It’s lovely when shops, galleries and individuals want to buy or stock our goods. Sometimes they are withing striking distance and I can deliver them – like today. heading out over a very blustery Clyde to the Seagull Gallery with some wave pictures.They were an order for one of her customers who wanted four along one wall in her house – I hope we might get a picture to see how they look in position.

Sometimes though I need to post things out – what a worry that can be and how relieved I am to hear that things have survived in tact. One piece recently didn’t make it and their replacement piece is being fired and glazed today. Usually they do though – with copious amounts of bubble-wrap, sellotape and newspaper or straw being used and large red-lettered ‘fragile’ tape wound around the parcel.

Recently I was asked to make a very special picture for a wedding gift – you can see it in the picture below. I even put bubble-wrap inside the picture between the ceramics and the glass. I was so pleased the buyer liked it and it arrived unscathed.

Still, it is all part of the business and I have learned a lot over the years about every aspect of business – from ceramics to accounting to labelling and packaging – long may the exciting journey continue.

Blairmore Gallery not far from us has recently been taken on by new owner Ciorsdan (pronounced kirsten) and we wish her all the very best. The Gallery has been a popular stopping off point over the years on the lovely road along Loch Long – local and Scottish art and crafts, lovely homemade soups and cakes and friendly folks. The Gallery is next to the lovely Blairmore Pier which I discovered this week is one of only five piers in Scotland. There are two in the Edinburgh area and the other two are local to us in Dunoon and Rothesay. Three within easy reach – I didn’t recently they were a rarity here in Scotland; it makes them all the more special. Here are some photos, taken the other day when I delivered some pottery to them.

​I have been working on these pieces for some time, experimenting with shapes and colours. It has been in turn joyful, frustrating and freeing. The three shapes I am staying with is the wavy plate, the oval planter and the cylindrical vase as pictured. The lines reflect the shorelines here, especially as the tide goes out and leaves lines of seaweed, shiny shells and small rockpools – such a peaceful moment in time.

​Before making the vase into a 3D piece, I roll it out and cut a fairly rectangular shape with one straight edge and one that just neatens the raw edge of the clay however it has taken shape as I roll it out. Once it is dry enough I start making my marks in the clay – some lines with slip, some lines scored into the clay and some shapes added to the clay before then adding the poetry. The clay is then shaped around a circular base and sealed to make a vase. The slip I am using o make the lines is blue but once wiped with a black underglaze it takes on a lovely soft grey hue while the letters keep their clearly defined shapes.

​One of the best bits will have to left to your imagination as it is so dark I can’t get it to show up on a photograph! I have been making my own glazes and have managed to create (twice now so here’s hoping I have cracked it) a beautiful and rich dark blue glaze which I am now using on the inside of the vases. It is almost reflective, like looking into a deep pool. Maybe you can come along and see one in person…

I have some more pottery workshops coming up this year along with my fellow potter Pauline. We will be doing a next steps course for the folks who were learning with us recently at the Burgh Hall in Dunoon and also a day’s course up in Oban at the developing community project Rockfield Centre. We are also going to be running a whole course for Argyll College from October to December. For that we needed artists CVs and a whole detailed programme about what students will achieve and the processes involved. Another stretching moment. When we had done it all we felt quite pleased – seeing it on paper makes it seem like we really know what we are talking about.

​Here is one of our students deep in thought at a day’s course we ran at Tighnabruaich Gallery earlier this year. It’s so lovely helping people get used to handling clay, freeing the negative feelings hey have about ability and creativity, and watching the thoughts and ideas develop into actual pieces – each person’s finished work unique and special. We shall we looking forward to an autumn of classes…

​I think I have mentioned before that the creating part is much easier than the selling part – not because people don’t like our pieces, just because selling your own work can be quite a challenge! It was how the local Collective got started – having visited a craft co-operative while on holiday on the East coast I realised how much easier it is to celebrate and promote other artist’s work. If we formed a co-operative we could sell each other’s work. But the extra unexpected benefit is the confidence it has given me in our own work. Maybe it’s ok after all!

​Yesterday I was at the beautiful and peaceful Benmore Botanical Gardens for their Open Day. Vintage tractors, birds of prey, Loch Fyne Ales, venison burgers and the Craft Fair. It’s a great chance to meet customers old and new – including a chap visiting he area from  Huddersfield who has brought from us before – and to chat with other crafters. I got in a muddle setting up my stall and my fellow potter Pauline came over and helped move a couple of things around and suddenly it all looked more cohesive. It was one of those moments where it’s about co-operation and not competition.

Some of the learning too has been about beginning to narrow down what we create so that we are becoming clearer about our ‘brand ‘ – not a word I like, but it seems to be important in order to keep our focus while creating and so that customers know what they will find on our stall, either online or in person. My learning runs together – learning all the time how to make better pots and how to sell better – both steep but very enjoyable climbs…