Cornish Handmade Studio Pottery
Paula Gray specialises in hand thrown and hand painted porcelain tableware and large burnished hand painted bowls. The beauty of the fine porcelain truly comes alive when thrown very thin as the body is very translucent light can be clearly seen through the cup, saucer, mug, jug, teapot, coffee pot etc. Making the everyday mundane into an enjoyable experience. Making the functional beautiful, why not? Functional by design..beautiful by nature.
Paula started making pots in 2001 and has never looked back. Throwing is an addictive occupation and decorating has many fascinating and absorbing processes most of which Paula has dipped into but now her focus in on hand painting detailed water colour style designs on to tableware. Pebble burnished large bowls create a smoother surface for her wonderful detailed florals, choughs, lizards and badgers using cobalt oxides to create a traditional blue and white. Throwing with porcelain is a highly challenging type of clay which gives spectacular results when thrown with love and care for its delicate nature. Its beauty is its whiteness and translucency creating beautiful contrast to the rich cobalt blue designs. Buying hand made studio pottery is the best choice for a unique and beautiful product made with heart. Hand made and hand thrown porcelain is the finest of all hand made pottery. Hand painted designs add a unique perspective to the hand made finished item. Cornish studio pottery is among the best in the world with many potters following the Leach tradition. Don't buy on the high street when you can buy a hand made product for the same price with added value in its uniqueness. Studio ceramics is truly taking off with many discerning buyers wanting some that is Not On The High Street. Something handmade is always going to be special . Keep the artisans working, buy hand made so that we are not over run with the mundane designs seen every where. Buy different, Buy heart and soul, buy hand made studio ceramics and handmade pottery whether its art pottery or functional pottery never give in the the globalization of consumerism. Don' t kill the craftsman keep the crafts alive and buy hand made. What ever the craft from textiles to glass, pottery to metal work. BUY HAND MADE !
How to throw with porcelain
Throwing with porcelain is quite different from throwing pottery with stoneware or earthenware clay. The body is more prone to water absorption and therefore needs to be thrown quickly. Too much water will cause the clay to tire and slump easily. So away with the usual practice of much water while throwing. The smallest amount possible for studio porcelain, none if possible. This will extend the throwing time and enable more complicated shaping.You may find it advantageous to pause during a piece like a tall vase with narrow neck to rest the porcelain and allow it to stiffen slightly before continuing to shape the neck. Using ribs, metal or wood, to smooth the inner and outer surface of the piece helps reduce water content of the clay and compresses the small particles to strengthen to body on the wheel. Porcelain likes to crack at the base so really compressing the base is particularly important as is keeping water out of the bottom by regular sponging. Throwing with porcelain is unforgiving and the details must be right but with practice and experience of handling this wonderful translucent white material, you will be hooked.
When finished porcelain likes to go slow. Dry slow, fire slow, handle slow. The strength comes with the vitrification and until then it is extremely fragile. Especially if you have thrown a beautifully thin piece to increase its beauty and translucency.
Studio porcelain lends itself well to dinnerware and tableware, mugs, jugs and is wonderful for personalised wedding gifts. However the challenge is to get the shape and dimensions correct for good functional design and as porcelain shrinks by 25% during vitrification you have to do the
Math.
I am passionate about porcelain pottery. Its strength, fine quality and translucency. Pure usability. I also want to make my porcelain work affordable as well as luxurious and prices start at as little as £7 for small perfume bottle. . Making the every day less mundane.
So are you a Porcelain Mug or a Cup & Saucer. Do you prefer a porcelain plate for your pasta or a porcelain pasta bowl? Do mussels taste better from a porcelain mussel bowl and does tea taste nicer if taken from the traditional Chinese porcelain tea ceremony bowls? Do you still use a teapot or coffee pot or are you a bag lady? Why have we reduced the style of our lives to the humdrum and mundane? Go on give yourself a little luxury and try life with porcelain, pure porcelain pleasure. Taste and see that ritual is the way to make every day life more enjoyable. So start now try your first porcelain mug from Pentreath Pottery. You can even order it personalised with your initials, name, photos own design.
Hours: 24/7
