Quartz - 20 Parts *Cornish Stone - 40 Parts *Leaf Ash - 40 Parts *Water - to make up to the consistency of single cream. -------------------------------*New book: Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.-------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog------------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. 

It's Autumn here in the UK and the leaves on the trees are starting to fall! But did you know that you can actually make a pottery glaze from fallen leaves?! Whilst wood ash is often quoted in glaze recipes, leaf ash can actually be used instead. In fact it is often the leaves of plants which have fallen naturally at the end of their growing cycle which create the most beautiful pottery glazes!  In part one of this two-part episode series on making pottery glazes with fallen leaf ash we discuss: *How to identify plants so that leaves can be safely collected from non-toxic plants.*How to collect leaves without accidentally collecting insects and other invertebrates. *How to sort and dry leaves ready for burning.*How to burn leaves into an ash that can be used as an ingredient in pottery glazing. The eBook Leaf Ash Glazing: A guide to sustainable pottery glazing with fallen leaves is available here.-------------------------------*New book: Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.-------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog------------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. 

Clay shrinks at every stage of the pottery-making process. This can make creating the right size of pot quite tricky!Another confusing thing is that different clays shrink by differing amounts up to around 25 per cent, from wet clay to finished pot. Join me for this episode, where I talk about a simple way to find out how much your specific type of clay will shrink by. I talk you through how I discovered that my clay at Oxford Clay shrinks by 15 per cent from leather-hard clay to final glaze-fired pottery. -------------------------------*New book: Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.-------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog------------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. 

Because the process of making pottery is so prone to technical ‘failures’ it can often feel like you're constantly doing pottery ‘wrong’! In this episode, we explore how giving yourself permission to get things ‘wrong’ in pottery as you learn and grow in your pottery-making skills and experience, opens up infinite creative opportunities for your work. I share some things I’ve changed in my own pottery recently and some tips for how to give yourself permission to grow in your pottery-making. Knowing that pottery isn't meant to be ‘perfect’ and choosing thoughts such as ‘I'm doing it right’ (even though it often doesn't feel that way!), really supports our pottery-making learning journey. -------------------------------*New book: Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.-------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog------------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. 

Colour in pottery is usually created with commercial metal oxides available as a raw material or as an ingredient in stains.In a special bonus episode of this podcast series to celebrate the release of the book ‘Eco-conscious Pottery Colour: A guide to colouring ceramics with scrap metals, glass, plant ash and clay’,  we explore some things I've used in pottery to try to create colour that haven’t worked, including sugar molasses, kale stems, Chia seeds and fermented seaweed fertiliser!*Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.-------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. --------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

Colour in pottery is usually created with commercial metal oxides available as a raw material or as an ingredient in stains.In the fifth of this special five-part podcast series to celebrate the release of the book ‘Eco-conscious Pottery Colour: A guide to colouring ceramics with scrap metals, glass, plant ash and clay’,  we explore how to create beautiful colours in pottery, using metal-rich clays.*Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.--------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. -------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

Colour in pottery is usually created with commercial metal oxides available as a raw material or as an ingredient in stains.In the fourth of this special five-part podcast series to celebrate the release of the book ‘Eco-conscious Pottery Colour: A guide to colouring ceramics with scrap metals, glass, plant ash and clay’,  we explore how to create beautiful colours in pottery, using the ashes of plants! *Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.----------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. ----------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

Colour in pottery is usually created with commercial metal oxides available as a raw material or as an ingredient in stains.In the third of this special five-part podcast series to celebrate the release of the book ‘Eco-conscious Pottery Colour: A guide to colouring ceramics with scrap metals, glass, plant ash and clay’,  we explore how to create beautiful decorative colours in pottery, using scrap glass. *Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.------------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. --------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

Colour in pottery is usually created with commercial metal oxides available as a raw material or as an ingredient in stains.In the second of this five-part podcast series to celebrate the release of the book ‘Eco-conscious Pottery Colour: A guide to colouring ceramics with scrap metals, glass, plant ash and clay’,  we explore how to create beautiful glaze colours in pottery, using scrap copper and iron.*Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here *A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.-----------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. ---------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

Colour in pottery is usually created with commercial metal oxides available as a raw material or as an ingredient in stains.In the first of this five-part podcast series to celebrate the release of the book ‘Eco-conscious Pottery Colour: A guide to colouring ceramics with scrap metals, glass, plant ash and clay’,  we explore what Eco-conscious pottery colour is and why it’s great for Potters, and the Earth. *Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here *A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.---------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. -----------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

So many pottery projects involve joining clay together and it’s not unusual for clay to crack apart after it's been joined. Join me for this episode where I talk about my 5 simple steps for joining clay together to stop clay from cracking apart! *Join clay that is the same level of dryness, you can encourage this by keeping clay in a damp box. *Use vinegar to ‘melt’ the joining surface of the clay. *Score the surface of the areas to be joined. *Use slip on the joint (and superpower this by mixing in paper fibres!). *Dry your pottery slowly to prevent some parts from drying faster than others and cracking apart. ----------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.ukwith the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. --------------------------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

Thank you for your listener questions! This is the first listener question episode, and we're talking about about crazing and pinholing in pottery glazes. The listener questions in this episode are:Is it a defect of the glaze to have pinholes or hairline cracks after firing?Are these fired glazes permeable and will food residues settle in them over time, especially if you only wash them by hand?Can crazed and pinholed pottery go in the dishwasher?----------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.ukwith the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. --------------------------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

Experimenting with making pottery glazes is one of my absolute favourite things to do.In this episode, I tell you how I make my glaze tests at Oxford Clay, and how you can do the same!----------------------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.ukwith the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. --------------------------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

In this episode, I talk about 5 simple things you can do to recycle resources in pottery!The 5 things I talk about today are:*Collecting Rainwater to use in pottery*Reclaiming used clay back into new clay*Turning scrap metal into colouring oxides*Making pottery glazes from plant ashes*Using glass in pottery to add colour and decorative detail-----------------------------------------------Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.ukwith the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. --------------------------------------------------Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for PottersPottery eBooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)Pottery Paperback Books available from AmazonVideo mini-courses for PottersOxford Clay blog

A mini episode today to let you know that I’d love to answer your pottery question on the podcast! Just email your pottery question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk  Put ‘Podcast Question’ in the subject line of your email so I know that you are happy for your question to be read out and answered on the podcast. I can't wait to hear from you!  Resosrces for Potters:Submit a pottery question to the podcast:Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’. Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-pottersPottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbookDownload the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedulePottery Paperback Books available from amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/coursesOxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1

Did you know that you can actually make your own green pottery colourant called Verdigris?Verdigris is an ancient pigment that has been used for thousands of years, and you can make it yourself by recycling scrap copper! In this episode I share 3 beautiful pottery glazes I've made using Verdigris. Green Stoneware / high-fire recipes below: If you want to see what these glazes look like you can check out the video of this podcast here: https://youtu.be/WYg0ayYlJlYLearn how to fire these stoneware glazes in an electric kiln in this free workbook.Recipe 1: Cornish Stone - 50Quartz - 25Whiting - 15Dolomite - 105% Verdigris Recipe 2: Cornish Stone - 40Quartz - 20China Clay - 15Whiting - 10Dolomite - 105% VerdigrisRecipe 3: Feldspar - 56Quartz - 22Whiting - 13Plant/Wood Ash - 95% VerdigrisRecipe 4: (just in case you like this glaze?! / are making a sculpture of an amphibian and need a good glaze for the skin!)Cornish Stone - 40Plant/Wood Ash - 40Quartz - 2010% VerdigrisLearn how to make your own Verdigris and use it in your pottery in this video mini-course.Or this bookResources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-pottersPottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbookDownload the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedulePottery Paperback Books available from amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/coursesOxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1

You may have heard the word ‘Verdigris’ used to describe a blue-green colour, or you may have seen it on brass statues or the roofs of buildings. Verdigris is also a pigment that has been used by artisans for thousands of years. But did you know that Potters can actually make their own Verdigris to use in their ceramics?! Making your own verdigris is a great way to avoid using commercial metal oxides, one of the least environmentally friendly pottery ingredients. In this episode, I tell you about how I make my own verdigris and how I use it in the pottery at Oxford Clay as a unique eco-conscious pottery colourant. Learn how to make your own Verdigris and use it in your pottery in this video mini-course.  Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-pottersPottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbookDownload the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedulePottery Paperback Books available from amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/coursesOxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1

Leather hard clay is when the clay has dried a little but is still wet enough to work with. Clay is very versatile at the leather-hard stage, stronger, and less prone to breakage like bone dry pottery (also known as ‘greenware’). In this episode, I explain what leather-hard clay is and all the amazing things that can be created with leather-hard clay! From building slab pots, etching decoration and slip trailing, to turning the base of wheel-thrown pots and more!Resources for Potters:Oxford Clay website resources for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/resources-for-pottersPottery eBooks: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/ebooksDownload the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-make-a-pottery-glaze-workbookDownload the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/how-to-fire-bisque-and-stoneware-kiln-firing-schedulePottery Paperback Books available from amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katherine-Tomlinson/e/B0B1CKC9X3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1662270837&sr=8-1Video mini-courses for Potters: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/shop/coursesOxford Clay blog: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/blog-1