15...Christmas in France

Village butcher

There is a tradition around Normandy (and probably around the rest of france too) to have your window painted seasonally, the artist always signing in the corner. In our village the windows are decorated by a lady who drives around in her handpainted van. After a while as you see the different windows around the region you can start to recognise the various styles of the artists.

The local restaurant

The Deli

The other businesses decorate their premises with sprigs of pine, bows and Santas.

Sometimes lots and lots of Santas..like an army of burglars scaling the building in full daylight!



This is a fashion which seems to have grown over the last ten years or so, I don't remember it being such a big thing before that. It's all very merry though.

Sunset over Dieppe

This week has been very cold,  today as I left to go back to Brighton for Christmas the rain had been falling with a tinkling sound, and hitting the ground as ice, turning my brick courtyard into a skating rink. However as I cycled through Dieppe to the ferry the sun was setting over the town and bathing it in the most beautiful golden light.

Happy Christmas Everyone!!

14...A Glazing week

Back to a very chilly house this week..but my water still running. Often in the winter when it gets very cold, I have to wait until the afternoon for the water to start flowing. Still, I've got a glaze firing to look forward to later  in the week once I have all the work glazed.

Most potters will dip, pour or spray their glazes which is a quick way of giving a good covering, but because of the many different colours and types of glazes I use I am unable to employ these methods and have to brush all mine on by hand which can be a laborious job.

When they are this size they are reasonably easy to glaze as I can turn them upsidedown and make sure that I have every surface covered, I have many different size brushes which can get into every nook and cranny. But, when they are large pieces it is me that has to get upsidedown to do the glazing, and I will often have to sit on the floor painting the sculpture above me...tough work on my shoulders.



This morning (friday) was kiln opening morning. It is always very exciting when there is a new firing to open...this never seems to change, and it is the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning. This morning was no exception, and neither were the results. There was the usual mix of pieces well glazed, some disappointing experiments and a new glaze which should have been alright at this temperature, but wasn't. Still, all is not lost as they can be re fired.

One of the good things about being a potter is that whenever you need some new mugs, you can just make them!  This morning we had our tea in new mugs still hot from the kiln...and the tea was lovely.



13...A new home for a sculpture

Globe Thistles in situ

Last weekend one of my sculptures was bought as a surprise birthday present for a lovely Brighton lady. We went to set it up for her on sunday and discovered a beautiful roof terrace hidden right in the middle of Brighton. To get up to the terrace, we drove the car into a lift which took us to a secret car park...amazing.

Snow from kitchen window

This morning we woke to a light covering of snow, and since then it has continued snowing and the world is becoming quieter and quieter. I actually really like the snow, especially as it is such a rarity in Brighton, but I see on the Dieppe webcam that there is also a lot of snow over there, so I'm not looking forward to the cycle back!

12...A week in November

November view from studio with snow

 Rushed headlong into winter this week and had the first snowfall of the year, alternating with hailstones. Am keeping two woodburners going at any one time which means keeping on top of the kindling, sawing and chopping. I go to bed with 2 hot water bottles, then in the morning I force myself out of bed, run up to the studio to light the fire there, back to the kitchen to relight the Rayburn, then back to bed for a cuppa while it is all warming up. Then a big bowl of porridge to keep me warm. By the time I go back up to the studio, the smoke has cleared and it is warming up nicely.

Nearly full kiln

Managed to fill a kiln this week with some new ideas. There are a couple of galleries waiting for work and they want if before christmas, but ceramics are a slow old business and difficult to rush. The beauty of firing the kiln in the winter is being able to sit in a toasty warm studio the next day in a teashirt...its like being in a warm bath.

Divernet....Salon du Thé

Back to Brighton for the weekend to see the Open Houses in Firle. Two of the artists who are showing there will be in my Open House next may, follow this link for a peek....(http://www.kissysuzuki.com/page9.htm). Because the weather was so horrible, I took the train to Dieppe instead of cycling, and went to my favourite teashop there.

Macaroons and other wondrous cakes

The teashop part is upstairs. You choose a cake downstairs (always a Florentine for me), then go upstairs for a Lapsang and to watch the world go by. If you ever go to Dieppe this Patissiere is a must. The cakes are flights of fancy, and unlike most french cakes, are not hiding a custard middle!

11...Being put back together

Throwing and turning clay into large sculptures is a very physical business, and the strange position that one adopts when sitting at the wheel can lead to lots of problems with posture and muscles. Carpel Tunnel is also a very common problem with potters and is something that I have been plagued with for a while. So, this weekend I went off with my partner to Fistral Bay near Newquay for a weekend of yoga, massage and general realigning of my skeleton.

View from Hotel window

To my shame I have never been down to Cornwall before, and we couldn't have asked for a better view of it than from our bedroom window.

Surfers at sunrise

This whole area seems to be surfer city. They were in the water from sun up to sun down...this pic was taken at 6.45 am and there were already three in the surf. This being mid november, I can't imagine what it is like in summer.

Add caption

This rainbow hung across the bay most of the weekend even when it was sunny and there was barely a cloud in the sky.  Anyway, after much yoga, swimming, massage and sitting around in steam rooms, I shall be back to my studio tomorrow, trying not to to twist myself up into knots again.

10...Rosehips and Purple skies

Evening sky from studio

This week in Normandie, as in most of Britain, we have been cowering under the autumnal onslaught of rain and gales. One evening earlier in the week there was a brief respite around sundown and the sky was washed with purple and golden clouds.....lovely.  Rather than listen to the weather news I tune into the shipping forecast and see what is going to be happening in Dover/White, it is somehow easier to listen to, and retain the information...and terribly romantic.

Starting a Rosehip

At this time of year there are always lots of big, fat, juicy rosehips around. Another year I might be tempted to make some rosehip syrup (although it looks like a fiddle), but I am still up to my elbows in apples and quince. So, I decided to use them as inspiration for a new sculpture. This one is based on a sweet chestnut rose and I still haven't quite decided on how to glaze it although I'm thinking that a lime green and reddish glaze might work quite well.

Rig at Newhaven

Coming back last week I noticed this rig which has suddenly popped up in Newhaven harbour. Anyone know what its for?

9...Squirting cucumbers and some new ideas

Gravel pits at St Germain

I've just come back from a weekend in Brighton. Much as I love living over here in rural Normandie, it only works for me because I can get back to Brighton frequently for a dose of city culture and to catch up with friends (and Strictly!). This weekend we dipped into the White Night festivities and enjoyed the bloodfest of vampires and zombies that was the city centre on saturday night.
On the way to the ferry I cycled down to the Avenue Vert, a great cycle track which will eventually link Paris to London. On the way there I went past this series of beautiful lakes which when I first came here were just gravel pits. Now they are filled with fish and during the season there are fishermen dotted all around patiently waiting for the Trout to bite.

Charolais cows

This white bull and his harem are on my route too. These are the cows that you will normally see around Normandie, you can tell by the lovely whiteness of them that you just have to give them a little squeeze for the creme fraiche to come right out!

Squirting cucumbers

I'm always keeping my eyes open for inspiration, and I found these curious specimens in the lovely Mrs Moles flower emporium. On looking them up I found them to be squirting cucumbers which build up pressure on the plant until they pop themselves off their stalk. They look spiky but are soft to handle.

A few ideas

Back in the studio I have been sketching out a few ideas, now I need to play around and decide on size and colour.

8...An October week with giant puffballs

October view from studio window

A first frost this week but the garden is still very green. It doesn't look like it is going to be a particulaly colourful autumn this year. I would normally spend most of the day in the studio, but there is so much produce in the garden this year that I am having to spend the afternoons bottling and stirring jams. The garden also needs clearing and mulching.

Hamish shovelling free compost

 Luckily in France, there is usually a huge pile of free compost at the local tip. This particular pile was steaming hot and smelling like a ripe fruit cake (sort of). We filled every sack we could find and the garden is slowly going to bed under a blanket of this lovely black stuff.

Sean with giant puffballs

The garden is also producing more than just fruit and veg. We have found nine of these so far this year, and they don't keep. I could fry up a meal for the whole village!

Poppy centre, pom poms and cornflowers

In the studio I have made a start on a few new things. The poppy centre will be filled with black monofilament once is has been glazed fired. But mainly I am thinking and designing.

Sloe vodka, Quince jelly, Contignac and Membrillo

In the kitchen the preserving goes on, albeit slowly as I can't get the membrillo to set. Only another two crates of quince to go. For the moment though, I just need to clear up as every surface, even the wall clock, seem to be covered in sticky jam!

7...Back in the studio

Part of my studio

Back into the studio today, but had to light the stove before I could start....its freezing! Actually, it was part delaying tactics as it is always tricky to get going when I haven't been here for a week or two, usually I clean.

Lollipop Dahlia

During the summer, I discovered some georgeous little pom pom Dahlias that looked like little lollipops. They were yellow inside and a lovely pinky red on the edges. They couldn't be more different from the huge Dahlias that I make that are as wide as my kiln and very heavy. Anyway, I fancied making some of these and putting them onto thin rod so that their heads will nod when they are placed into their wood base.

First protoype lollipop dahlia

In an earlier blog I mentioned that I was designing some cornflowers to go into a sculpture of the blue, white and red flowers of  France. I didn't have quite the right blue for the flowers so added some cobalt carb to my sky blue colour.....

oops,not quite right

......but I overdid the cobalt and although the colour is fab, the surface is not. So back to the drawing board. I also need to make the bases smaller and the blue part of the flower bigger. This is tricky as although they will look better, it can make them prone to topple over in the kiln. Well, we shall see.

6...The commute to work

Having been back in Brighton for the last couple of weeks, I've come back to Normandy today to see how the garden grows and to get on with some work. Autumn and winter are a busy time for me as it is during this time that I get the space to be able to design and make new work. I have a few ideas running around in my head, and now I need to get them down onto paper and start experimenting with the clay.

I tend to go back and forth on a weekly/fortnightly basis, so I suppose I am a channel commuter. However, as I go everywhere by bike, my commute is a ferry then a cycle ride, lovely in good weather as it was today.

Coming into Dieppe



The journey to my town is an hour or so from the port and is in the next valley along. That means that I have to climb a hill at some point, there's no escaping that, and after puffing my way up the steep hill out of Dieppe many times I now cycle along to Arques le Bataille and take a more gradual hill on a much quieter road.

The castle at Arques, half way up the hill

The roads in France are a dream to cycle. The few cars that pass you on the quieter roads will give you a wide berth and there is no sense of the war between cars and bikes that there is in Britain. People walking along the side of the road or working in their gardens will always say Bonjour as you pass.

Sugar beet mountain

The countryside changes all the time, at this time of year there are piles and piles of sugar beet loaded up by the side of the road awaiting collection. They'll soon be off to make lots of cheap european sugar.

5...Working at an Art Fair

Several times a year, generally in the spring and autumn, us artists have to display and sell our wares at various Art Fairs. This can be fraught with difficulties, is it in a good location? will it be well attended? are the organisers organised? and many other considerations. Why do we do this? Well, it is just one of the ways in which we try to scrape a living, always a hand to mouth existence, especially if it is ones proper job and not supplemented by teaching or other part time work.

stand on arrival

Art fairs are an exhausting business. After setting up and getting the display right, you will then stand for 3 - 5 days talking, hopefully, to many people, explaining your work, your methods and your inspiration. The good thing about them is the fact that you get to meet the actual people who will own and enjoy your work and often build up a relationship with them which can continue for years. For many of us who spend much of the year working in isolation (with only Radio 4 for company) this is a good thing and helps to re affirm our original decision to make art our life.

10 minutes later

This weekend, I have been at the Palace Art Fair in Fulham. It was run by the same people who organise the Brighton Art Fair and although it was their first time in London, many of us took the risk of a stand at a new fair because their organisation of the Brighton fair is second to none.

some time later

The feel of this fair was different to Brighton as it was the first time that many of the visitors had met us and they seemed surprised at how good the work was and how well curated the show. I think that this one will be a grower and I look forward to doing it again. Today however I am giving my feet a rest!

private view with long suffering partner

4...A week in September and a Japenese visitor

In a normal week, I will put my dungarees on mon morning, work each day from 8.30 to 4.00, and then take off my by now, very grubby dungarees, on fri afternoon. I have to have a good work routine as my sculptures are very time consuming and I cannot keep on top of the necessary work unless I keep to it. When I have finished in the studio, I usually spend an hour or so in the garden (it is a hectare so could really do with someone full time on it) and then I will chop or saw some wood if it is that time of the year. This week however I haven't been able to keep to my usual routine. I am coming back to get ready for the Palace Art fair tomorrow (link on the right) and I will then be in Brighton for a couple of weeks, so I haven't really been able to get down to any serious designing or making. Also, the garden is not just calling, it is yelling. The apple and pear trees are groaning under the weight of an unusually large crop, and I have to decide which to pick and store before I come back, and which can stay on the trees  for the time being. My ancient Quince tree has also had a very rare crop, and has  been in need of rescuing from the ivy that has crept up all over it, almost unnoticed. So I have spent most of the week up in the tree pulling off the stubborn Ivy and picking the Quinces. The house is now filled with their georgeous smell, and I've filled lots of jars with Contingnac, an old french dessert made with Quinces and Oranges.



The old Quince tree



Todays dinner

I  aim to eat something from the garden every day of the year. By january/febuary I am usually down to leeks and apples and if I'm lucky some squash, but this time of year I can fill a box every day.

At the beginning of the week, we had bibllical rain over here, mind you we often do. My french friends often remark on how much they have heard that it rains in England....but it rains much more over here!  Monday morning after a day and a night of heavy rain, the sun came out full strength and everything in the garden was steaming and sparkling, it was lovely. I suddenly noticed that the garden was full of cobwebs too. The hedges were draped in them and everywhere you looked spiders were busy spinning more.

Busy spiders

I belong to a website called Warmshowers.org. This is a place where you can ask for or offer accomodation if you are cycling around. This week I got a request from a Japenese man called Hayashi who wanted to stay for a night on his way through. Chatting with him at dinner, I asked where he had been and he said that he had started off in Alaska, been all through North and South America, up through Europe, and he had just come from Dover after cycling from Edinburgh. I asked him how long he had been on the road, and he told me three years so far!

Hayashi and his heavy bike

He is now working his way down through France, across Spain to Morroco, and then all the way down Africa. It should take him another two years. I think he is escaping from his job as a computer programmer in Japan. On the back of his bike he had a present for his cat which he is going to post back to Japan from Paris. Anyway, I sent him off after a large bowl of porridge for breakfast to get him to Rouen.

Bon Voyage Hayashi!

So, not a very typical week.....although I'm not sure these days what a typical week is.

3...A gallery of tiles

When people come to visit, they are always facsinated by the studio, I think most people enjoy playing with clay given half a chance, and it's fun watching them create something lovely. So this year I decided to create a gallery of tiles from all the friends that come to stay as a record of their visit. It will be interesting too to see how the childrens tiles change every year.

Jane Denman....Ballet dancer

This lovely tile was made by my friend Jane (link to her website on the right). She has been working with dancers for the last year or so to create a body of work based on different types of dance. I like the way the dancers legs kick right off the tile.







Mika, Erin and Kiku

These tiles were made by three lovely girls who used every colour I had. I like to see them all hanging together, they make me feel happy.





Karla and Hannah

These two tiles were made by my friend Karla and my goddaughter Hannah. Hannah's tile is called 'Fish and Chips', the four blue balls running along the tile are the peas!





Rex Matthews



Jude Matthews

Harriet Matthews

Charlotte Matthews

These four tiles were all by the Matthews family...all are artists as you can see and very competetive too! They have rather raised the bar. Charlotte couldn't believe the size of the snails that we get in the garden over here, and that they are eaten....she wouldn't let us cook one for her though!

I think it's amazing what lovely ideas people will come up with and how much can be put onto a 4" tile. Next week I'm thinking of setting up a stall at the market ....wonder how much I'll get for them?    Only kidding guys!