Mick and Lesley Dixon 13 March 2019

Wednesday 13 March 2019, 7:45pm at Polehampton Junior School

Mick and Lesley Dixon (13 March 2019)

Mick and Lesley Dixon will give a talk about the setting up of their pottery at Bartley Heath and how it came about, followed by a throwing demonstration.
We are Mick & Lesley Dixon and run Bartley Heath Pottery which is situated in North Warnborough near Odiham in Hampshire. The Pottery is close to Junction 5 of the M3 between Hook & Odiham. We opened in 1974. We have a Showroom attached to our cottage and our workshop & kiln are in the garden to the rear. We work mainly in reduced stoneware. We use electric kilns for biscuit firings and a gas kiln for the Stoneware, which is glaze fired to 1260C. All our standard range of pots are suitable for oven and microwave use and are safe in a dishwasher.

 

Russell Kingston (10 April 2019)

Wednesday 10 April 2019, 7:45pm at Polehampton Junior School

Russell Kingston 

Spending my youth spread between heavy metal festivals and sub heavy raves (that’s loud music for you older folks). It dawned on me that at some point I was going to need a “real job”. I decided that a 2 year course in ceramics might calm the soul…it didn’t, but it certainly fired it up and it turned out I was quite good at it.

So after escaping Devon to the Hustle and Bustle of Brighton (that’s as near to a city I would live), to see what metropolis had to offer, I soon realised that you can take the boy out of the Shire, but you cant take the Devonshire out of the boy. Returning to my roots seemed the best thing to do.

Loving all things Devon (and Brian’s kiln not reaching stoneware temperatures) Slipware was the only way to go. Taking from the traditions and heritage of North Devon and mixing in some contemporary freshness to create functional wares at affordable prices. My current work has a real folky appeal and is now being collected by those who have discovered the joy of handmade wares with personality.

Im always experimenting by modifying glazes and varying firing techniques. After all, being able to control fire to create, instead of destroy, is a sensible pyromaniacs dream.

 

 

Kirsteen Holouj 12 June 2019

Wednesday 12 June 2019, 7:45pm at Polehampton Junior School

Kirsteen Holuj (12 June 2019)

 

 

 

I describe myself as a maker of ceramic, but this title does not really cover everything that I do.
Clay has its limitations and to fulfil the completion of a design I often have to explore other
techniques and materials resulting in mixed media pieces. My inspiration mainly comes from the
natural world – plants, rocks, sand, seeds, textures. Visits to the Inner Hebrides have also had
an influence on my work.
Some of my sculptural work is fired in an electric kiln.  I also make work that I can put in the
soda kiln and also raku fire, these processes are much more sensory … you can see the glazes melt,
feel the heat of the fire, smell the smoke in the air. Running raku workshops from Westbury Arts
Centre south of Milton Keynes has allowed me to introduce this exciting firing process with lots
of other creative people.