Kent Potter's Association Steve Woodhead Master Day

Steve Woodhead, 4 November 2000

Steve gave us a very entertaining review of the styles he had adopted linked with short courses he has attended before breaking free and realising what it is about pots that matters to him, and the evolution of his own style. He fires his white stoneware body to what he describes as a ridiculously high temperature, looking for interesting effects casused by the movement of and interaction between the glazes. In the construction of his sometimes quirky and humorous pieces he is aware of the proportions that we all sense as 'right' because we are all human, and the additions which will apeal to some more than others because we are all individuals.

Steve shoed us how to throw a 'polo' shape which he uses for some of his forms, by opening out a disk in the centre. The clever bit is to turn the inner wall over to meet the outer one....	...which of course he did perfectly. He cut this one through to show the profile of the walls.
With a 'polo' he had brought with him, and various other components, Steve assembled this teapot 'by committee'. He asked the audience where to place the spout and other parts. He pointed out that there are somethings which seem right to all of us, and some things which are a matter of individual tase.	It's not that the Kent Potters don't have a table, or that we wanted Steve to feel unwelcome - it's just that we were too spelbound by his demonstration to stop and get him one. Besides - he seemed to be enjoying himself!
'Heart without a soul' A teapot which cannot hold tea.	A functional teapot, based on the polo shape. This piece shows Steve's leanings toward the characteristics of salt glazing, where each ridge in the clay is accented by the glaze. This he achieves by using a glaze which will run into the grooves.

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