#ceramics | Gray Summers

Drawn sometime in the Late 1970s. Grimbeard became Grimwell Arkenthorpe when I began making ceramics.

AGAIN, A BLOG POST FOUND IN MY DRAFT FILE. MUST HAVE DUMPED IT IN THERE LAST YEAR. BUT IT SHOWS SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF MY EARLY CERAMIC PIECES. I HAVE ADDED MORE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM MY MEDIA POOL. THERE ARE SO MANY PHOTOGRAPHS IN THERE THAT CAN BE USED FOR FUTURE NEW BLOGS.

Decluttering brings little past time forgotten’s back out into the open. Had to smile with this drawing above. Haven’t drawn anything with intent since. My non- imagination for drawing is an Aphantasia driven non starter. I simply cannot draw because I cannot see anything in my mind to transfer into a pencilled image on to the paper. This Grimbeard drawing was in amongst a roll of small posters, some of Martin Chaplin’s illustrations (the artist who illustrated my small booklet of poetry and a short story concerning my ceramic characters), and a few little Brian Froud pictures from magazines. All rolled up tightly together, each inside others so as one roll of new little discoveries. There are two individual/original pencil drawings from Martin Chaplin which are wonderful to own. This roll of mystical images? Hidden in an attic box for decades now!

My very first result from handling clay. Gollum.

Dragons. Silhouettes photograph of the actual pottery pieces I made. A bit too naively dragon-y-esque these ones.

What is interesting about this simple naive Grimbeard drawing above though, is that it was about two years before the ceramic making period came into my life. So the mythological subject was to be a continued, but in a different medium clay choice, for subject material. I cannot draw from having lack of visual imagination. But clay told its own shape shifting stories as it was being handled.

Why choose the mystical theme for my ambition in using clay. Tolkein was a massive influence on my very early mind in those influential teenage years. Marc Bolan (in his Tyrannosaurus Rex early two piece band days) with his songs and C.S. Lewis too. Then there was the fantasy artist Brian Froud. The Dark Crystal and his Faerie books were pored over and their grotesque nature was influential in my latter stage ceramic pieces.

I began making the Guardians of Nature in clay as my first ownership to eco friendly thinking. Guardian Faerie with specific powers like strength (guardian of trees), a singing voice to enchant (water), speed (plants and flowers), wisdom and gentleness (animals), etc. Other characters began to be made. The Circle of Five sorcerers were based on themes of Fire, Water, Earth, Metal and Wood. Air was considered to replace one, but became a passing phase. Also, Rune Wielders, Storytellers, Minstrels, etc. were made too. It was a nice time back then. Naive and yet wholesome.

Very early piece. I believe it was made in the first year of making my pottery. I was over the moon that it didn’t collapse in the kiln.

This little drawing up top? Holding his staff similar to the way Voldemort holds his wand I notice. But Grimwell Arkenthorpe in clay form (Grimbeard in early form here too) was a good wizard. Voldemort wouldn’t have taken inspiration from him at all!