Tuesday 30 November 2010

Jug of The Month - November


I was forced to bid for this on ebay when I was teaching Britain Since 1930 and studying the work of Clarice Cliff. My class had explored her patterns and shapes, and designed their own tea service. Then we got onto the subject of being a collector. We thought about whether we would collect a particular pattern, such as crocus, or a shape, like a conical sugar sifter. We looked at ebay to investigate prices and it seemed only natural at this point to demonstrate the bidding process to my class. I set a limit and didn't win for a while, but then I won this spring crocus jug. Hooray! Collecting Clarice Cliff with Ms Corbett. I'm sure that qualifies as history, ICT, art, design technology, citizenship, PSHE and numeracy. But not PE.




I also won an autumn crocus saucer. Then I stopped bidding.



Look at these lovely brush marks.



I watched the 1985 Channel 4 videos "Pottery Ladies. Miss Cooper, Miss Cliff, Miss Rhead and all the forgotten girls...... " for my dissertation research. They are excellent and I would love to have my own copies. Highlight for me is Ethel Barrow with her hair set for the TV talking about producing patterns and HER name going on them. The Art Director - Clarice in this case - got the credit. Ethel then aggressively paints a conical sugar sifter to prove her point. Here's Ethel Barrow in the 1960s...



And here she is in 2000 when she was 90 years old...


This is from the Clarice Cliff Collectors Club...www.claricecliff.com/features/ethel_90th_birthday/index.shtml


"Originally Ethel was doing all the Crocus flowers, Cissy Rhodes did the leaves, and Clara Thomas the banding. Suddenly though, they were incredibly busy, and a special ‘Crocus shop’ was made on the floor below the Bizarre shop. The team was enlarged and each girl given a specific colour to apply, to speed up the painting to cope with demand. Ethel did the orange flowers, two girls did blue flowers, two purple, there were two ‘leafers’ and two finishers.

At this time the Crocus name was written on the ware above the backstamp by the ‘leafers’ which is why it is in green. The girls at this time were Nellie Webb, Doris Thirlwall, Clara Thomas, Ivy Stringer, and Winnie Pound. They were all on pieces work so the faster they painted the more they earned!”


The pottery ladies..the forgotten paintresses...


Annie Clews

Cissy Rhodes

Clara Thomas

Doris Pemberton

Doris Thirlwall

Eileen Moore

Ethel Robinson

Ethel Steele

Florrie Winkle

Gladys Broad

Gladys Brown

Ivy Ford

Ivy Stringer

Joyce Phillips

Mary Dayson

Mary Harper

Nellie Harrison

Nellie Hill

Nellie Webb

Nora Dobbs

Peggy Davies

Phyllis Norris

Rene Burton

Rose Cumberbatch

Winnie Pound

Sunday 28 November 2010

Throwing


I've been back on the wheel after a year. There are some lovely new MA people this year, who are throwing beautiful big jugs and jars and bowls and mugs and whatever takes their fancy. I am throwing in my usual serendipitous style. Kafut. Recycle. Kafut. Recycle. A jug! A jug! A jug!