66...Centre de formation ceramique and winter arrives

Centre de formation Ceramique

This week I attended a meeting at a ceramics centre in Bolbec, Normandy, we were discussing a new potters fair that is being organised for next October. It was very interesting for me as it is the first time I have seen a place like this in France. It looked extremely well organised, clean and tidy...I like that in a ceramics room.

Test tiles

It's always good to take a look around and see how other people organise themselves in their working environoment.

Clay man coming out of wall

There was a lot of students work around and I particulaly liked this man stepping out of the wall. The wall had been made by the students in the Cob method which involves mixing clay with straw etc. I don't know the exact method, but it is the way they built walls in the Norman long houses, and you still see it on a lot of buildings.

There were a lot of different styles of work both traditional and contemporary. I'm not sure how the education system works here with regards to the applied arts but the people here were on a 22 month diploma course and should be able to start up their own business once they have qualified (although starting a business in France is easier said than done..the rules..the paperwork!)

Poppy vases

Back in my own studio I had a good glaze firing with a rush job of vases which will be winging their way up to a London gallery on thursday, just in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, an element also broke in this firing which is rubbish timing at this time of year as the whole lot will have to be replaced now.

Snow scene

It is becoming quite the done thing to go crazy with the garden decorations for Christmas over here, and many houses set up tableau's like this one..it was quite arresting and lit up the whole area. Some small towns around here set up scenes like this in every garden, and people drive through of an evening in a long line of cars. If this were in Britain, there would be someone set up selling mulled wine and hot chestnuts...not quite so entrepenurial the French.

Winter finally arrived today, the temperature fell and soon after the garden turned white with hailstones...still we've had a good run this year and this is the first time it has been properly cold.