A Busy Summer...

This year has seen me travelling with my ceramics to shows all over the country - a hard but productive time!

Preparations began last year when I put in my applications for the shows and waited nervously to see if I had been accepted. In the meantime, I was also thinking about my stand design. I needed something that was light but sturdy, easy to transport but quick to set up and take down, flexible enough to cover me for tiny table top shows right up to filling a 5m x 4m cattle pen - oh and it needed to look smart and not cost too much! Not asking much was I!

The Made in Yorkshire marquee
in York in April

As the new year began, and the acceptances - and rejections - came in, the plans for the year began to take shape and final details could be arranged. After two shows in London in January and February, April saw the start of my main season with a show in York.

I had joined up with a new group for this year called Made in Yorkshire, run by the husband and wife team of Ollie and Tracey and which features high quality, Yorkshire made art and craft. The Marquee was right in the centre of town, outside Marks and Spencers.

My stand at York in April

I had gone for a 2m x 2m stand space and this was the first outing for my shelves which I was pleased to see worked just as I had hoped. It was a 5 day show with return trips to York each day, driving past the still massive snowdrifts at the sides of the road, but I was really pleased how well my work was received.

The only problem was the 'tight fit' to get everything in my car; a Kia C'eed and knowing that I had much longer distance trips coming up, I 'bit the bullet' and decided to upgrade my car to the larger Kia Carens. 

The bigger stand at the
Harrogate Spring Flower Show

My next show was two weeks later when I was at Harrogate Showground for the Spring Flower Show. Having seen how 'cosy'  the previous stand had been when people were trying to get in to look, I went for a slightly larger space and was pleased how much better it worked. I also discovered the benefits of a diesel powered car with the reduced fuel bills!

I did not have long to rest though, as four days later I was heading off down to Penshurst for the ICHF Weald of Kent Craft show complete with all of my pots, stands and camping equipment. 

My tent and the new car

I had done a few shows the previous year where I had camped, and so I had decided to invest in a new tent with better waterproofing and more headroom but even though the weather was sunny, the nights were cold - so cold that I was having to wear a hat and fleece to sleep.

My stand at Penshurst with
demonstration table

At the show I was in the Graduate Marquee which is organised by Informed Design - another husband and wife team, Pat and Richard who recruit excellent crafts people from New Designers, Graduate Shows and the SDC exhibition and help them to take their first steps to exhibiting commercially.
This year, they had talked some of us into demonstrating and so I was showing some of my handbuilding techniques.

That last day at Penshurst was hard; waking up cold in the tent and then having to pack all of the camping gear away (including 'de-sluging' the bottom of the tent) before working all day on the stand and then having to pack all of that away and then drive home from Kent. 

The AVA exhibition - my work
 is in the cases

But I had no time to rest - the next show was only three days away, this time at Bakewell in Derbyshire for Potfest in the Peak so I needed to get the kiln on and in the meantime, I also had to take some of my work over to Leeds where I was taking part in a group exhibition with Aire Valley Arts in the Bexley Wing of St James' Hospital.


Potfests are brilliant events organised by Chris and Geoff Cox, giving potters and ceramicists the chance to show and sell their work to a discerning audience. This would be the first of my 'cattle pen' events for the year. Held at the Bakewell Auction Mart, you are allocated a pen and it is up to you to try to make it an attractive selling space.

An overview of Potfest in the
Peak 2013

So, once again, I loaded up the car and trundled off but when I got there - disaster! As I was unloading I managed to drop two large crates of my ceramics. As I picked them up I heard the ominous rattle that all ceramicist dread and sure enough, the damage was bad; virtually all of the work was broken including some of my favourite sculptural work.

My stand at Potfest in the Peak

The other stall holders were great; potters really are a nice, supportive lot, and so it was just a case of grin and bear it. It did not help that the weather was bad - wet, windy and cold and so even though I had booked a camping space I decided instead to make the two hour commute each way each day instead; the cost of the fuel was easily offset by the pleasures of a warm bath and comfortable bed!

My travelling home from home

I now had almost a month before my next show and so I made a decision; I was buying a caravan! Although it had not been uppermost in my mind when I bought it, it turned out that the Carens is a great car for towing and after a search of various websites, I quickly found just what I needed. 

Although it is over 20 years old, it is clean and sound - and comfortable! - and having a motor mover fitted meant that I did not need to worry too much about parking it, particularly on our sloping driveway. Once it was all serviced an prepared - and I had my towbar fitted - I had just a couple of days before I was off on my first trip with it - to Patchings in Nottinghamshire.

My stand at Patchings

Retiring to bed on that first night was much more civilised! Wine in the fridge, pizza in the oven, watching a dvd on the laptop and a shower in the morning... and then at the end of the day, a short walk across the car park and back 'home' again.

The show itself was good as well with friendly fellow stallholders and an appreciative audience and fine weather as a bonus. 

Setting up the show at Thoresby

Having arrived safely home from my first ever towing trip, the following day saw me heading back down to Nottinghamshire, but this time to the Thoresby Gallery where I was taking part in a show with the Hallam group of the Society of Designer Craftsmen. There are a lovely group and we have been showing together now for a couple of years. They include ceramicists, textile artists, glass makers, silversmiths and others working in combinations of media.

My table at York

A two week break and then I was back to York, this time for a weekend Art Event in conjunction with Northern Potters. From the huge spaces of the Cattle market, I was down to a single table here - and as it was an open tent, we had to pack up and take away overnight, before setting out again in the morning - I was getting quite good at bubble-wrapping by now!

The Made in Yorkshire marquee
at the Great Yorkshire Show 2013

My corner at the GYS

Two weeks and then it was time for one of the biggest shows of the year; the Great Yorkshire Show, attended by around 150,000 people a year. After last year's washout, the sun had come out and in the Made in Yorkshire marquee we were sweltering! Especially on the first day, people were walking a few feet into the tent, feeling the heat and walking back out again. And they were long days too; on site for 6.30am to start trading at 7.30 and not finishing until 7.30pm. Rather than adding an hours drive each way onto that, I took the caravan to a little site 10 minutes from the showground where I could quickly be relaxing before the next long day.


A week later and I was heading for York again, this time to the York Designer Outlet for a weekends Pop Up Craft fair, followed on the Monday by a change of media; setting up for the annual Bradford Photographic Society exhibition at Shipley Library, with a preview attended by the deputy Lord Mayor the following night.

Potfest in the Pens 2013

Two weeks later and we were into August and it really began to get busy!

 The month began with me heading for Penrith, with my caravan for Potfest in the Pens. One of my favourite shows of the year, there are around 140 potters and ceramicists showing together plus social events, friendly competitions and a great audience. 

 
Then two weeks later and I was back in a cattle pen - but his time nearer to home at Skipton for Art in the Pen. The challenge here is that this is physically one of the largest spaces of the year and so having the equipment and work to do it justice was a challenge - even for the 'Tardis like' capacity of the Carens! It is a brilliant show though, with quality art and craft of all types on show and it keeps on getting bigger.


Three days later and I was hitching up and heading south once more for five days, this time to Stonor Park near Henley-on Thames and the ICHF Chilterns Craft Fair. Once again I was in the Graduate marquee and demonstrating my techniques. The main challenge at Stonor is the slope of the site; getting stands level is interesting and after a couple of days you start to feel a little drunk..

The Lie of the Land artists with
the Mayor of Todmorden

The work that I managed to make here came in useful though, as at the beginning of September, I was being invited to take part in an exhibition about the landscape of the Calder Valley at the Water Street Gallery in Todmorden as the featured ceramicist. At the preview night, I was chatting to the Mayor of Todmorden - and even sold her a couple of pieces.


The following day, I was heading off once more; this time to Sheffield where the Hallam SDC were taking part in the annual Art in the Garden event. Here we have half of a large marquee between the dozen or so of us with the work being shown together.

Harrogate Autumn Flower Show

Three days later and I was back at Harrogate showground for the third time this year, in the made in Yorkshire marquee for the Autumn Flower Show. 

This time I was on the end of the aisle, right in front of the doors; a great position to be seen - until 'Stormageddon' on the Sunday when, as forecast there was howling winds and pouring rain. Not only did I need to quickly re-arrange my taller, lighter pots to give them some shelter from the gusts, but standing all day in the teeth of it, I ended up wearing a bodywarmer and two coats to try to cope! Fortunately, thanks to the brave souls who came along despite the forecasts, it turned out to be well worthwhile.

At Saltaire festival

But no rest for the wicked! Five days later and I was setting up a stall at Saltaire with Handmade in Bradford as part of the Annual Arts Festival. 

And so that just about brings things up to date. I had a small, one day event at Haworth this last weekend as part of the South Pennines making and Doing Festival and I will be back in York in October, but I do actually have a few weeks at home - until the Christmas Markets start!

To everyone I have met over the year; nice to have met you and I hope to see many of you next year.

To those who have thought that I seemed a little tired at times; now you see why!