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Handmade plates made for Restaurant Where The Light gets In, in Manchester, by Sam Andrew

2023 Pottery Social/Sale! Fri 1st & Sat 2nd December

It’s that time of year for our annual pottery sale and social before Christmas. Join us for a glass of mulled wine over ceramics chat, and see our ever evolving and improving ceramics, which range from functional pots for daily use to sculptural art works. Beat the Christmas markets and get local handmade ceramics, made in Manchester’s longest standing pottery studio.

Friday the 1st December from 5.30pm-8pm

Saturday 2nd December from 10am-5pm.

Unit 5, Windrush Millennium Centre,
70 Alexandra Road,
Manchester
M16 7WD

(red door on the in the left hand corner of the car park)

There will be many pieces from our teachers, students and shared studio space, as well as samples, seconds and old stock at a reduced price.

7 limes Pottery is Manchester’s first pottery studio open to the general public. Running for over 25 years we offer pottery classes, pottery wheel throwing, taster classes, beginner courses, as well as run pottery sales of restaurant worthy ceramics handmade in our workshop.

Handmade tessellating ceramic tiles, made in a mould making course at 7 Limes Pottery

Marlborough School Tile Project

James Donegan, took a beginner pottery course with us here in Manchester. An architect for Tim Groom Architects at the time, and now a fully qualified architect, with a RIBA and Mecanoo award to his name, and running the creative studio Dematerial.

After an exhibition at Manchester Craft and Design Centre creating an impressive structure inspired by mathematical designs in nature, James took a mould making and slip casting course with us. Following this he designed and 3D printed some tiles for a design project of Marlborough School in Macclesfield.

Involving the teachers and students “to design a space that is flexible, exciting and theirs.” As architects they unfortunately “had to reject suggestions that mashed potato, Lego and bubbles were suitable materials to build the school.” James made slip casting moulds for the tiles and had sample tiles produced at 7 Limes Pottery, using glaze designed by Sam Andrew. Their proposal won the Manchester Society of Architects award for un-built community project that year!

A project page for the school can be seen here.

At 7 Limes Pottery we’ve actually had a number of team building workshops with architect groups.A Architects we find are interested in materials, especially ceramics. So pottery is a great team building activity for architects. Do get in touch to talk to us about arranging a team building workshop or for helping to design and make ceramic samples for a specific architecture project.

Tessellating tiles made in a ceramics mould making course at 7 Limes PotteryHandmade tessellating ceramic tiles, made in a mould making course at 7 Limes Pottery

Sculptural ceramic art piece with orange triangle pattern made by artist and potter Sam Andrew at 7 limes Pottery Manchester

Trace Exhibition Omved Gardens, in pictures

https://www.instagram.com/sa_ramics/
https://www.instagram.com/sa_ramics/
https://www.instagram.com/sa_ramics/

Trace, an exhibition by Thrown Contemporary and collaborators, was set in the beautiful glass houses at Omved Gardens in Highgate London, during Chelsea Fringe Festival. The sun beaming down lit the space brightly, with vegetative flowering, by sustainable floral design studio Meta Fleur, adorning it’s plinths, hanging from struts, and intertwining between art pieces throughout. Alongside a host of events, including supper evenings, pot making, and fermentation workshops among others, 12 distinctive art collections came together. From natural ink painting’s to exceptionally blown glass, Thrown’s main discipline is presenting ceramic works and exhibiting pottery from upcoming and established ceramicists and potters.

Barcelona based Roger Coll’s curvaceous tubular ceramic sculptures appeared throughout with different brightly coloured matt and gloss surfaces, and use various hand-builidng, mould making and slip casting techniques. John Mackenzie’s traditional wood fired wheel thrown pots, with ash glazes, are fired in his own built anagama style wood firing kiln. His pieces followed him to Stoke on Trent’s Clay College Stoke, for a teaching workshop, a college originally set up by Kevin Millward and Lisa Hammond. Our own Sam Andrew’s sculptural nerikomi pots featured prominently and was the first time he presented work on this scale. All his pieces were made in studio in 7 Limes Pottery’s kilns. Made from years old waste material of nerikomi batches, where clay slabs are meticulously layered, compressed, sliced and pressed, the waste of which is joined together and manipulated to form large belied and highly patterned forms. Sam’s work combines hybrid pottery making methods of press-moulding, slabbing, coiling and throwing to achieve the sculptural pots and surfaces.

See Trace’s exhibition catalogue below for a more in-depth read about the exhibition and it’s artists.

Featured image credit Will Hearle.

Pot by Sam Andrew for Trace exhibition at Omved Gardens 2023 with associated information, address and brands

Exhibition: Trace Omved Gardens, Highgate, 19th May to 4th June

Sam Andrew is presenting new works made at the studio in London at Omved Gardens and Thrown Contemporary’s collaborative exhibition, Trace.

’Trace’ (19th May – 4th June 2023), a collaborative exhibition by specialist craft gallery Thrown, greenscape, food project and sustainability hub OmVed Gardens and sustainably led floral art & design studio Metafleur for the Chelsea Fringe 2023. Taking place in the beautiful glasshouse and gardens of OmVed Gardens, Highgate, ’Trace’ brings together 12 distinctive collections to explore the marks we make. From expressive gestures to thoughts on ecological footprints, the ideas within the exhibition will be further with a curated programme of events, including talks, workshops, live music and a leave no trace supperclub. The exhibition is open to all Wednesday-Saturday 11am-5pm and Sunday 12pm-6pm at Omved Gardens, 1 Townsend Yard, London, N6 5JF. Find out more about the exhibition and view the events programme here.

2022 Pottery Social/Sale! Fri 2nd 5.30-8pm & Sat 3rd 10am-5pm

It’s that time of year for our annual pottery sale and social. Join us for a glass of mulled wine over ceramics chat, and see our ever evolving and improving ceramics, which range from functional pots for daily use to sculptural art works. 

Friday the 2nd December from 6pm until late (arrive before 8pm)

Saturday 3rd December from 10am-5pm.

Unit 5, Windrush Millennium Centre,
70 Alexandra Road,
Manchester
M16 7WD

The gates may be locked, ring through to security to gain access. There’s a buzzer on the right hand side of the entrance road or call us if any issues.

There will be many pieces from our teachers, students and shared studio space, as well as samples, seconds and old stock at a reduced price.

Strange Clay at the Hayward Gallery 26 Oct 2022 –⁠ 8 Jan 2023

26 Oct 2022 –⁠ 8 Jan 2023

Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

“Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art is the first large-scale group exhibition in the UK exploring how contemporary artists have used clay in unexpected ways.”

“The artworks on show encompass fantastical creatures and uncanny representations of the everyday, as well as ranging from small abstract works to large-scale installations that take the medium beyond the kiln.

Strange Clay explores the possibilities of thinking through making.

The artworks vary in scale, finish and technique, and address topics that range from architecture, to social justice, the body, the domestic and the organic.

While contributing to the broadening dialogue between art and craft, this exhibition provides a closer look at this tactile medium.”

Ticket price £15

Ken Price – Oki

Layers Exhibition 24 Sept – 9 Oct 2022 (Reception 23rd 5-7.30pm)

LAYERS exhibition is a display of works of art made when layers of cultures become textures that can be seen, touched and heard. By showcasing art pieces that reflects individuality, Saan1 would like to initiate dialogue and promote exchange of thoughts and ideas between local and the Hong Kong community in Manchester.

Sam Andrew will be showing his most recent nerikomi tableware and forms he’s been pushing sculpturally which are made from the waste nerikomi clay. 

24 Sept – 9 Oct 2022
Thursday to Sunday
12:00-6:00pm

Join is at the opening reception:
23 Sept 2022
5:00-7:30pm

Saan1
5 Kelvin Street
Manchester
M4 1ET

Winner of Great Pottery Throw Down revealed

The finale of Great Pottery Throw Down aired this week and it was a tense episode and a close call at the last minute. Some amazing creations but consistency and quality won the day:

 

In the final episode Matthew, 23, a teacher from North Yorkshire, emerged triumphant as the winner of The Great Pottery Throw Down 2015. From ten potters who have thrown, turned, trimmed and fired: Rekha, Joanna, Nigel, Sandra, James, Jane, and the three other finalists Jim, Sally-Jo and Tom, Matthew won the coveted title in a very tough competition.

See the full details over on the BBC’s Get Creative site