The Great Pottery Showdown back tonight

[EewDavid]

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.

YES to Trapdoor! I loved that.

Poor Cellan - he seemed nice.

Adam's pottery is a beeeoootiful place. And Monty Don gets his pots from there.

Well deserved for AJ. Sorry to see Cellan go but he is only 23! I’m sure he’ll bounce back, he is so talented.

AJ, very well deserved, excellent! I would very happily have them in my garden. They were all pretty good actually imo.
Also, I'm prepared to hold my hands up in defeat here and not trying to compell anyone to do anything, but I think AJ goes by 'they/them', rather than she.

I don’t think anyone has made a big deal of AJ’s pronouns on this thread tbh. They are a great potter and how they present is immaterial, so if people slip up….

No of course. Shrug is right. Slip ups are whatever. Just pointing it out. Noones obliged.

@Ijustreallywantacat

No of course. Shrug is right. Slip ups are whatever. Just pointing it out. Noones obliged.

Why point it out? There has been one slip on the whole thread.

Because I was watching it and said 'she' today. My partner mentioned that AJ seemed to prefer 'they/them.' So it was on my mind. I'm not going to reply any more because I don't want to hijack a lovely thread about pottery. Its really not a big deal.

The bulging eyes seems to be a bit of an AJ signature. They've got some on Instagram too. I'm really loving their style!

Just caught up, really happy AJ won. To be honest I think they were robbed on a previous week so it's about time.

@Ijustreallywantacat

The bulging eyes seems to be a bit of an AJ signature. They've got some on Instagram too. I'm really loving their style!

The blobfish.

Who'd have thought that blobfish could be so cute?
But yet they are.

I don't think AJ was robbed on previous occasions, I just think it's been very very close this year and many weeks it could have gone to a number of potters. I don't think there's been a week when I've thought the POTW didn't deserve it.

I think the participants’ previous work is very closely scrutinised and the judges know when they can do even better, so hold off on the POTW for quite excellent work even though to the viewer it looks fantastic.

@Ijustreallywantacat

The bulging eyes seems to be a bit of an AJ signature. They've got some on Instagram too. I'm really loving their style!

Those are gorgeous!

Re: the pronouns - what the heck does it matter how someone refers to you when you aren't there to hear it? You don't use pronouns when you are speaking directly to someone. As someone once said to me - "what other people think of you is none of your business".

While I'm quite happy to refer to someone by any name they choose, gendered or not, I draw the line at buggering about with pronouns. It's just silliness.

Equally, why the heck do you care what someone wishes to be called? If it makes someone's life that little bit happier I don't give a shit. Gender neutral pronouns have been around for donkey's years, it's just that people are choosing to use them in preference to the gendered ones.

I don't care what pronouns people prefer - I just don't feel that they have the right to compel me to use them.

How does it make your life happier to think that someone you have never met, and are never likely to meet, is calling you "they"?

If a man wants a traditionally "female" name, or a woman a "male" name - then that's fine. I'll call them by that name, but pronouns - nope! It's not a habit I intend to get in to, even in an apparently innocent situation.

fairplayforwomen.com/pronouns/

Little bit of clay I did based on animal crossing last year :D

Ahhh, cute! Is that air dry clay or fired?

Air dried then acrylic. There's a really good white air dry clay from hobbycraft. My best find was putting it in sandwich bags with a piece of damp tissue to dry. Takes longer but they dry much more evenly.

Before painting

@Ijustreallywantacat

Little bit of clay I did based on animal crossing last year :D

Thos are so sweet!

I'll miss Cellan. Technically I suppose he wasn't always great (unlike AJ, who is SO impressive), but he's creative and original. And a nice young man.
I'm sure he'll go far though. And I got the impression he really hated gnomes
I didn't love AJ's this week, I must say, although I can appreciate what they said about them taking gnomes in a different direction. I think I liked Anna's the best; they looked like a bunch of hobos, quite disreputable and lairy. Her work is so characterful.
I had Tom pegged as an old raver from the start. Nice to be vindicated

I love this show. Agree that the eventual winner is too hard to call at the moment. I reckon Lucinda, AJ, Nick and Tom are up there though. I’ve been inspired to get the air dried clay out too - here are the results.

Argh phone storage issues so I can’t!

Did it!

They're wonderful!