So who makes all these pots?
I do. My name’s Paul Fricker and I live on the outskirts of the town of Buckingham in a farm cottage with my wife, Lucy, who is head of art at a local school. We live here with our twins (boy and girl b.1998), eight chickens, a cockerel, four cats, two guinea pigs and a lots of tropical fish.
I studied with Jim Robinson at Bretton Hall College (Yorkshire) where I first worked on the potter’s wheel. After leaving Bretton I worked as pottery instructor at Doncaster Royal Infirmary’s psychiatric department. While there I picked up Bernard Leach’s ‘A Potter’s Book’ in a back-street second-hand bookshop. Reading that book had a big impact on my thinking regarding clay and aesthetics.
Influences
I love Mick Casson’s work, especially the large jugs he made - I recall being awe-struck the first time I saw one for real, the way that big handle grew out of the body in perfect proportion. At college we were visited by Patrick Sargent, he certainly made an impression; the wheel I have now is made to his design by Stow Potter’s Wheels. Other influences include Takeshi Yasuda and Peter Voulkos.
The Making Process
The work is thrown on the potter's wheel. I use a momentum wheel, driven without electricity, using hands and feet to spin the wheel, which then continues to spin for a long time with the weight of the heavy concrete flywheel below. The piece is then allowed to dry a little before handles are pulled, stretching a length of clay until it is the right thickness to be applied as a handle. After this is done the piece is marked with a 'PF' stamp, the makers initials. Once dry the piece is fired to over 1000 degrees Centigrade.
Next comes the second stage, glazing. All the glazes used have been tested and formulated at the pottery to achieve a pleasing colour and finish. Hundreds of glaze tests were carried out to achieve the desired results. At present there are two main coloured glazes used. The Blue and the 'Blush'. The Blue always comes out in a similar way. The Blush varies greatly, from a soft white (when thin) to a variegated speckle of brown and peach (when medium thickness) to a rich warm brown (when thick). I have some control over this glaze, but there is always an element of chance and surprise with it which I enjoy. The second firing is to 1280 degrees Centigrade, during which the glazes melt and the porcelain vitrifies and becomes translucent.
Health and safety
Health and safety note: All work produced by Buckingham Pottery is safe to be used with food and drink. Many decades ago lead was a common glaze ingredient, it has of course been found to be toxic and raw lead is no longer used. Rest assured that care has also been taken to avoid any materials which might yield toxic chemicals (such as lead or cadmium) and even barium, over which there is some debate among the pottery community, is not used at all.
Further Information
