Chezfred ceramics

History

One evening in 1973 the day I was fired from being director of the computing centre, Freds Folks band was playing at Butlins Skegness and Eric was feeling fed up with life and cursing everything in sight. Our bass player Geoff said "Don't take it out on us, it's not our fault, take it out on a lump of clay instead". Geoff Bocking was a potter (among other duties as head of 3D design at a local teacher training college). I took his advice and went to his house one day a week and worked next to him in his pottery. He could tell me if I was doing something wrongly; I could ask for help if needed. We used the college facilities for glazing and firing. When Geoff left in 1985 to move to Northern Ireland, I bought all my own equipment and set up our stables building as a pottery.

Almost all work was thrown, throwing is a therapeutic pleasure. But in 2016 I was approachd by a local friendly City Councillor to think about an artwork for a local park being tidied up into a "Sculpture Garden". I said no, at my age I didn't was responsibilities and timetables. Then I thought more and decided to have a go. The result was a lot of tile making, see here and for a second tile artwork here.

Being a mathematician at heart, all my pots (except tiles) are numbered. I'm now on numbers in the 10800s.

The equipment

My first kit was all from Cromartie at Longton near Stoke-on-Trent, and consisted of an electric wheel and a top loader kiln . I had ordered a replacement kiln from Potterycrafts in 2012 just before I was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer. I cancelled the order. Then Joy said "You can't cancel, you'll get better." So I then ordered instead a much more luxurious front loader kiln so much easier to load, and the cancer was cured and I got better as Joy had predicted.

The pots

Photos of the pots are here.
	And photos of tiles.here.
And of painted ceramics here.
	And of Green Man ceramics here.
And of Gormley people here.

Icons include Camera to see photo(s). to see a text file and Website .for a website link.
Website at chezfred.org.uk

Page last updated 25-Mar-2023

Comments and corrections on the website welcome by Eric Foxley