Page 52 - ClayCraft - Issue 35 (January 2020)

GLAZE SCIENCE

Society for Education in Art and Design) cross-section is vital for the heatwork
and they support and give loads of during firing – essential for domestic ware
information to arts teachers, and the more when you’re firing 30,000 mugs in one
I can extol the virtues of creative subjects kiln!”
– whether it’s pottery or woodwork or
whatever – that cognitive experience that Where next?
kids don’t get so much any more, the better. Talking to Keith, it’s clear he’s a man full of
I’m dyslexic and pottery was my way out, ideas and enthusiasm, revelling in the
my inspiration to do what I do now. If it various clay-related avenues life has thrown
hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t be here at him. He loves the television work, and is
now. Touching clay for the first time was a busy with workshops, demos and personal
eureka moment for me. There’s a really appearances, as well as keeping on top of
lovely experience to it when you’re using the production of MAKE International.
your head, your hands and this lovely But what else might the future hold? “I’m
malleable substance.” designing some samples for Port Meirion
and Steelite at the moment, and I want to
Getting his hands dirty start making a hand-made range again.
Downstairs in his studio, Keith gave a It’ll be at a higher price point than my
couple of quick demos. The first was a other things but it’s a different market, and
 This traditional jug form took
Keith two and a half years to perfect cylinder, which he cut in half. Being a if I do it, it’ll keep my hand in as well.”
when he first started. production potter, he leaves quite a thick “I get a bit funny if I’m not on the wheel
base because he will go on to turn it later. for longer than three or four days”, he tells
task, which was a minefield, so now each The second was the hardest shape he us, “It’s where I think.”
task uses a different clay. It works better as ever learned to throw; a bellied jug, and it The third series of The Great Pottery
a programme because, if we need to, we can took him ages to perfect it. Part of the Throw Down airs on More4 on 8 January
explain a particular clay, eg crank, raku, difficulty, he says, is that you have to at 9pm.
porcelain, and the continuity is the same pre-empt where you need the clay to end keithbrymerjones.com 
for everyone and it works better up. Open up, collar in and then he says he
logistically. was taught to leave enough clay at the rim
“I get inspired by the show too. I’m with the first pull, compress it, then never
known for using porcelain but having seen touch it again. Subsequent pulls finish just
the results that the contestants got with underneath the rim. The speed of the wheel
different clays, I’ve been loving the textures is important too, Keith varies the speed
and different finishes and the reactions that according to which stage he’s at. He often
you get with them. I’ve started developing tells people not to be afraid to use tools to
in stoneware and seeing what reactions we help shape the form, letting them become
get with different stoneware bodies. In fact, an extension of their hands. He
Valentine Clays has made a clay body for demonstrated this with a rib on the outside
me, KBJ Stoneware. We initially planned of the form and – unusually – a sponge on a
to do a porcelain, but then I thought more stick on the inside. The bit he said he could
people would want stoneware, so we came never get right when he first started was
up with this body that’s really good to the belly – it needs to be a nice free-
throw – it’s nice and plastic – and it biscuit flowing shape, and the neck. “I could never
fires to a lovely cream colour. It has a good understand why I couldn’t get it, but you
firing range too, of 1230-1300°C.” just go in and exaggerate it. You can make
it really sharp if you want. Leaving clay in
Promoting crafts the rim means there’s enough to pull the
“I love talking about clay to people and this spout, which is why you leave it there. Use
profile that I now have is brilliant. even pressure as you pull, and then get it
Everything I do reaches a different really nicely turned over without touching
demographic, and if it goes to young people the rest of the rim. That took two and a
who hear that there’s an alternative to an half years to perfect, and now because I
academic career, that’s great,” Keith know the concept of the shape, I can throw  Trialling his new clay body, KBJ
enthused. it in any size.” As he inspects the sliced Stoneware, available at Valentine
“I’m a patron of NSEAD (The National open form, he points out, “A decent, even Clays.
52 ClayCraft Issue 35