Mansour Eskandary Studio Pottery

New premises - studio and hands-on workshops

2010-12-24T13:49:00.006Z

Before I tell you about my really great news...

Greenwich

Freezing weather but it was good to see some of you there, braving the snowy conditions. I just about covered my costs, so thank you for your support in that.

If we'd had the usual numbers turn up I'm sure we would have been having goose for Christmas and not hamster!

See you again there next year!

My new premises

A great opportunity has come my way at a community centre in Plymouth. I'll have enough space for both a studio and a workshop where I can start up my pottery classes again.

I'm going to run three main types of programme. Firstly I'll run a community-based one where I can introduce pottery art into wider society.

The second type of class will be for students from schools and colleges. These classes will vary from play for infants, supporting the national curriculum for GCSE students, to ones for those taking their interest into tertiary education.

And for the third type of programme I'll have open classes aimed at individuals from beginners to master-class, where each student benefits from tuition personally tailored to them.

Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas to all of you and have a great New Year!

See you in Greenwich!

2010-12-04T16:52:00.002Z

I told you I'd be back!

I will be in Greenwich Market next weekend all day Saturday and Sunday

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If you're in the area, do come along and see my pottery in the flesh. You'll be truly amazed - everyone else is!

I'll have a stall selling the smaller types of pot you've seen here on my blog, as well as square vases, tea-light holders etc.

These make great Christmas presents so come along and if you mention the secret word abracadabra, I'll let you have 40% discount.

See you there!!

I'm back

2010-12-04T16:10:00.003Z

Hello to every one, don't be shocked, it's me.

I'm sorry I've not been around, I wasn't well. I've recently had major surgery and now I'm living with out a gall bladder.

I'm ok now, and hopefully I'm going to be more active and keep my blog in order.

See you soon
Mans

2011 Calendar featuring my Raku pottery

2010-08-14T13:42:00.004+01:00

My good friend Highton Ridley has created this outstanding calendar over at Zazzle so you can appreciate the beauty of my work as images on your wall.

Fine Art Raku Pottery Calendar 2011

Buy one today to grace your wall in 2011 or give as an unusual gift that anyone will enjoy.

Click the image and you will be taken to Zazzle where you can review all the pages of the calendar before you buy and see for yourself how it looks.

And with Zazzle, you have a no-quibble 30-day money back guarantee!

Copper Matt Raku Thrown Pot 0189

2009-10-11T15:32:00.000+01:00

to buy this, click the orange button below

Description

Getting the copper matt effect you want in Raku is all about glaze manipulation and timing.
How bright the colours you get depends on:

Firing

the thickness of glaze and how you apply it
temperature and duration of firing

Post Firing

temperature at which you start reduction
timing before and during oxidisation
rate at which the final cooling takes place

Don't be disappointed if it doesn't work to begin with, it's something you have to keep trying - and so much depends on the recent offerings you've made to the kiln gods!

Approx Size: 6x8in 16x20cm
Price: £75 (including VAT & delivery)

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Lustre Raku Thrown Pot 0188

2009-10-11T15:05:00.000+01:00

to buy this, click the orange button below

Description

One of the reasons I like working with tall pots is trying to get the magical hue produced by the flames to lick as high up the body as possible.

Also, remember that the rims cool more quickly than the rest of the body and that affects the colours you get.

Now, c'mon guys - you regular readers should know by now what I'm on about!

Approx Size: 9x7in 23x18cm
Price: £95 (including VAT & delivery)
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Lustre Raku Thrown Pot 0187

2009-10-07T18:28:00.035+01:00

to buy this, click the orange button below

Description

Raku is a firing technique - fast firing, rapid cooling. Lustre refers to the glaze used and the finished texture.

To get this range of colours and the opaque quality of the glaze, I used five different metallic oxides in the recipe; tin, copper, cobalt, silver and iron.

For this particular pot I fired in a reducing atmosphere in the Raku kiln for the colour as well as reducing again in post-firing to get the lustre. In lustre glaze the contrast between the matt body and the spectrum of glowing iridescent colours can be spectacular due to the way the light and glaze reacts next to matt black.

Approx Size: 4x8in 11x20cm
Price: £70 (including VAT & delivery)
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Slip Resist Raku Thrown Pot 0186

2009-10-07T17:12:00.009+01:00

to buy this, click the orange button below

Description

In Raku firing, slip resist is one of the most strange and fascinating methods to create beautiful patterns in a smooth surface. In the slip resist technique, before the raku firing, the surface of the pot is covered with two layers, the first being the slip and the second the glaze.

It is strange in a way because we want the slip to crack. This is so that the smoke from the combustion material during reduction can penetrate the crack to mark the body. Sometimes patches can fall off during reduction, exposing larger areas for the black to colour.

Once cooled, I chip off any remaining slip to reveal the entire body. The final step is to wash it thoroughly and polish with beeswax.

Approx Size: 6x8in 15x20cm
Price: £95 (including VAT & delivery)
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Lustre Raku Stretch Pot 0185

2009-10-06T16:07:00.006+01:00

to buy this, click the orange button below

Description

One of the reasons I like this particular pot is that for its large size and extremely thin walls - it's in one piece!

The survival rate through the whole process for Raku pots of this size and thickness is low - when potters first start trying the Raku process, a breakage rate of 50, 60, 70% isn't unusual, more for larger works.

If you follow some rules you can increase your success, with a good rate being around 20% breakage. Even 20% breaks my heart but I can accept.

Uniformity of clay - well wedged and kneaded to make sure it has the same consistency throughout
Do the bisque (first) firing properly for Raku - it's vital to use a constant heating cycle
In the Raku firing, the early stage of the heating cycle must be steady and relatively slow
Use gloves, not tongs, to remove the pot from the raku kiln

And finally, be lucky too!

Approx Size: 11x10in 28x25cm
Price: £190 (including VAT & delivery)
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Copper Matt Raku Thrown Pot 0184

2009-10-06T15:35:00.004+01:00

to buy this, click the orange button below

Description

One of the things I've found over the years is that I'm able to predict the final effect of the Copper Matt glaze pretty much most of the time.

Some people find the effect elusive and slippery to pin down, even some ceramic artists who've been around the block a few times. However, once you've got lucky a few times and start to understand the key concepts (and then add a good dollop of experience), you find your success rate gets much higher. But remember, there are always still surprises!

Approx Size: 4x4in 10x11cm
Price: £45 (including VAT & delivery)
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Lustre Raku Thrown Pot 0183

2009-10-06T14:25:00.007+01:00

to buy this, click the orange button below

Description

The dominant feature of this pot other than the lustre glaze is the burnish. When I'm burnishing I follow the normal throwing and turning process, applying the technique before final drying and bisque firing .

The secret to getting a good burnished result is to ensure the body has reached the right level of dryness before working on it (and when it has, we call this "leather-hard" - no jokes please!).

Approx Size: 8x9in 20x23cm
Price: £130 (including VAT & delivery)
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Lustre Raku Thrown Pot 0182

2009-10-06T13:41:00.007+01:00

to buy this, click the orange button below

Description

I really like the shape of this one - it's a well balanced pot and aesthetically pleasing. The vertical stripes are unglazed areas showing the body of the pot blackened with carbon during post firing from the combustion material (sawdust).

I love working with ceramics - especially with Raku firing. There are so many opportunities to express my artistic desire; at the throwing / forming stage, the types of glaze and recipe (some secret!!) used, timing of reduction / re-oxidation and weather conditions (humidity / temperature).

Raku results aren't really unpredictable, it's just there's so much possible variation to explore at each step. After a while, it becomes intuitive - more art than science!

Approx Size: 8x8in 18x18cm
Price: £110 (including VAT & delivery)
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Lustre Raku Stretch Pot 0181

2009-10-02T19:05:00.005+01:00

Description

I like working with lustre glazes for the same reasons as with copper-matt—that is, they are very sensitive to slight changes in technique, which allows me to achieve a huge variation in finish.

There are so many variables when using metallic glazes. In Raku firing intuition plays a much bigger role than science, as I'm sure other ceramic artists would agree!

Approx Size: 5x6in 13x15cm
Price: £90 (including VAT & delivery)
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Lustre Raku Thrown Pot 0180

2009-10-02T18:32:00.005+01:00

Description

"Raku" is really an honorific title given to a particular Japanese potter (and by inheritance, his family). When the technique was brought to the west, the artists incorrectly then (but acceptable now) used the term Raku for the name of the technique.

When this mistaken use was pointed out, in deference to their Japanese colleagues, western artists for a time used instead the term "alternative firing". Today (just like with "hoover" instead of vacuum cleaner, or "googling" instead of searching) it is has become acceptable by common useage.

Approx Size: 3½x5in 9x14cm
Price: £45 (including VAT & delivery)
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Copper Matt Raku Thrown Pot 0179

2009-10-02T17:30:00.005+01:00

Description

Raku is a technique for firing ceramics - rapid heating to usually around 1100°C 2000°F, then with rapid cooling, sometimes using water.

Copper Matt is so called because of the high proportion of copper oxide present in the glaze. A master of the technique aims to reduce it all to copper, and then to re-oxidise it just enough for the wonderful hues of this style to take and be frozen into the pot.

When throwing a pot destined for the copper-matt treatment, I always take into account how thin the walls are because the colours depend upon the rate of cooling—and the thickness changes that rate.

You could say, I pot through thick and thin!

Approx Size: 4x6in 10x15cm
Price: £45 (including VAT & delivery)
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High Temperature Porcelain Stretch Pot 0178

2009-10-01T16:48:00.005+01:00

Description

Porcelain is a clay which needs to be fired at a high temperature, 1260°C (2300°F) or higher. Very importantly (with a few exceptions) special high temperature glazes need to be used. Porcelain is inherently strong, even stronger than glass, which it is closely related to. During firing the porcelain clay fuses together in the same way that glass does in its making.

The reason that porcelain is so sought after is the quality of translucency you get from a very thin body and the strength of porcelain means it can be very thin indeed.

Approx Size: 7x7in 18x18cm
Price: £120 (including VAT & delivery)
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Crackle Glaze Raku Thrown Pot 0177

2009-10-01T15:57:00.005+01:00

Description

Raku is a firing technique whose name originated in 16th-century Japan. This type of glaze is designed to produce cracks in the glaze's surface during rapid cooling. During the reduction phase, smoke produced by the burning of the combustible material penetrates the cracks.

This leaves a very pleasing, semi-random, crackle pattern that I find very appealing.

Approx Size: 3x5in 7x14cm
Price: £45 (including VAT & delivery)
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Slip Resist Raku Thrown Pot 0176

2009-10-01T14:30:00.008+01:00

Description

Raku is a firing technique - fast firing, rapid cooling. Slip Resist is a masking technique for the reduction part of the process (after firing is complete). Wherever the slip isn't, the smoke penetrates to the body of the pot and does it's work in turning it dark.

The trick is to make sure the slip cracks to allow the smoke to penetrate, ideally where you meant it to happen - but the kiln gods always have the last say!

Approx Size: 7x7in 18x18cm
Price: £110 (including VAT & delivery)
For information only:

Copper Matt Raku Thrown Pot 0175

2009-10-01T12:56:00.004+01:00

Description

Raku is a firing technique - fast firing, rapid cooling (sometimes in air, sometimes in water and sometimes in a composite combustible material for oxygen reduction). Copper Matt refers to the glaze used and the finished texture. Thrown just means that it has been thrown on a traditional pottery wheel, with some turning to make the final shape until I'm happy with the form.

I really like the way the glaze has developed on the body - the shapes and colours remind me of the colours of a Devon coast at sunset in the Autumn.

Approx Size: 4x5in 10x13cm
Price: £45 (including VAT & delivery)
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Lustre Raku Thrown Pot 0174

2009-09-30T18:17:00.004+01:00

Description

Raku is a firing technique - fast firing, rapid cooling. Lustre refers to the glaze used and the finished texture. Thrown just means that it has been thrown on a traditional pottery wheel, with some turning to make the final shape until I'm happy with the form.

One of the reasons I like lustre glaze is because of the contrast between the matt body and the glowing iridescence the glaze reveals. The way the light and glaze reacts produces such a spectrum of colours it'll take your breath away.

Approx Size: 6x9in 16x22cm
Price: £90 (including VAT & delivery)
For information only:

Copper Matt Raku Stretch Pot 0173

2009-09-30T16:27:00.005+01:00

Description

Raku is a firing technique - fast firing, rapid cooling. Copper Matt refers to the glaze used and the finished texture. Stretch is a style where I throw the piece on a traditional pottery wheel using a batt mount. Once it's thrown, I turn the batt upside down with the pot attached and form, manipulate and tear the piece until I achieve my artistic intent.

These are really special types of pot. Why? Because so few make it through firing to a finished piece!

Approx Size: 6x6in 15x15cm
Price: £80 (including VAT & delivery)
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Glaze firing

2009-03-28T15:58:00.009Z

I've been producing to stock, ready for the fingers-crossed Plan A at Royal William Yard. ...more meetings still to happen before it's decision time!

So this week I have mostly been firing the pots I threw and prepared earlier. Here are three about to come out of the kiln / furnace. The one at top right has been prepared with a slip-resist.

In this second shot you can see the slip resist peeling away from the front surface. That's ok and is actually part of the design. Using a slip-resist technique can give great texture, colour and pattern.

So what's all the wood shavings about? This pot (below) is destined for a lustre finish and for this type of glaze manipulation you need what's called a "reducing" atmosphere (also applies to the slip-resist technique mentioned above).

This simply means that the atmosphere in which the pot sits is starved of oxygen. The only available oxygen comes from the glaze itself (metal oxides always form the base for coloured glazes) and when a metal oxide has some of its oxygen nicked it can give a huge variation in the colour you get when plenty of oxygen is around.

And the smoke from the wood gets to the areas I've left unglazed to give a nice overall patina finish.Next post will be photos of the finished product - when I can get the hang of doing my blog all by myself!

Fingers crossed...

2009-02-26T13:58:00.003Z

I'm currently in talks with Insight Retail to see about getting a space in Royal William Yard, Plymouth for my new studio / gallery / open-workshop.

I'm really excited by the possibilities at RWY, so fingers crossed it's all sorted in plenty of time for Easter.

Assuming it is, all my recent and new raku, porcelain-rip work will be on view in the studio gallery for you to browse while I work.

I'll also be announcing workshops for families to try their hand. If the kids are bored, there's nothing better than them getting their hands into a load of clay, throwing a pot, glazing it and taking the finished result home with them.

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castaway.biz

2009-02-02T17:08:00.007Z

I've been experimenting with body castings and am delighted that I can offer this service via the Pottery Shop on the Barbican. Come in with clean face, hands.... so we can make a mould and get casting. Come back after an hour and collect your finished piece. Simple.
www.castaway.biz ...visit for more information

[UPDATE: Oct 09 We are no longer at these premises, watch my blog for when have new premises]

this week

2008-07-05T19:43:00.000+01:00

this week i have been mostly making porcelain

A fresh start in Plymouth

2008-03-25T17:19:00.000Z

I've just moved to a new workshop in Plymouth from my studio at Cardew Tea Pottery, Bovey Tracey to allow me to concentrate exclusively on my own work again.

It's a bit bare on the comforts but all the important gear is installed and working. I'm working mainly on Raku and Raku Sculpture. Watch this space for photos...

Meanwhile, here's a view looking out of my workshop