Variety - the Spice of Life

I would say that I am not a conventional potter. By that I mean I do not churn out pot after pot of tastefully decorated crockery nor produce an endless supply of cute figurines. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t want to, or that there is a problem with doing this, I just haven’t found my singular style nor that special something that I feel urged to reproduce again and again.

I recall my pottery teacher once telling me that he occasionally regretted being so successful at making his own tableware. He produced a range of about a dozen different items which he covered in his own unique glaze - a beautiful deep blue and rich green - all of which I thought absolutely stunning. But he pointed out that he had to throw these items in batches, perhaps 60 a day, each the same as the last - which, of course, was hugely tedious. Perhaps this ‘revelation’ influenced me more than I realised as I veer away from mass producing anything and all my pottery is hand-built not thrown, which in my opinion, makes them a little more quirky and individual. I also find there is so much inspiration to be had with so many different ideas and experiments to attempt that I couldn’t limit myself to just one method of production.

This varied approach may very well explain how the MOOdy Cow was created. More on that soon…