Published: 1st October 2022

Sarah Russell has spent most of her career as a garden designer, but a passion for pottery has recently become more than a hobby. Here, she talks about the art of throwing and her hopes for Pots and Pansies Pottery…

POT PAINTINGS

When my children were little, I painted terracotta pots. I would add pictures or basic effects like sponging and crackle glazing, plant them up and sell them at local fairs. They were popular and recently I came across a customer who still has one that she bought 25 years ago! But it was a hobby, and I never made my own pots. Then I watched The Great Pottery Throw Down and loved it! I felt so inspired that I attended a course at Clay ‘n’ Glaze, a pottery studio in Pulborough run by Wendy Yates. Wendy has since moved to Devon, but I continue to learn from one of her former pupils, Matt Smith, who runs a pottery studio in Chichester. 

SWEET SPOT

Things progressed when I bought my own potter’s wheel. Wendy had a second-hand wheel for a left-handed potter, which I happen to be. I didn’t have a shed or spare room to put it in, but it just about fit in the kitchen! This coincided with the start of lockdown, meaning I had plenty of time to practice. My early work wasn’t brilliant, but I kept going and started to grasp the importance of centring the clay ball and gradually shaping it until you hit the sweet spot. I still have the first thing I made. The glazing is terrible, but I’m proud of it and still use it to store tea bags.

FIRED UP

I was making small things in my spare time, when I wasn’t occupied by garden design. Gradually, pottery started to take over the house, with pieces piled up in the living room, kitchen and spare room. I didn’t have my own kiln, so I’d build up a collection before sending them off elsewhere to be fired. Most of what I produced was given to friends and family, and it was only when a neighbour bought six items that I started to think about making money from pottery. When my parents passed away, I was left a small inheritance and used the money to invest in my hobby. I bought a shed, a kiln of my own and some quality glazes, which are expensive. My garden design business is called Pots & Pansies, so adding a pottery element to it was perfect!

HANDLING ISSUES

Pottery is time-consuming and part of the challenge is managing the process. Once a piece has been thrown, you need to wait until it’s bone dry before firing it for the first time. If it’s damp, it will explode in the kiln. When it comes to adding handles, you must be careful, as clay shrinks as it dries. Handles can shrink faster than the mug and that can cause cracks at the join. When it comes to lids, it is difficult to get a perfect fit. The lid is trimmed off while clay is leather hard, but when you fire clay in the kiln, it shrinks significantly. With white stoneware, it reduces in size by about 12% and it can be twice that with porcelain. You need to bear that in mind, especially when you’re making lids or objects that will accommodate other components, like lamp bases. 

DANCING COLOURS

Glazes are added after the first firing. This is my favourite part, as I love the contrast between shiny and matt glazes. Adding a flux glaze lowers the melting temperature of other glazes underneath, so all the colours melt and create a fusion of movement. You have an idea of what it might look like, but when you open the kiln after the second firing, it’s always a surprise to see exactly how glazes have interacted. You see the cascading effect caused by the flux, as the blended colours dance down to create unique patterns. 

SHINY THINGS

I think there’s a consistent look to my work. I often use a sandstone clay underneath and add a bright glaze, often using shades of blue, to give contrast. I personally like to make things with a shiny surface! Occasionally, I use techniques such as chattering, when a texturing tool is used to create a rippling effect on the surface of the clay. This takes practice! As well as mugs and bowls of all sizes, I make oil pourers, storage jars for tea, coffee and sugar with bamboo lids, artificial tea-light holders, lamp bases and even holed vases, ideal for floral arrangements. They vary in price from £5 to £100, so there’s something for everyone. My drinking vessels come in every size, from espresso cups to tankards. We all have our quirks when it comes to hot drinks, with some of us liking a bucket of tea in the morning and a small coffee at night, and others vice versa! Some customers choose different shaped cups for their family, while others like to have a range of sizes in a similar pattern, as they think it’ll look funky in the cupboard.  

MAKING A STATEMENT

I try to attend the market in Horsham Carfax at least once a month. I’m also part of a pop-up shop in Petworth which goes on tour to Chichester once a month too. In the run-up to Christmas, I’ll hopefully be at the Carfax more regularly, selling a new range of festive items like Christmas tree candle holders. If I don’t have what you’re looking for, I welcome commissions and am currently working on a raspberry pink jug for a customer. I love making large bowls, as the effect of the glaze is so dramatic. Looking forward, I want to push myself to throw more of these bigger items, as they are statement pieces. I am still running the garden design business, but have scaled that down as – at this stage of life – my heart is in pottery. I get joy from it and hope to do it full-time eventually. I love the creativity it offers and the feeling I get every time I open the kiln to see the little treasures I’ve made!

INTERVIEW: BEN MORRIS

PHOTOS: ALAN WRIGHT

Further information: https://www.facebook.com/potsandpansiespottery/