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The Great Pottery Showdown back tonight

706 replies

EewDavid · 02/01/2022 12:53

Is anyone going to be watching? I absolutely love it despite only ever having one go at throwing a pot at school, forgetting to take my foot off the pedal and watching as the clay shot off the wheel into the adjoining open-plan science area. Looking forward to the new host too as I felt the last one made it a bit like a vehicle for her stand-up comedy routine.

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Unescorted · 23/01/2022 21:04

soup I am with you there. It was a bit colour by numbers

Mrsgwen25 · 24/01/2022 21:55

Never done pottery but loving this.
This week's was great, loved some of the tea sets

iklboo · 25/01/2022 20:55

Some of those sets were beautiful. Nick definitely let himself down with an acrylic handle - too inorganic. Lucinda's save was so clever. I wasn't keen on Tom's myself. It was a bit...simplistic?

I will say, though, this is one of the shows I love to watch but have no interest in trying. All I could make was a coil pot, a vaguely humanoid shape and a canoe!

Toddlerteaplease · 25/01/2022 22:35

Missed the end, what happened. Not keen on this Raku thing at all.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 26/01/2022 08:13

I usually love the Raku - it's my favourite week - but I was disappointed this time round.

Nothing seemed to have the grace and elegance of the usual Raku weeks.

Yes - Lucinda's teapot handle was very clever, but overall thee just seemed something lacking t ome.

SoupDragon · 26/01/2022 08:19

I agree - they were lovely pieces but lacked the "something" that raku week pieces have had in previous years. I think it was the choice of glazes and the somewhat flat effects maybe....? They didn't have that elemental look.

SoupDragon · 26/01/2022 08:20

I think that might be an issue with my understanding of what raku is though.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 26/01/2022 10:25

Have to confess that my understanding is probably not great either, but I do know that in previous series I've been blown away by the sheer ethereal loveliness of the effects, whilst this time I was pretty much - "Meh. It's ok"

The best set IMO was Nick's but the acrylic handle really did cheapen it.

SoupDragon · 26/01/2022 10:38

This (long!) article is about last year's Raku week. They are all simply beautiful. You'll need to scroll to the end!

ariadnereviews.com/2021/02/01/pottery-throwdown-2021-episode-4-a-perfect-union-of-man-and-budgie/

iklboo · 26/01/2022 15:43

I think they bused different combustibles last year didn't they? Like newspaper, wool etc to give really different outcomes. Or am I imagining that?

Saucery · 26/01/2022 16:13

No, they definitely used more materials in the raku, or the editing went into more detail about what they each used.

IntermittentParps · 26/01/2022 16:19

@Unescorted

I wonder if soaking the heather would have given Lucinda's enough flex to not stress the lugs. Such a shame it is a beautiful pot.
I thought that. She is so talented. She understood the combination of the raku technique, her applied techniques and the look she wanted to achieve so well. She has a very clear strong vision for all her work. I'd guess she's had art training. I do agree previous raku years have yielded better results. Jodie's raku last year was so beautiful. I liked Tom's: another clear and strong concept. Disappointed by Nick's. Liked Cellan's. AJ's was attractive but had a whiff of craft shoppe about it; a bit too pretty. Christine's pleasantly surprised me; I didn't think her flowers idea would work with raku. Miles's was a shitshow. He had to go.
Whitney168 · 26/01/2022 16:32

[quote SoupDragon]This (long!) article is about last year's Raku week. They are all simply beautiful. You'll need to scroll to the end!

ariadnereviews.com/2021/02/01/pottery-throwdown-2021-episode-4-a-perfect-union-of-man-and-budgie/[/quote]
Last year I would cheerfully have bought any of them, but not so keen on this year's.

Lucinda's about the only one that appealed greatly this year, it was stunning - I could have cried for her when those lugs popped off.

Nydj · 26/01/2022 17:46

I’m going to go against the flow and say that having reminded myself of the finished items in raku week from the last series from Soup’s link, I think they looked a bit samey. This year the finished sets looked much more like what I would like of as traditional raku pieces.
I love raku.

SoupDragon · 30/01/2022 17:41

Garden gnomes tonight! I'm quite looking forward to these - they should be fun. This group have been quite good at the "characterful" challenges this year.

Wolfcub · 30/01/2022 19:43

Evening potters

Saucery · 30/01/2022 19:50

Whose Gnome hits the floor with a Splat Shock

sweepthenmop · 30/01/2022 19:52

Their gnomes all have to have beards? No female gnomes, or did I misunderstand the instructions?

SoupDragon · 30/01/2022 19:55

@sweepthenmop

Their gnomes all have to have beards? No female gnomes, or did I misunderstand the instructions?
Maybe female gnomes have beards too. Like dwarves.
Jellykat · 30/01/2022 19:56

I missed the intro sweep, so dont know the answer to that one i'm afraid..

Jellykat · 30/01/2022 19:59

I have a beard in a certain light, so a Gnome-ess of a certain age can have beards! Grin

Saucery · 30/01/2022 20:01

AJ’s Horror Gnomes Grin

Piggywaspushed · 30/01/2022 20:04

Evening! I actually remembered about this tonight!

Piggywaspushed · 30/01/2022 20:05

I warmed to Tom last week but now I think he is a bit of a silly knob again.

tomorrowalready · 30/01/2022 20:06

Wondering the same thing , sweepthenmop, very gender conformist.I am lightheartedly wondering what femal gnomes I'd do if I had any talent. Classic British female comics would look great in a garden: Vicoria Wood, Joce Grenfell and Margaret Rutherford, beards optional.