Back To Blogging... And Selling Pots!

Now I seem to have my process sorted and relatively regular updates of new pots in my Garrettware online Big Cartel shop, I'm going to try and pick it up on here again.

I started this blog in 2010 to follow my start in pottery, as anyone that stuck with me knows that wasn't as smooth as I'd hoped! Five years later I'm finally at a place I'm happy with and now I can really start to develop and move forward.

The blog is also a good way to market my pots and raise their profile on searches. I love Instagram, (@garrettworld), but it doesn't help raise your profile on google searches, same with Twitter and Facebook posts. A good blog post with well chosen words does! So I need to pick that up again. I miss the old blog world, but that's changed now, so I'll have to make do with what it is. Tracey is still there, but I miss Doug's chatty videos and Matt's... Rons too. However, these folk brought me to this point, they helped break down the barrier of not having studied ceramics... and that I could just, maybe, get some clay and figure it out. I owe them and their generous blogs a lot.

.. And now here I am selling pots and now trying to take it up a level. Maybe one day I'll be accepted as one of them... A proper potter... Maybe!... better put in the hours!!

I thought I would add a good selection of my slipware pottery that is currently in my shop, some of it has sold, but there are still pots available, lots of lovely sgraffito slipware pottery!

#garrettware #slipware #pottery #handmade #sgraffito #potteryheads #ceramics

#thepoowontdo

...it really won't! Winter is always a bad time for dog poo... The cloak of darkness enables owners to be lazy members of the community. I'm going to make a big effort over the coming months to finally try and make people think "Hey, this is actual crap! I can't just leave it on the path".... I know, imagine!

Anyway, I cooked up this new poster design, keeping it ultra simple and sticking with humour rather than outright aggression :-)

Already lots of support and interest in putting them up around town.

Feel free to do the same.

... or a less offensive one with a lovely yellow background.

I've also recently taken to powder bombing any poo with bright yellow powder, taking the lead from a person in this town who has been doing the same with pink powder paint, @hastingspoops on instagram.

I made my own powder from cornflour, food colouring and a little water, then dried it out and blitzed it

It not only makes a statement about the amount of crap on our pavements, it also helps people avoid treading in it.... Win win. Hopefully a few others will join in with different colours.

.. And remember, if you do join in or take photos, tag any posts #thepoowontdo.

It really won't!

Gig Poster... And It's Happening Here In Hastings!

I was asked by Jay at Community Spirits to create a poster for a forthcoming gig he's putting on... The fantastic Karl Blau!

Jay had a vision of how I might be a good fit for the poster art. I hope I succeeded. I'm really looking forward to his album of country covers, Introducing Karl Blau, when it comes out in May on Bella Union.

Here's a taster of one of the tracks, Falling Rain, a cover of a Link Wray tune.

Here's a good place to check out more of Blau's music

The Shop Is Open!

My web shop full of 21 lovely new pieces of Slipware pottery, decorated with lots of sgraffito, is now open for business again.

Once they're gone, they're gone.... and five already have, so don't hang around!

#garrettware #slipware #sgraffito #pottery

GarrettWare, Friday 1pm !

I have restocked my web shop GarrettWare with 21 new pieces of my slipware pottery... and it will go live at 1pm this Friday!! (it's currently offline as i'm working on listing them all).

I was trying to think of the best time of day to open it, but I figured no one is that far from a device these days!

There's also a special treat this time for one lucky buyer. I've selected one random pot that will also get this free monkey mini moneybox with it. No monkey business...."money business only"!

He was damaged by an exploding fox head in the kiln last year... but I fired him and his missing ear separately and then reunited them ;-)

He has charm, but I couldn't really sell him. It makes a great prize though!!
I will notify the lucky buyer of their win as soon as they buy that mystery pot.

So... If you like your slipware pottery with lots of character, you know where to come on Friday... GarrettWare! ...It's slipware it's at!!

GarrettWare!!

I'm so behind on this blog, will catch up fully soon, but for now MY ONLINE POTTERY SHOP IS OPEN AND SELLING!!!

Yep, lovely new shiny, golden, rich, warm, honest Slipware, made by me.... finally! The new kiln and new glaze work wonderfully together. I'm off and running. More to come, but get yourself over to GarrettWare and grab yourself a piece of sgraffito slipware pottery while it's still there!

Shortlisted...Again!!

Just found out that the third book in this series has been shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award again. Congratulations Andy and Bloomsbury.... and Me!

I shall be posting more info and images soon.

Hooray!

(can we really win it twice? the odds are good for the other two i would say... but the kids decide!)