104 Chris Greening
Potter
Artform: Ceramics & Pottery
I am what’s called a slipware potter which means that I decorate the pots I have thrown (generally the day before) with liquid clay (slip) that has been coloured with oxides (copper oxide for green, cobalt oxide for blue etc). The slip can be applied to the pot in a variety of ways, from very fluid to almost the consistency of toothpaste. The pot and the surface decoration can then be altered to enhance the decorative effect, such as scratching through the surface of the slip to the underlying clay (called sgraffito). By using different (coloured) clays (mainly terracotta in my case) the variations and permutations are therefore numerous.
I specialise in functional pottery and very much enjoy making pots that can be used for everyday purposes (mugs, jugs etc) but also for those moments of sharing food and drink with family and friends. I therefore make a lot of “tapas” style pottery such as dip bowls (single, double, central) and shallow serving dishes. They are great fun to make and even more fun to use!
I occasionally get away from my beloved potter’s wheel and hand build – generally when I want to make something that is rectangular! It’s a nice distraction from what can be quite frantic activity on the wheel.
I also create raku and barrel fired pieces that push the abstract patterns and designs further.
What can visitors to the studio expect to see? Clay; a lot of clay! Hopefully, some of it will be in a transformational state of becoming a pot! I’ll have some pots in various stages of creation – some being thrown, others being turned, and finally some in the process of being decorated with the coloured liquid clay (slip). There will also be finished pieces for visitors to see how the raw versions look once they’ve had a glaze coating applied.
Visitors will also be able to see where I run my pottery classes (https://www.chrisgreeningpottery.co.uk/pottery_courses.htm) and, just across the courtyard the studio where my wife (Sarah) runs her fused glass and enamelling classes (https://www.sarahgreeningglass.co.uk/classes.html).
Our garden and gazebo will be full of pottery & glass products to browse. You are very welcome to visit the workshops where we will be doing some demonstrations throughout the week and have examples of what you can make in the classes etc. Come and chat to us about how we create our own work and find out about our classes. You can have a go at cutting glass with Sarah’s guidance!
We will also have a plant sale, profits going to charity.
Venue
The Elms
16 Elmdale Road
WR3 7PA Worcester
United Kingdom
Directions: The studios are at the end of Elmdale Road which is a cul de sac. I’m afraid there is no parking and turning space is extremely limited. There are buses from Worcester town centre or plenty of nearby street parking.
What 3 words location: boot.sofa.baked
Tel: 07450 008183
Instagram: greeningpottery
Facebook: greeningpottery
Website: http://www.chrisgreeningpottery.co.uk
