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This studio is the work-shop of Jean Cairns and situated on the fringes of Romford in Essex. I am a retired teacher of pottery and together with clay loving friends enjoy making what I have a fancy to try out in any spare time I have. Apart from a few kiln accidents that every potter will empathise with, we have great fun, and our meetings have a therapeutic side to them. My brother once said “Whoever thinks art can be therapeutic is already mad”,
and I suppose he was right, so we won’t call it art, at least not with a capital A. But the results are certainly diverse and unique. I feel better about the world after looking at the paintings of Beryl Cook. I am a great admirer of her work, so I would like my pottery to have the same effect on the viewer. I think the painter has an easier time of it though, when they put down their brush and call it finished, it is. With potters it is then the test starts! First comes the dreaded and boring hollowing out ready for firing. Then, in the first kilning we hope no nasties have found their way into the clay, for example the dreaded sliver of plaster that will blast its way out like a bomb and shatter the piece, together with any others that happened to be in the vicinity. After that comes the painting, or what potters call under glazing, and into the kiln it goes again, and maybe again for gloss glazing. Each time it must emerge without a craze or crack, this would make it second-hand. Every time it enters the kiln it takes a ten hour heating/electricity sucking process to take it to a white heat of around 1020 degrees, and around twenty four hours cooling time. If one of the colours doesn’t come out right or the piece fails in one of the baptisms by fire, you are left with nothing! That is why hobbyist potters must have the highest material expenses. Hence the need to part with a few kiln survivors in order to carry on producing. All pieces offered are unique, diverse and entirely original. Pottery to Purchaser policy keeps prices realistic. Most of the ceramics are earthenware which is low temperature fired clay in white or terracotta, with under glaze or brush-on coloured glazes used to decorate the pieces. Most of them take over a week to complete. Some of them pictured are not completed as once they emerge from their first firing, a ’looking’ time is taken to see if a touch of colour would enhance them or some other process such as brushing with contrast coloured watered clay (slip) etc., etc. I hope the pieces speak for themselves, (but have given them names and some information on materials used) are inspiring to the new potters, and fun to view for all. |
