After training as an Art teacher, Dave King spent his working life helping students to develop their own artistic creativity.
In 2008 he converted an old falling down barn in our garden into a lovely studio working space. Since then, Dave and his wife have been running courses for adults and teachers in Art and Pottery.
Dave King is especially interested in Raku and Pit Fired work, which are both exciting and immediately engaging ways of firing pots. His current Raku fired pieces develope on techniques used in the Naked Raku traditions, where a sacrificial slip and glaze are painted or dipped on to the pot.
All pots are hand made using a combination of slabs and coils. Because they are unglazed and only fired to a low temperature, they are decorative rather than functional. They have all been given sealed the surfaces with a clear wax polish.
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Dave King is especially interested in Raku and Pit Fired work which are both exciting and immediately engaging ways of firing pots.
On firing in the Raku kiln, this layer of slip and glaze, shrink to form cracks and crazes which develop into a maze of lines and dots. The pot is lifted out of the kiln when still red hot, and placed into a bin of wood shavings which immediately burst into flame.
Smoke also penetrates turning the patterns black. As it cools the slip will flake off the surface of the pot a bit like broken eggshells, leaving the surface plain or “naked” in contrast to the black lines and dots.
The pit fired pieces are also fired in our garden, and this technique allows me to explore the wide range of colours and marks which can be achieved without using glaze. The pots are wrapped up in newspaper together with organic materials like salt, banana skins, coffee grounds and seaweed, as well as a sprinkling of copper carbonate.
All pots are hand made using a combination of slabs and coils. Because they are unglazed and only fired to a low temperature they are decorative rather than functional. They have all been sealed with a clear wax polish.
Caversham: 0118 948 1610