Pottery Throwdown 2021

[LIZS]

Starts 10th January 7:45pm

Dd2 wasn't having the lack of life experience excuse 'I know what I'd put on mummy and I'm 11'

I completely forgot this was on last night, caught it on catch up!

I would have sent Henry home over Shenyue as I think she's stronger over all but it could have gone either way.

I think he pulled off the decoration he wanted (although I didn't like it, like doodles in a teenage exercise book!) whereas her white swirls didn't look well proportioned. They both had terrible cracking issues and average tiles.

I think Henry hit a bit of a wall the way Sal did last week. This far through the competition I think stamina plays a part.

I loved Adam's tiles, the pavillion was gorgeous.

I have seen the first season of blown away, I'll check out the second.

I really hope next week that not everything gets cracked and broken. Although it's water features and I seem to remember from previous years, the size causes issues!

Henry definitely got in his own head with the tiles. I was saying to DP, I could think of some things he could put on it just from seeing him in previous weeks:

Some waves/sea creatures because he's from Cornwall, something with him and his brother, something to represent pottery, reuse a tattoo from his leg/chicken brick- done!

We also agreed that knobs aren't nearly as important as Keef thinks when you're wearing oven gloves!

I think the right person went home but I bet it was close. I've never seen so many broken pots in one round.

Henry just seemed to have a completely blank moment when staring at the tiles. After his great fruit bowl which celebrated his relationship with his brother he should have been able to come up with something. Adam's didn't really show "life experiences" for example, just things that meant a lot to him. It was quality of decoration they were after more than anything.

I've had the same feeling when I did an enamelling course a couple of years ago. My brain just went blank when trying to come up with a design.

It's pretty unanimous that the breakage wasn't the potters' fault. I assume due to Covid they are all in a bubble so they have a very short filming schedule meaning insufficient drying time and very fast firing times (also raw glazing is risky, usually you glaze after bisk firing, but that adds another day and a half). It's a real shame, buy I don't think the judges are penalizing the potters too much on blowouts. Rose must be pretty shit as it's his job to see to that side of things.

Rose must feel pretty shit even sorry, not questioning his technician skills!

Rose must have used a big pizza shovel to get them out and get them to the tables without the bits falling everywhere. Nightmare job, don't envy her.

Henry is living on borrowed time.

Whose was it that looked whole and then, when they lifted it up, the bottom was basically just a pile of crumbs? I did find that amusing as they were so carefully arranged.

I think it was Peter's casserole dish.

Was it really necessary to call Rose he when Rose clearly identifies as she?

I just rolled my eyes and ignored it.

It's just so passive aggressive and unnecessary.

Apologies for dragging real life issues to this nice part of the internet. I love pottery throwndown and really enjoying this thread.

How do you know how Rose identifies?

I wanted to ask why there were so many breakages this week? Was it the drying time? Alon knows how to hand build and even he had cracks. (Much as I love Sal’s work, I want Alon to win as he’s so adventurous).

I'd like either Sal Jodie or Alon to win I like the others but think those are the most talented/interesting ones

@Chrysanthemum5

How do you know how Rose identifies?

Google.

I would like Alon to win. Sal is too safe and Jodie irritates me.

Alon may scupper his chances by being too risky, Sal really seems to struggle if something goes wrong, it hugely hits her confidence. Adam is doing very well. Jodie is also very good and her ideas tend to be well thought out.

That's what I like about Alon. Even though it's a competition he isn't afraid to take risks. I agree that this could be his downfall!

Adam is good too... quietly competent I think.

@SoupDragon

That's what I like about Alon. Even though it's a competition he isn't afraid to take risks. I agree that this could be his downfall!

Adam is good too... quietly competent I think.

I feel Adam is very much like David from bake off, takes criticism well, follows advice and just gets on with it. He has performed quite well in the unseen challenges as well.

Really unsuccessful week - surely if no-one can get a functional set, they're being asked to do too much in the time allowed?

Loved Sal's whale!

I want Sal to win just for the Charlie dogs 🐾