Joining the Team

4th in a series...

I worked at the Guildhouse for about 6 months, but it was far from a taxing job, teaching a few classes a week and with few other responsiblities I had more idle time on my hands than I would have preferred. I went for long walks over the hills, scattering sheep before me where ever I rambled. I read a lot. And once a week I would hitchhike to Cheltenham to visit the library for more books. It was a happy coincidence that Winchcombe was on the way and I always stopped for a visit.

    At that time the team included Xavier Toubes and Nina Davis as well as Eddie, Nori, Mike and Ray. They were very welcoming and it wasn't long before I was joining Xavier on long walks and accompanying Eddie to the pubs. Eddie Hopkins was a local Gloucestershire man with an infectious staccato laugh and an enormous gift for making pottery. Beautifully thrown pots just poured from his hands, all the while talking a blue streak and listening to the cricket match on the wireless.On my first visit he invited me out to his favorite pub(s) and he agreed to come pick me up at the Guildhouse. When he arrived he was met at the door by Mary, who could be a most imposing woman and she had made it quite clear to me that she did not approve of alcohol and pubs. She must have given Ed the hairy eyeball and put the fear of God in him, because ever after that I had to meet him down in the village to get my ride! I will have to write more about him one day as he was an amazing character.

    I knew from my first visit that this was the place for me. Here was a small group of talented artisans making simple, straightforward useful pots covered in rich glazes or blushed with the warm tones of the wood firing. After spending time at 3 different universities in the U.S. I had no idea where my future lie, and this place made complete sense to me. These folks got up every day, went into the workshop and made beautiful things...by the thousands! Maybe it was my own working class background, but the idea of pottery as a job was unknown to me at the time and I was sure that this would be my own path forward. Call it an epiphany if you'd like, but I just KNEW that I had to work there...

    Of course, that didn't mean that Ray knew and, in fact, in those days I was aware that almost daily the pottery was getting requests from people all over the world for a job, and I found this rather discouraging. The last thing that I wanted to do was to bother the old boy with yet another earnest young man's request,and yet, how could I let the chance go by to at least let him know that I, too, had an interest?!

    So one day I resolved to visit and ask him. As it happens, Ray wasn't in the workshop where I expected, but instead he was out in the yard spraying glaze on some of his larger chargers (that's a platter for those who might not know). It's important to state that Ray was a man of few words and a slow, thoughtful talker. I am usually unnerved by people like that; I assume that they are thinking deep thoughts and that my endless chatter must be an annoyance. And small talk can be painful in that circumstance for me. It was an excruciating visit, trying to keep a conversation going all the while trying to get the words out of my mouth that I had rehearsed so many times...

    It went something like this..." Ray, I know that you are forever having to disappoint people who ask for a job and I don't want to put you in that same position, but I need to at least raise my hand up and make you aware that if ever there was position available and I could be of use, I would dearly love to join the team" Whew...finally I'd said it and I remember feeling a little weak from the effort.

    He then took just as long of a time to answer, talking around the question at first, telling me that his plan was actually to reduce the size of the team a bit as he thought that they might have grown too big and while he appreciated my interest, he didn't think that it would be possible. I was crushed, although I did my best not to show it and soon slunk away to lick my wounds. But, at least I had got the courage up to ask, and that felt alright.

   A few months later I was preparing to return to the States, having no idea what was coming next. Going back to school made no sense to me and while I now knew what a good pot looked like and the value that they can add to everyday living, I was a poor thrower at best, so, what to do? I returned to Winchcombe for what I thought would be the last time. I had arranged to visit with a group of handicapped students I was teaching and by that time I was permitted to lead them around the pottery myself. I remember this next bit as clearly as if it was yesterday...I was standing at the top of the precarious stairs that lead to the showroom and Ray appeared at the bottom. Would I come and see him before I left, he asked? How nice, I thought, he wants to say good-bye. When I found him later we went through the same awkward dance as the day I had asked him...he dithered away, saying, " well, you know that Nina has left and Xavier is about to leave and this would mean that Nori would have to take a step backwards on the team and that didn't seem fair so what did I think about returning in the fall to join them!!!!! I would stay in the caravan (trailer) that Xavier had lived in and would receive the princely sum of £15 a week (at that time it was about $30.00 American). Unbelievable! Oh joy! Oh rapture! Flippin' heck! Of course, I couldn't really let all this out and, of course I said yes and anyone reading this knows where it all has led. I did return to the States to make some extra money and came back to the pottery a few months later.

That's all for today, kiddies, I'll be back with another installment tomorrow...

The Guildhouse

Part III in a Series.

    The Guildhouse was the brainchild of Mary Osborne and her story is well worth telling. Mary worked in the east end of London as a social worker before WW2...this was a very impoverished area and it was here that she encountered Mahatma Gandhi who became a friend and inspiration.

    When the Germans started bombing London during the war, a lot of people, particularly women and children, were moved out of the city to rural villages all over the west of England and this is how Mary ended up in the village of Laverton in the Cotswolds. Many of the children were separated from their families and they were soon visiting  her cottage, drawn by her kind and sparkly demeanor and, no doubt, some of her more 'eccentric' ways. Mary was a spinner and a weaver as was Gandhi, who quite famously was pictured spinning himself. It was fortuitous for her to come to this place, as the Cotswolds have long been known for the sheep that populate the landscape.

    During the war, it was difficult to get even the most ordinary goods, and eventually Mary began to take some of those children for walks through the hills, gathering the little bits and pieces of wool that stuck to the fences and trees as sheep would rub against them. They would then return to her little cottage to spin the wool and later knit hats, scarves and gloves, making something for almost nothing! She became aware of the comfort that this exercise gave the children, and as time went by she developed the idea of creating a place that employed craft instruction to help people, both young and old, to work with their hands and find some peace in their life. This idea was her interpretation of the ashrams in India that Gandhi had spoken of.

    It's too long of a story to tell here, but by sheer force of will and single minded determination, she was able to raise money, engage an international volunteer group as well as local people, and finally built the place that  eventually brought me to England. To raise funds she would take the train to London with her spinning wheel and set up outside the Houses of Parliament asking for donations. In fact, she prevailed on anyone she could for help, having that single minded belief that visionaries often share.

    The building itself is extraordinary, set high up the escarpment and looking out across the village of Stanton and the fertile valley that lies between it and the Malvern hills. It was built of the local Cotswold stone, with a 'great hall' that had huge gray paving stones recovered from the streets of London and a very large hearth that dominated the room. Mary often held spinning classes with a  group of ladies arranged in a semi-circle in front of a blazing fire. This is an indelible memory for me...the gentle clatter of the spinning wheels mixing with the lilt of English voices was a wondrous sight and sound. There were 100 spinning wheels throughout the place, one of which was a gift from Gandhi himself!

    The kitchen was my favorite spot (of course!) and it was there that Marta Frei presided. While I had a lot of admiration for Mary, it was Martha who I grew to adore. Martha fled Switzerland during the war and spent the rest of her days taking care of others, as a cook and housekeeper and caregiver. She was an exceedingly quirky woman, driven to extremes of frugality as a result of the hardships she had endured and she fell under the influence of a charismatic man who 'channeled' a spirit who supposedly came from the lost city of Atlantis! This fellow led a small group who believed that they were reincarnated from that Atlantis, and that all the former inhabitants were gathering in England to wait for it to rise again, which would be precipitated by cataclysms around the world but eventually they would lead the world forward to be a better, more peaceful place. We often sat in the kitchen late in the dim light of the evening by the Aga stove , drinking lime tea or black tea brewed from the teabags used during the day. I'm pretty certain that she thought that I was one also an Atlantean, which I took as a great compliment! As you can imagine, few people would listen to her rather unusual take on life, but this was a most sympathetic and kind woman and I was always happy to listen. I was greatly drawn to her kind and gentle nature and count myself fortunate to have known her.

    I'll relate one story more and then wrap up today's chapter...Milk was delivered at the bottom of the hill, and I'm happy to report that it still is in these parts. The solid glass bottles are sealed with a foil top, and the little robins here would peck through the top to drink the cream! To prevent this most folks put out empty yogurt containers for the milkman to cover, but Martha didn't. Instead she would scamper down the hill several times a day to check if the milk had arrived. I asked her once why she didn't do as everyone else did. She replied that she didn't think it was fair play...if the birds got there first than they should get their just reward. She was a very special and dear friend to me.

    As I mentioned in a previous post, the Guildhouse was full of Winchcombe pots and it is there that  first learned of the place. I'll tell that tale tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

Well, How Did I Get Here...? *

In the summer of 1977 I was on a 2 month bicycle trip through New York and New England when I received a letter at a post office that I had previously arranged to visit. I still recall sitting against a tree, excited to read the words of the girl that had taken my heart with her to England the year before. She had been working at the Guildhouse in Gloucestershire, England and was moving on to Japan...would I be interested in taking her place as a pottery instructor? Well, I never had any aspiration to travel overseas. I had already crossed the US on 4 different occasions, often hitchhiking, but I was an impoverished student and never imagined that I'd have the means to travel to Europe. This was not the last time that I made a spontaneous decision, but I decided on the spot that I would agree. I was frustrated with my college education and this seemed like a fine alternative. There was no pay involved, but room and board was provided, my needs were few, and it just felt right.

I spent that autumn working for a rock n' roll producer friend of mine to earn some cash and the following January I bid a teary farewell to my friends and family and boarded Freddy Laker's cheap flight to Gatwick Airport.I don't remeber too much about the journey except that I shared an aisle and food with a couple of nuns and an American on the coach trip into London kept pronouncing the river Thames with a soft 'th' rather than 'Tems' as it should be. What I do remember is walking up the hill on a cold, dark and snowy evening to this incredible building where I was to live for the next 6 months, feeling rather like I was playing a part in a fairy tale!

The Guildhouse was a new building, but constructed from Cotswold stone that had been gathered from 7 ancient and decrepit buildings and built in the same architectural style as the rest of the area. Cotswold stone is a rich, warm yellow sandstone that, even during the gray winter weather seemed to glow from within. I was met by the two white-haired ladies of the house, Mary and Martha (how biblical!), and given dinner in front of the giant hearth situated in the great hall. It was an incredible introduction to a place that still seems to exist in an earlier time.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's next thrilling installment of 'As the Wheel Turns!'

Completely unrelated, here are a few photos of my visit to Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago.

Edinburgh Castle

View from the castle with the Firth of Forth in the distance (or is that Forth of Firth?!)

An imposing setting for a castle!

* thanks and a tip o' the hat to David Byrne and the Talking Heads for today's title...
P.S. don't be alarmed by yesterday's lily white tea set...I took a photo of every tea that I was served on my journey! And yes, Hollis, my arch enemy parry and I are doing pitched battle daily!

Home Alone...

It's been just about three weeks now since I left for the U.K. I had two incredible weeks in Scotland including a visit with one of my oldest friends, Jan, and my newest, Hannah and Paul.
I can't  truely describe what it means to return to the Cotswolds, where I write today. In some ways, this is where my life began...I lived here in this picture postcard place in the years 1978 and 1979, working first at the Guildhouse where I taught pottery to senior citizens and handicapped children. Although I didn't know much, if anything, about the Winchcombe Pottery then, the Guildhouse was full of their glorious pots. Everything we ate from, cooked in, served in was made there and it wasn't long before I made my way there for the first of many visits until I wore Ray Finch down and was offered a job. The rest, as we say, is history, and 35 years later it is a place that I still hold very dear.
    The pottery was a vibrant place then...in addition to Ray and his son Mike, the team was full of brilliant makers and serious characters! Eddie Hopkins, Toff Milway and Nori DiMontigny all added hugely to my knowledge of pottery making and the world in general. There were other craftsmen working on the site who made life (especially tea time) even more quirky and exciting. Steve Marchant has been turning wood since I was born and watching Will Hall's exquisite furniture making skills was a real treat.
    If you were to ask any of these lads what my most important job was they would say that it was to make the tea. Every day at precisely 10AM and 3PM I was to provide tea for 9 or more hard working people and any visitors who happened by at that time. It was a ritual that caused me great stress at the start...imagine me, a very hairy young American making tea for an army of Brits! Everyone had their own special mug (of course) and each wanted their tea a particular way...the first cup poured or the last cup poured or diluted by half or one or two sugars...I needed a flow chart to keep it all straight and i could repeat the entire thing even today... that's how serious I had to take it. We had precisely 15 minutes before everyone jumped up and returned to their work, so it was a major crime if I ever I was late  ringing the bell to summon everyone to the tea room.

I will remain here at Toff and Georgie Milway's Conderton Pottery for the remainder of my stay and it seems a good time to record more of these reminiscences. I am in charge of the garden, the shop, the cats and the parrot this week while T and G are in holiday, so it seems like a perfect time. I will also give a little review of my travels since my arrival. It seems a great indulgence to have time to look back. I hope that you'll find it of interest...

Hannah's Revenge!

Sorry for the lack of photos, that'll have to come later.
When Hannah and Doug visited us last year we heard plenty of whinging about inadequate clays. Today in her workshop she tried to foist more of that filthy red stuff on me and I did try...but I'm not up to such a radical change in just one afternoon, so she's given me some old, stiff stoneware, just to keep me on my toes!
The workshop is tomorrow and we're ready to go...Hannah's got a cake in the oven and several more should arrive before we get started. Life, as ever, is rough! It is wet, windy and cold...my favorite whenever it reaches 100f back home.

A Preview Before I Go...

    24 hours from now I should be in the air, approaching Maine with Nova Scotia on the horizon and Edinburgh as the terminus of a too long but worth it journey. I will do my best to share some of the highlights of my travels, but it has become ridiculously jam packed with goodness so who knows how often I'll find my way to a computer. I won't forget you, dear reader, I promise ! 

    I'm more than ready for the break and the chance to recharge.  Hannah has written a nice blog about my workshop at her studio in the west of Scotland that will be lots of fun. I'll see Hannah a couple of more times, but our plans for a reunion tour with Doug seem to be kaput! I wonder if they don't believe that they can convert me over to the dark (red clay) side?!I will visit them both at Hatfield (what if I arrived Saturday evening to camp and spend Sunday visiting?) and I'll make my way down to Doug's place in Devon for a few days in mid July. Returning to my home away from home in the Cotswolds, The Milway residence in the village of Conderton, nestled up to Breedon Hill, is why I have been coming back for many, many years. I have so many friends there from the days when I was a part of the Winchcombe team and the cozy villages that dot the hills are also old friends by now. So are quite a few walking paths, churches and pubs! I'll spend about half of my 7 weeks there.

    

When I return it will be full speed ahead towards the Hill Center Show in D.C. at the end of October. Here is a sneak preview of the potters involved! Have a great summer, everyone, and don't forget your sunscreen...

Under Attack!

One of the many pleasures of my studio in the woods is getting to watch the birds. This is the first studio I've had without a cat or three so I can feed the birds with impunity! My feeders are morphing into a bit of a sculpture right outside the window from my wheel. 

I was dismayed and puzzled last week to find everything knocked asunder and I could only imagine that a storm had caught ahold of it, but it kept happening and things were strewn in a very un-wind-like way!

I borrowed this great motion sensitive camera from Jason G. and below are the culprits! The little S.O.B's destroyed my little English phone booth feeder last night.

Now that I know the enemy, I can make a plan to thwart them!

But that's not all!!!

(keep reading)

Boots is on the trail!

Google won't let me show you this photo right-side up, but long time readers have heard me report on the pottery-eating mice in my studio in the past!  Below is more evidence...I never know when they'll take a bite!

A Week to Go

    

Everyone needs a 'Sentinal' in their garden!

    I have been way too busy lately, but not a lot of my time has been spent on the pottery biz. A couple of big events at Libertytown (including a yard sale of seconds) and a great wedding (congratulations, Anna and Jym!) have filled up the days, and in theory I am getting ready for my trip to Britain next week. I did speak with Hannah yesterday to firm up my plans...she was not her lively self after a long 'Spring Fling', but I trust that she will be revived by the time I get to her place in the west of Scotland!

    In my last post I neglected to mention that I will be helping Toff Milway at "Potfest in the Park" at the end of July, so I'm hoping to see some of my new old friends there (Margaret, Christine et al)

Magnolia!

Next Month, Next Year and some Old News

I am starting to change my mental gears as I prepare for my 30th(!) visit to Great Britain this summer. I have an exciting trip planned...I will fly into Edinburgh, Scotland and spend a couple of days there before touring in the countryside before visiting old friends. Then it's on to new friends...Hannah and Paul will be putting up with me for a few days. I will do my best to entertain some of the members of the Scottish Potters Association and, in a twist that I find delicious, I will teach the Brits to make teapots!? I think that there might be a space or two remaining if you happen to find yourself in the west of Scotland.From Hannah's I will drive south to the Cotswolds, my home away from home since 1978 when I first visited. Toff and Georgie Milway are incredibly kind to maintain my little Cotswold cottage for me when I'm here in the U.S. (lol) and I'm anxious to see all my friends there. I'm still figuring out my trip to Devon and Mr. Fitch (if you're reading this, Doug, I'll phone you this week), but I do plan to get there at some point. I'm sure that he owes me a beer!

The good news keeps on rolling...check out the listing below for next years adventure!

Kevin and I led a kiln building workshop at Penland 10 years ago and they have asked us back to do the same trick again. Check out the other lads that will be joining me! Hot stuff!

And, in case you remember that salt kiln we started months ago, I finally got a welder out to the site and we are ready to set the arch, although I have no idea when we will get to it.

50 Shots of Courage

I won't fire again until the autumn, but I am trying to get a head start before I spend a good chunk of the summer with my British 'cousins'. I've been doing lots of testing lately, and I love to sell my test tiles! You will notice that these are my classic 'juice cup' form. Very mystical stuff...I'm no Doug Fitch, but I do think about getting a proper video camera...this is fun!