how is it december already...

The steady flutter of activity in my studio has created a constant kiln firing cycle over the last little while and even time for a photo shoot last week. Lil birdie has now been prepped, polished and delivered around town. The next cycle will be spread a bit wider to the other stockists in town. The flat series will be a limited range in this design and as 'a prototype', no doubt some elements will stay for the next making cycle and others will just fall to the back shelves of my mind no doubt…

The Wheaty Ceramic and Glass sale was a melt out with 40degC in the stage area out back but the staff kept ice buckets flowing which was fabulous and the Tassie cider went down a treat after a long hot sale!

Next I'm heading back to the studio today to setup my new sale space, bring all the work back in and move everything around no doubt!  Anyhoo must dash, see you on instagram ;)

 

hills edge clay 2015 +

This month has seen the opening of Hills Edge Clay 2015 at Gallery 1855, it was a fab opening with some lovely peeps turning out for the opening. It's a massive catch up time for most of the clay artists turning out for the day.
This years show piece in the entry foyer by my friend James Edwards, who brought his piece complete with own plinth for the show and the entry space shows it off so well.
I share my favourite room with Alison Arnold, Phil Hart, Anna Couper and Hellen Fuller.

I'm settling into the new studio space at Jam Factory, Seppeltsfield better now and have been moving, moving and moving things around in the space, it will feel right eventually… got my new signs up this week and new walkway went up too. Christmas is looming and I have plenty of stock now with a couple more firings to complete. I have quite the variety of stock form all manner of earthy tablewares, to specialty items for great table displays this christmas. My printed wares are in the kiln right now and I can't wait to crack the kiln tomorrow to see how the new design looks…
Pictures soon as I'll be sending loads out via social media this week, let me know if you spot something you like as postage within australia is still very affordable…
If you are in Adelaide, do make the trip out to my studio. It's the barn on your left as you head into te carpark and enter through the Jam Factory Shop just down the walkway. Seppeltsfield is a lovely spot and you can dine fancy or do a bbq in the picnic area for the day. Even do a Barossa tour!!
I'm in my studio Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday but message me first so I can make time to chat…email   angela@angdesign.com.au or message me on facebook… The wifi has been down since the fires this week but hopefully that will be fixed soon and usually programming can commence...

Thursdays RAKU workshop was full and we were going to do another today but with the fire ban and heat it was cancelled til next year. We got stuck into it straight away as you know the raku firings can take a while to get started and we gave the professor his first run, love the new front door action. Build and design by Kevin Capaldi, so keen to get on the next one already.

The results were stunning, heavily reduced but really nicely glazed by most peeps who were novices to the process. I made bisqueware for them to glaze and had everything ready to go so it was a fun emersion process in to the essence of RAKU. We talked chemistry and process with lots of ooh's and ahh's as the first pots emerged from the reduction chamber.

 And back to the making of lil birdie, which I will have quite the array of for this saturday's WHEATY SALE, it's a ceramics and glass Extravaganza!
Love to see you there!! 

The Wheaty is 39 George St Thebarton, sale is Sat 5 December from 12pm - 3pm… Bring yourself, bring a friend, bring lots of friends!!! and buy handmade for this christmas...

THE big clay day out 2015

So here's this years lil vid, an epic day, with loads of contributors, so thank you all!! and see you next time, location tba :)

seppeltsfield studio and the big clay day out...

This is a slow day post a very busy long wkd in Adelaide…

I'm getting into a groove with my new space and starting to get a work flow happening, it is quite the challenge and very different to market headspace. But all good and meeting some fab peeps over for a holiday plus quite a few locals, which is nice! Recycling is still a challenge and my sludge bucket is filling up which means it will be getting stinky soon, I would say as the temperature warms up in the studio!

The Stephen Bowers show in the Jam Factory Gallery is in it's last days which means change over next week and I'm looking forward to seeing the Janet DeBoos show that is next. The opening is in a couple of weeks time and no doubt will be a bit of a feature here.

ang walford ceramics 

bat clay

lil birdie beakers

lil birdie serving dishes

The Big Clay Day Out 2015

A bunch of new lil birdie beakers and bowls will be ready soon and I've added a couple of serving size pieces back into the range. These pieces rapidly dried over sunday night and were ready for a quick trim yesterday...

The Big Clay Day Out 2015 - Kevin

The Big Clay Day Out 2015 was held at Flaxley this year, the Adelaide Hills Ceramic crew did a fabbo job this year complete with cup cakes for the intollerant guests :P just loved that sign…. Kevin got stuck in full gusto digging the pit and getting all sorts of preparations underway for the big day which was also very well supported by Mt Barker Council. Thanks guys for the fencing, the Loo and the Gazebos it all made for an excellent setup. I have dreams of making this annual event something way more extensive and having been part of 2 now am seeing where this day - event can go towards in the future.

The Big Clay Day Out 2015 - Kevin

the intolerant guests

The Big Clay Day Out 2015 - Annas glazes

Karen had the raku area all cranking and connie got stuck into the little raku rocket bins, they are a treat to fire! I see Anna had some of her fab glazes on the go again and the results are quite something. All the media is waiting for a few quiet hours so I can edit and put something special together, can't wait!!

The Big Clay Day Out 2015 - Karen

The Big Clay Day Out 2015 - Connie

Glaze-on studio sunday

Special focus…

Special focus… I have been in my new studio for 3 weeks now and been productive for 2 weeks with a few throwing sessions. Getting into a new groove has not been without it's challenges. This space is quite intimidating and a challenge to make an impact on.
I thought about creating work flow spaces and economy of effort and for that very reason have placed my throwing station close to shelvage and wedging room which at the mo is the floor…

Down the track kilns will be wired and plumbed but for now I'm transporting wares to be fired, which also means driving like a granny ;) … my raku kiln will get cranked this week weather permitting and hopefully I'll stream that. stay in touch on periscope @angwalford, twitter @angwalford and instagram @angelawalford

shino noodle

I'm concentrating on a few wares like shino noodle bowls and servers and shortly the white range will get started again.  With the next few firings planned and exhibition works get finalised, there's a lovely project called the cup collaboration which I'm so looking forward to see what everyone has come up with! And the big clay day out is the end of this month too! So looking forward to that @ Flaxley this year sat 26 september midday til dark and no doubt a media production will happen too!

Anyhoo here's a small gallery of images from this week… happy days ;)

lil birdie

All the essentials are in...

After a few trips to my new studio all the essentials are in.

Big thanks to Kevin for his assistance and being general lifter and mover! So Tuesday was the first throwing session just to get into a groove in the new space and a mad minute at the end of the day… if you're on instagram no doubt you have already seen it ;)

Also fired my gas kiln on Monday and yet again burner issues but kept going and after 14 hours finally got to cone 10 with 1 main burner down. On inspection of the cooler atmosphere in my kiln it was a very even firing. A lot of these pieces were twice fired and no doubt this added to the glaze surface, very happy with this lot!

And if you are heading out to Seppeltsfield for this Barossa Gourmet Wkd drop by and say hi!

Turn off at Greenock off ramp off the A20, then right at the intersection directly to seppeltsfield.

Had some lovely results firing my rocket kiln for SALA all these raku bottles are at The Terrace on Glen Osmond Rd Eastwood.

A small amount of tweaking the firebox gave much faster firing responses, it reduces like mad, woohoo!!

Anyhoo hope to see you this wkd in the Barossa…

let's start with exciting news...

Let's start with exciting news…

I'm in the process of moving studio to the barossa!

having said that eeeek!!!

It's quite the change moving to The Jam Factory studio space at Seppeltsfield but it will be fabulous for workshops etc. Yep what you see above is where i'll be as of next week when all of the crates and ladders etc will be gone and we'll get some cleaning happening ;)

There's a couple of trusty kilns that need setting up and I'm waiting to see what happens re gas but it's a beauty of a solid brick kiln, wait til I get my hands on that ;)

and new 'fangled controllers' on which is mostly a manual kiln, yey!!

And an interlude of 'Mugs Day' at Milan Rouge CCD Stirling again this winter, unfortunately virus number 3 this season had me knocked out unable to make it but I hear it was a blast!

Also moving Studio Sale day at mine, was rather fabulous seeing so many old and new friends turning out this year. Thank you all for a fab day and hope to see you out at my new location. 

Let's get together and christen the new studio soon!

On to SALA works, held up again by the darned lung infection #2 my Sala efforts were delayed  and only got into the studio last wkd. Lucky for me the sun was shining and a great making / developing 3D tile works time was had. The practical side of developing new ideas takes quite the concentrated effort and finally by day #8 they are made, slipped, decoed and drying…The new processes are now stored for post firing analysis, what worked and what didn't. I've saved the pattern pieces and quite like the 'brick' forms that have resulted from this style of construction…

Thanks so much to Kevin's monster roller! better than a slab roller and my arms survived the workout ;)

At this point on saturday I brought everything inside as no way  was any drying going to happen in this weather. The hail came down along with the occasional downpour of the wet stuff! It snowed at Mt Lofty, usually an indicator of the coldest day in winter but we're not high enough for any retention of the white stuff, aside from the hail which hung around for ages here! Well the wares are drying nicely inside, I have a bisque kiln on firing Kevin's works for the pit firing, which means the kiln will be nice and warm for my loading works tomorrow. Anyhoo that's about it for news, no doubt posting from Seppeltsfield soon...