Artist Potter Specialising in Hand Thrown Porcelain
New Year… new possibilities… new porcelain pieces.
Ivory volcanic ash glazed kettle five cup porcelain teapot
Just 5 days to go and see Helena’s Christmas shop of handthrown porcelain which includes lots of good value presents.
These pots are useful and beautiful pieces of thrown porcelain but have not come up to the ‘wow’ standard required for exhibition.
No. 9 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4 (a few doors down from the canal and opposite the old Hospital) beside Donnybrook Fair.
SUMMER TEAPOTS
The biggest top handled, knuckled (pushed out from the inside when wet on the wheel)
celedon teapot flew off to pour tea in Paris from the CERAMICS IRELAND Selected Exhibition held in
Rathfarnham Castle in October 2012
Congratulations to Ali Kay
who won the 2012
Peter Brennan Pioneering Potter Prize.
Her beautiful smoked piece is now part of the OPW Collection at the Castle.
Coming soon———————————–
My Christmas Porcelain Shop is opening for 10 days
AT : no. 9 Upper Baggot Street Dublin 4 ON: the 12/12/2012—– Wednesday 12th. December at 6pm
OPENING HOURS daily 12-4pm
late opening on Thursdays and Fridays until 7pm
Closed on Sundays
Handthrown Porcelain-Functional Art RDS 2012. Helena with Chrissie Gaffney on the stand.
A GRAND 5 DAYS BUT IN RECOVERY NOW AS THE 5 DAYS WERE PROCEEDED WITH THREE MONTHS INTENSIVE WORK HERE AT THE STUDIO.
THE DISPLAY WAS VERY FAVORABLY COMMENTED ON. LOTS OF STORIES WERE TOLD GOING BACK 40 YEARS TO CLASSES TAKEN WITH PETER STONEWARE DINNER SETS STILL IN DAILY USE. LOVED TEAPOTS STILL POURING—-AND STILL NOT DRIBBLING. ALL IN ALL A GREAT FEW DAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THE EXCITEMENT OF IRELAND WINNING THE AGHA KHAN CUP.
500 CARDS DISTRIBUTED
FEATURING MY KETTLE TEAPOT WITH OXBLOOD RED FLASHING MY NEW POSTCARD AND BUSINESS CARD HAS SENT OUT THE MESSAGE THAT ALL MY PIECES CAN BE SELECTED FROM THE WEBB SITE AND COURIERED TO SOLVE THAT SPECIAL BIRTHDAY OR WEDDING PRESENT.
HELENA
dinner table center piece candle holder
At the studio a teapot making bonanza is in progress as I have booked a stand to show off my teapots at the R D S International Horse Show in Dublin during August 2012.
From the 15th of August for 5 days.
Fine Art and Antiques . Stand P 7. Helena Brennan Porcelain
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In the mean time you can read up on me in NEW CERAMICS, a German magazine which is published also in English. I S S N 1860-1049 info@neue-keramic.de www.neue-keramic.de
And this lady has made some very kind comments and published her super photos of a turquoise teapot I had made many years ago so you can pick up her blog below.
http://foxglovelane.blogspot.ie/2012/05/soulful-teapot.html
More anon.
Helena
Teapots are the most complicated piece of functional pottery to make. So many parts, so many ergonomic design details to be correctly well done if the teapot is to pour beautifully and be a joy to use.
Care must be taken to have all the leather hard parts damp enough to join without cracking as they dry out for bisque firing.
TEAPOT PARTS READY FOR JOINING UP
Tutorials at the Studio
Thursday and Friday last week we got our hands into the clay.
Threw some pieces and fired the test kiln to 1265 degrees centigrade.
Classically shaped tea cups allow handles to be attached to one side without their weight pulling the cup out of shape when it is fired to the required high temperature to turn it into translucent porcelain.
Throwing cups off the hump of clay.
HELENA got throwing porcelain to- day.
“A bit of sorting out the studio first and then kneading up Audrey Blackman porcelain clay I threw
four ( 1lb.) pots plus lids and spouts. They will have to dry out a bit (leather hard) before I join them up.
Nothing is measured except the inside diameter of the lid gallery. Special care is taken to
make the lid a small bit smaller so that it will fit snug, but not too tight.
When finished if the lid is drawn back to one side it should still be resting on the gallery rim.
David Leach thought me how to make a good (non drip) teapot.
Do you want to know more? Come and join in the making. Half Days €50.
20% fee discounts for unwaged and Ceramic Ireland Members. Email: studio@helenabrennan.com
Keep watching my NEWS UPDATES and if you want to join me here in the studio for hands on experience come along .
Now that Spring has arrived I am looking forward to making lots more porcelain teapots.
You can come and make with me (half day sessions €50) or total 3day immersion (€250) in all the making activities, throwing, finishing off, bisque firing, kiln packing , glazing and reduction gas firing in the gas kiln I built.
Porcelain Teapot, Cup Saucer and Side Plate
