I’ve just caught up with Laurence Eastwood, one of our Production Potters, to find out about his recent trip to see Douglas Fitch and Hannah McAndrew in Scotland which has resulted in some interesting earthenware pots appearing in our current exhibition Clay in Practice: The Leach Studio.

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At the Leach Pottery, Laurence usually works in stoneware and reduction fires his work but in Scotland he found himself working with earthenware clay and exploring different making processes like slip trailing, slump moulding, and oxidation wood firing. Say’s Laurence:

I intend to practice all these things I’ve learned here and try to develop a style. The art of loading their kiln was completely different as the temperature was much cooler at the bottom: you can’t use certain glazes at the top as they would make a mess! A good firing is all down to where you are placing the pot to block the heat so the flames can dance around all the pots.

Laurence also took the opportunity to explore some of Scotland, saying:

I explored the Highlands and did a few drawings on my travels past the mountain, through the woodlands, and next to the lochs. This was great as time would always fly when I was discovering new grounds and sights.