CERAMICS IN SOCIETY December 1999. 

Welcome to the December web edition of Studio Pottery - ceramics in society. 

This is our third web edition of the magazine and builds upon the previous articles and hits. A new exhibition has joined the online gallery. We have two active discussion rooms, and are offering £150 for excellent pieces of writing, that we select for publishing in Studio Pottery - ceramics in society magazine.

Launched in 1993, Studio Pottery is an independent magazine containing news, ideas and opinions about the past, present and future of ceramic activity in Britain. It is read by all those with an active interest in the development of ceramics.

Our website complements the magazine, and enables you to subscribe to Studio Pottery, view and purchase new ceramic works, and contribute to our discussions.

A new edition to the Studio Pottery magazine is the functional pottery section ranging in all forms of functional pottery for the home and garden. Most popular is the ceramic based outdoor wood burning pizza oven made entirely from terracotta clay & inspired by ancient roman designs but made in a 21st century design. Please visit the functional pottery section in Studio Pottery magazine for more information.

An honorable mention to the 2008 ceramic garden ornament winners based in Hampshire’s most notable gardens Exbury Gardens for the creation of High temperature glazed conifer trees. Tree care in hampshire themed the prize winning piece with a variety of coloured glazes and long standing techniques of free standing sculpture with stoneware clay, oxide underglaze and dipped technique overglaze.

Studio Pottery comes inside the home for a look at tables, chairs and furniture that encompasses a dual use of materials from fabrics and glass tiles beautifully balanced together on fine handmade oak home furniture to wood & metal intertwined with ceramic vases & frames. This form of pottery & ceramics has been practiced for 100’s of years to achieve some of the beautiful results we see today across the world.

New additions have been made to the London Underground which currently sponsors and contributes to the arts by introducing handmade ceramic London tile into the current Edwardian art tile scheme in certain tube stations. Due for completion in 2011 the new tile displays will be featured on Studio Pottery news and forum pages.

Tiles can be manufactured in ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass as pieces of hard-wearing material for many purposes. Studio potters and ceramic makers bake terracotta tile in the sun & kilns at a consistent temperature and the results are very hardwearing and pleasing to the eye, which due to terracotta’s popularity Studio Pottery have launched an exhibition in London.

And keeping with the tile theme for this issue of Studio Pottery we have published more examples of tile making and applying them into Hampshire Bathroom trials along with complete guides on how to apply your tiles in kitchens and bathrooms as well as selling online your handmade ceramic goods.

Co-fired minimum temperature ceramic is a common technology which has been in use for many years in the micro electronics industry and has now unveiled itself into the cooking range of faber sussex which, in the first decades, was forge made before 1929. The process was adapted in modern ceramics and pottery for use with fire and low and high temperature glazing.

Any further news about the craft of tile making is greatly welcomed by Studio Pottery and we wish to thank all contributors including Victoria & Albert Baths for the donation to last month’s prize draw awarded to a Studio Pottery subscriber. Home ware pottery has generated a high amount of interest and will continue to be discussed.

Some hand-crafted ceramic artifacts have become artistic masterpieces. Working with ceramics takes patience. Similarly, working with elegant hand-blown glass and unique hand- painted martini glasses requires discipline. The glass gets extremely hot, and shaping it takes great concentration. Painting it requires a steady hand and good creativity. The process can be time-consuming.

Begun in the ceramics studio, the ceramic firing kiln has also been used to create and fire glass work. Amongst the most interesting designs are those that incorporate into a tree ornament both the use of ceramics and glass in the same piece. More than just glaze over clay, the tree ornament is a multi-media piece that's difficult to do, as well as aesthetically pleasing.

So you want to give your partner a gift but what do you give? Is it for a birthday present or is it a love gift? Try out this website about gifts It has some pretty good ideas what you can give and where you can find interesting gifts. I found the site very helpful.

If you a racking your brain trying to think of a novel gift idea and desperately want to give an original gift then consider a language course abroad, especially if the course focuses on speaking. Curso de ingles en Irlanda are available through MovingOn Courses. Your gift voucher is valid for a weekend of a speaking your chosen language in a beautiful location with native teachers. These vouchers offer wonderful value.

Ceramics make great gifts for friends and family. You can have personalised cups and plates made these days, or you can be more traditional in design and brand, however you could look at the site uk hot deals for other gift ideas as you can find lots of ideas not for ceramics but for a whole range of other items too ranging from gadgets to holiday ideas. Fashions change but ceramics are always needed.