Blog - Page 11 of 12 - Peter Arscott

belatrova at the Panto

October 29th, 2014/1 Comment/in art furniture, Blog, ceramic art, hand painted coffee tables /by Peter Arscott

Leading figures from the world of design and fashion are coming together to raise money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) by performing in “Peter Pan and the Designers of the Caribbean” at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre, who describe the story as follows:

“London is grey and drab. All the interior designers have fled to Never Never Land to escape their client’s bad taste and endless complaints. But with Captain Hook on the loose, how long before the Designers realise they must return colour to London and save the secret to design from Hook’s evil clutches?”

If you would like to join Wendy, Tinkerbell and Peter do click here to buy a ticket. You will rub shoulders with leading figures from the world of interior design and see costumes designed by the most illustrious fashion designers in the world: Vivienne Westwood, Anya Hindmarch, Zandra Rhodes, Thomaz Starzewski, Bruce Oldfield and Anna Valentine.

belatrova will also be there having contributed a striking hand painted designer coffee table (750mm diameter) for the auction that will be held there as part of the fund raising appeal for the NSPCC. It was created in our workshop in Ledbury. It is practical – pull it up to the sofa with a book or a cup of tea on it, or it is low enough for children to draw, paint or write on, and easy to wipe clean. And it is beautiful – see it in a different way each day depending on the light outside or else it might be a particular object on the surface itself that sets off a combination of colours (our coasters tend to do that, but more about our coasters in the next blog).

hand painted coffee table (roseburgh)

To quote Ziggy the workshop spider (see previous blog) ” Looking at this piece of art from above (the ceiling in my case) is different from having something to admire on the wall. The colours, whether loosely stippled, daubed or brushed on loosely, are all contained within squares, rectangles or triangles, and so invoke architecture rather than nature … in my opinion.”

Thelonius says there is a hint of Paul Klee about it.

Dear belatrovians, we know many of you will not be able to visit the Bloomsbury Theatre in London, so we are offering you the opportunity to win a prize as consolation. Guess the amount the table will raise at the auction before Sunday 6pm and you will win a lovely pair of cutting tiles or trivets in the Brushstroke Blues range. Just post it in the “leave a comment” section of the blog and we’ll get in touch. Or if you would rather, send an email to info@belatrova.co.uk

belatrova cutting tile

Toodle – loo.

the art of commissioning

October 1st, 2014/0 Comments/in art, art ceramics, Blog /by Peter Arscott

Ziggy the Christmas spider

Julius II by Raphael

Rex Harrison

God & Adam

A commission in art was at one time only the privilege of the rich and powerful. Rulers and governments commissioned artists to design pieces that often glorified the kingdom or state. During the Renaissance, the Church became a regular patron of the arts commissioning such great works as The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, and of course, the most celebrated art commission of all time, the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo, commissioned by Pope Julius II, a man who centuries later, as older belatrovians will remember, would be played by Rex Harrison in “The Agony and the Ecstasy“.

top commission

Commissions are all very well when it comes to painting and sculpture, we hear you say; what about ceramic commissions? Well, how about the ‘Frog Service’, a 50-person set intended for dinner and dessert made by Wedgewood in 1773 for Catherine the Great who bought it for her Gothic summer palace built in a frog marsh some miles outside St Petersburg, “Kekerekeksinky“*, would you believe – hence the inclusion of the frog motif.

The service was painted with 1222 views of British landscapes,antiquities and gardens. It cost £2,290 and was intended for occasional use, not for display alone. When the service was nearing completion, the bulk of it was put on display at Portland House in London, so as to show it to the English public before it was dispatched to Russia. At the present time the Hermitage collection includes some 770 items from this famous commission.

part of the Frog Commission

As an aside, belatrova went to visit the Wedgewood Museum and returned as enthralled as ever by Josiah, a man of energy and creativity who along with others transformed society and kick-started the Industrial Revolution. He was born into a family of potters in 1730, at Burslem, Staffordshire, and his father’s death in 1739 led him to an early start working as a ‘thrower’ in the pottery of his eldest brother, Thomas, to whom he was later apprenticed. An attack of smallpox seriously weakened him and in 1768 he had to have his right leg amputated. This meant he was forced to abandon throwing, but he gained a wider insight into the potter’s craft, which led to experimentation. If you would like further insight into this world, belatrova warmly recommends a book by Jenny Uglow, “The Lunar Men”.

mezzotint of Josiah based on Reynolds painting. copyright National Gallery

Why are we telling you all this? Oh, yes… The Wedgewood Museum Trust. It became liable for the £134m pensions debt of its insolvent parent company and after a long battle to prevent the break up and sale of the collection, the Art Fund was given the chance to save the collection for £15.75 million. £2.74 million is still required by November to save the collection from being dispersed: 250 years of history, 80,000 objects – a unique visual archive.

belatrova commissions

Back to commissions. We would like to say that nowadays commissions are much more commonplace and accessible, and that vast fortunes need no longer be spent. Nobody need be a Medici to commission a belatrova birdbath, or table lamp, or platter. In fact, we have been busy fulfilling commissions as a result of so many visits during h.Art (Herefordshire Art week), so we thought we would remind you that with three months to go before Christmas belatrova is the place for that unique gift.

Just give us a ring at the workshop on +44 (0) 1531 634082 or send us an email (info@belatrova.co.uk) or visit our website: http//www.peterarscott.co.uk/dev – we are happy to talk to you about any idea you may have.

So long as it does not involve spiders.

There is one arachnophobe amongst us who finds it hard to deal with the creatures as they start to come indoors with the nights getting cooler –“all I want is a room somewhere / Far away from the cold night air…” they sing. It is impossible to determine in which direction they will scuttle and so they strike fear in the heart of this particular person, who will remain nameless.

Meanwhile, with a little bit of bloomin’ luck, we hope to see you when we open up the workshop over the weekends of November 29th and of December 6th.

* Kekerekeksinky was mistakenly thought to mean “frog” in Finnish, though if you try to pronounce it in a deep voice you will sound a little like one.

belatrova bash

September 8th, 2014/0 Comments/in Blog, ceramic art, jazz /by Peter Arscott

Though we do not have the photographic evidence, jiving and dancing took place at belatrova’s h.Art party on Saturday 6th. This is a first for the workshop; seeing his working

laid back cat

colleagues eating, drinking and overnight sleeping are what he is more used to, but Thelonius the Pugmill had never witnessed a spontaneous ballet of belatrovians using the storage and drying area as a dance floor.

The jazz was infectious and beautifully played by the Rushton Rhythm Quartet who gave us 20th Century standards with a modern twist, and not a little feeling. Their playing was tight and sublime, with some spectacular sax crescendos.

The food was magnificent, and belatrova would like to thank Wendy and Lu for all their work in preparing it, Viv and Eily for their help too, and Margo for helping set up and for running the bar. Lu, again, for her cocktail waitressing.

The workshop at No 9 is now open everyday till Sunday 14th, from 10 to 5, as part of Herefordshire Art Week. Just follow the red h.Art signs and you will get to us (Venue 29). There are over a hundred other venues to visit throughout the week, and brochures are available to download here.

birdbath ponder

Feel free to drop in. We have tidied up and it is now spotless – you would never believe one hundred and five belatrovians had a party here. You could also enter the competition and win a ceramic bowl, or just come for a chat and a look-around. See you.

large jazzy platter

flying off the wall

belatrovian baby potter

brushstroke blues display

belatrova in Iberia

August 29th, 2014/1 Comment/in art, art ceramics, Blog, ceramic art, painting, pots /by Peter Arscott

A piece of Britain on the horizon

belatrova, musing by a pool in the heat of Sotogrande, with a distant view of the Rock of Gibraltar, discovered that Andalusia has some of the hottest areas in Europe, sometimes averaging above 36 C in summer, with daytime highs of over 40 C. This explains the landscape of Holly and Cork Oak and the Pinsapo Fir trees that do well here, as do the olive trees that are grown all over the area.

Andalusia certainly knows its olives: Manzanilla, Arbequina, Empeltre, Sevillano, Picual, Hojiblanca, Picolimon, Verdial are just some of the estimated 260 different varieties of olive in Spain, which, as we all know, always look their best when offered to guests in a belatrova bowl.

the only way to eat olives

But we digress. After being controlled by Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals and Visigoths, for half a millennium “Al-Andalus” was part of a Muslim caliphate, from the moment in 711 a Berber called Tariq ibn Ziyad landed his troops on the coast at a place that would become “Jabel alTariq” (the mountain of Tariq), now pronounced “Gibraltar”. Then came the Catholic Kings, and so on, until Spain became a member of the European Community. How about that for a quick outline of Spanish history?

Malaga port

Before arriving in Sotogrande belatrova had spent a short time in Malaga, port city of misty mornings and birthplace of the greatest artists of the 20th Century*, and paid a visit to the Museo Picasso de Malaga to have a peek at the great man’s ceramics and paintings on display. A small but fine collection that will satisfy anyone interested in art and ceramics.

Insect – ceramic figure at Museo Picasso en Malaga

After 90 minutes of leaving Malaga and driving south belatrova suddenly saw the strange presence of the large rock that is part of Britain. It is surprising that there is this tiny enclave with red telephone boxes, bobbies and pubs in the southernmost tip of Spain. But we stayed in Sotogrande and enjoyed the calm of this beautiful location.

belatrova by the pool in Sotogrande

…on the veranda

…meditating

Next stop was a few days near Ronda in a small town called Arriate. Early in the mornings, before the sun clears the horizon and bakes everything in its path, a quick walk into Arriate will reward you with a breakfast of “Churros con chocolate” before returning and finding a shady area in the house or by the pool. belatrovians have already met Thelonius the Pugmill (blog November 2013).

Thelonius Pugmill in action

Though it may upset Thelonius, the churro-making machine is basically the same idea. Stuff goes in one end and is squeezed out the other, though in the former’s case it cannot be eaten with chocolate:

churro-making machine

churro extruded

churro ready

churros con chocolate

abandoned pottery in Arriate with stork’s nest on the top, seen when wandering into the village for breakfast

As for Ronda, it is a buzzing and welcoming town whose most well-known feature is the gorge that divides it and the bridge that crosses it, both made famous by the series of brilliant oil paintings David Bomberg made when he lived there in the 1930s.

Ronda

Bomberg’s Ronda

Next stop was Granada, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, home of the poet Federico García Lorca and of the Alhambra, Moorish citadel and palace, and the most renowned building of the Andalusian Islamic legacy. Any lover of mosaic and tiles would love its interior, but frankly anybody with an ounce of romance and fantasy would fall for it.

The Alhambra in Granada

inside the Alhambra

Saturation of visual sensation means you will end up agreeing with the poet Franciscio de Icaza who wrote “Give him alms, woman, for there is nothing sadder in life than being blind in Granada.” (“Dale limosna mujer, que no hay en la vida nada como la pena de ser ciego en Granada.”)

Walking along the narrow streets of the Albaicín district is also enthralling. Lots of shops selling pots and ceramics of all kind.

street sign in Granada

Even the street names are made of ceramic.

A visit to the Moorish Baths was a cool break from the sun and heat outside: looking up at the ceiling from the gloomy depths of the 11th Century building, the shapes cut out originally to allow steam to escape let in the daylight and shine like stars.

11th Century baths in Granada

All a distant memory. Now back at the workshop at No 9, belatrova is busy preparing for h.Art events which will be from 6th – 14th September and to which you are all most welcome. We will be open from 10.00 to 17.30. Remember to follow the bright red h.Art signs.

tHe Studio Gallery opening in Ross on Wye

And if you are near Ross-on-Wye, please drop in at the Studio Gallery which had a very successful launch some days ago and has an excellent display of belatrova ceramics.

* any belatrovian agreeing or disagreeing with this statement is invited to leave a comment. Comments will be awarded points, and points mean prizes … and, much as we would like to give the winner a Picasso bowl, you could win yourself a belatrova Valencia three legged ceramic instead.

Pope to belatrova

August 4th, 2014/1 Comment/in Blog, ceramic art, poetry /by Peter Arscott

belatrovians will know that we at No 9 Bankside are hard working and industrious and that we subsequently reward ourselves at the end of the week with a deliciously cold Dry Martini lovingly prepared by the Alcomeister hours in advance so as to reap the most from this sublime Emperor of Cocktails. We have also more than hinted at the excellent qualities of the Negroni in a previous blog. But today we will sing the praises of an altogether different drink and toast a man whose standing should be far better appreciated than perhaps it is. How does all this relate to art, design and craft?

Ross on Wye

Ross on Wye is a charming town on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean and perhaps the birthplace of British tourism when in 1745 the rector Dr John Egerton started taking friends on boat trips down the valley to appreciate the river scenery, its castles and abbeys, its precipices and its altogether picturesque environment. By the 1850s the Wye Tour established the area as a tourist attraction. The town is known for its independent shops, narrow streets and market square with its market hall. Opposite the church, the Prospect is a public garden offering a view of the famous horseshoe bend in the River Wye, as well as views of the distant Black Mountains in Wales.

The Man of Ross

The Prospect was created by one John Kyrle. He is without doubt the town’s most famous son (and we say this in the full knowledge that two of the founding members of Mott the Hoople were from Ross). He devoted his life to philanthropic works, introducing a public water supply to the town and laying out the Prospect Gardens. He also reconstructed and added pinnacles to the unsafe 14th century spire of the Church of St. Mary and gave it a magnificent tenor bell. He sponsored the causeway to the nearby Witton Bridge and set up funds for needy local children to attend school. Kyrle lived modestly as a bachelor on an income, it is said, of £500 per year. Apart from Kyrle’s charitable works and deeds, he also settled disputes, supported the schools, tended the sick and helped the poor. His public-mindedness also extended to beautifying the town and its surrounding landscape.

lisping babe

His life and good works were celebrated by the poet Alexander Pope in his Moral Essays written in 1732 and called him the ‘Man of Ross’, the name by which he has been known ever since:

“…Who taught that heav’n directed Spire to rise?  

The Man of Ross, each lisping babe replies.”

Now, Pope, though an interesting poet, was also a hugely influential landscape gardener and as the perfect representative of Augustan poetry he uses the same principles when it comes to landscape gardening. The Augustan style takes its inspiration from ancient Rome and Greece, emphasizing elegance, harmony, balance, formal strictness and simplicity. We are not just talking Geometry here but surely you’ll agree that it is one easy step from Pope’s harmony to the perfect balance of Mondrian‘s paintings (and to his New York connections) and thus to belatrova’s Manhattan range of ceramics and tables.

Mondrian

manhattan collection

And to celebrate these 18th Century geniuses why not raise a cocktail to them? Your 18th Century taste buds were likelier to go for the sweet rather than the dry, so, in keeping with the general theme, we thought the Manhattan hit the spot:

2 ounces whiskey (rye preferable)

1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

2-3 dashes Angostura bitters Maraschino cherry for garnish

Preparation:

Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice cubes.

Stir well.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with the cherry.

Ladies and gentlemen, raise your glasses to the Man of Ross, and consider this: the pursuit of all that is excellent in design and harmony continues in Ross on Wye with the launch of a new gallery in the town centre. The Studio Gallery, open from the 16th August, is exhibiting ceramics, painting and high quality craft, and would love to see you. So would belatrova, whose work is on show there.

what you might see at the Studio Gallery

“Hope springs eternal in a young man’s breast: Man never is, but always to be blest.”

Alexander Pope

Azure, sky blue, ultramarine and cobalt – who says Britain is the land of rain?

July 24th, 2014/0 Comments/in art ceramics, Blog, hand painted coffee tables /by Peter Arscott

a view from Tresco

We live in a land of contrasts in the UK – there is so much diversity. Take the Lake District and Berkshire Downs, the Scottish Highlands and the Norfolk Broads, the wild Jurassic coast of Southern England and the sedimentary London basin, Fingal’s Cave, Salisbury Plain, Cheddar Gorge, and yes, there is even a touch of the Caribbean to be found 30 miles from the Cornish mainland. You don’t believe us?

ferry

Lucky belatrova took a boat from Penzance and went to a very small place in a beautiful archipelago. Tresco is a small island measuring about two and a half miles long by a mile wide, and it is one of the five inhabited islands which, together with 200 or so islands, islets and rocks, form the Isles of Scilly.

Augustus

In 1834, the Duchy of Cornwall leased the Isles of Scilly to a liberal-minded squire, Augustus Smith, who became the Lord Proprietor of the

Tresco Abbey Gardens

islands. He built his home, Tresco Abbey, alongside the ruins of an old priory and set about creating a garden containing plants from all over the world. Tresco Abbey Garden is internationally renowned as having one of the finest sub-tropical flora and fauna collections in the Northern Hemisphere. The family still run the business as the Tresco Estate, and own Tresco island.

angry bird

As there are no predators or grey squirrels, the red squirrel was introduced recently and there is now a thriving colony of about 30. One was spotted in the Abbey Gardens, a flash of dark red moving amongst the Echium and Pelargonium. And being a birdwatcher of sorts, Mr b got very excited and spotted Oyster Catchers, Grey Heron, Terns, Ibis, Egrets and Godwits. He was also mobbed by angry sea gulls.

shrimps from Ruin Beach

Later that evening with the tide slowly rising a shrimping party netted a generous catch which was cooked and then eaten at a picnic overlooking the harbour. As you can see, there are no half measures here: one carries tables and chairs to the top of a hill to get the most out of an occasion like this.

picnic

tacking

A sailing trip to the smaller island of Samson was a symphony of azure and greens, gentle wavesand distant bird cries, white sand and clear water. What an experience it was, tacking back to Tresco harbour – a commemorative ceramic is called for, and here it is, just out of the kiln:

belatresco dish

Back at the workshop after this idyllic break, the sun, sea and clean air, combined with the walking, cycling and (ahem) swimming, meant that cobwebs were swept away and a desire to use Tresco blues came surging out of the belatrovian brush and onto one of our coffee tables.

Tresco-inspired coffee table

coffee table

Of course, like everywhere else in the UK, Tresco can be grey, battered and windy, but it was hard to imagine while we were there.

water off Samson Flats

Languid June

June 30th, 2014/0 Comments/in art, art furniture, Blog, hand painted coffee tables, painting, pots /by Peter Arscott

belatrova feet up

The newly refurbished workshop space has come into its own, specially when the days have been hot and sultry and the cooler corners away from the kiln became more inviting. June highlights have been many and varied, both within the workshop and away.

cool for birds

Non-belatrova activities include Stuart’s exhibition at Nantgarw, a museum on the site of an old porcelain works. Entitled “White Gold” (Aur Gwyn) it includes fifteen different potters using porcelain, and can be visited until 17th August. Stuart (Mr Dynamo) is also showing at Abbey Dore from 20 – 26 July along with other artists as part of a mini Arts Festival there. It is open daily from 9.30 to 6.15 and admission is free.

terracota figures of the Apostles by sculptor Nick Pope

Nick Pope’s Apostles

And we all went down to Salisbury to the opening of Nick Pope’s wonderful sculptures of the Apostles Speaking in Tongues Lit by Their Own Lamps in the Cathedral; a grouping of 33 terracotta figures, each one identified by his personal character and attributes. Exhibited some years ago at the Tate, they have “come home” in this new setting, and look as if they had been there from the beginning. Still, rather than talk about it, belatrova urges anyone to pay them a visit when they are in the area, and to be there when the lamps are lit.

magic carpet at the R.A.

Those of you who are interested can also drop into the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy to see “Flying Carpet“, painted by Peter and selected by the panel – there is also some engaging ceramic artwork to be seen.

Back at the workshop we had fun making a batch of birdbaths and a couple of new coffee tables to match the Valencia and Manhattan ranges. As a result, in-house spray varnishing is now being mastered and the protective gear and mask required induce a great deal of sweating and panting which can only be assuaged by a cold drink, usually water but often something a little more interesting if it is towards the end of the day. We have discovered a new Friday evening cocktail: the Negroni.

birdbath just made

manhattan table

Oh, and one of the junior belatrovas made a memorable cake for her father, using a belatrova platter to serve it in, of course.

Dad’s birthday cake

So much to do, so little time. Roll on July

Khaneh Takani – is it a compulsion or a tradition?

May 16th, 2014/0 Comments/in Blog /by Peter Arscott

clutter – but not belatrova’s

Spring cleaning: why do we do it? Iranians call it khaneh takani (“shaking the house”) – and it may be good for you, after all a cluttered space does not just look a mess, it may also affect your peace of mind. “Where’s the thingymebob I need for the whatsit, I could swear I left it on the table right here while I was molding the clay on the thingy. It should be next to the whoojemaflips…oh, they’re gone too.”

yes, a potter’s kidney.

Yes, clutter is the enemy of productivity, and, as you may have noticed, it also challenges one’s ability to master the terminology of the ceramicist’s workshop. Well, do you know what a kidney, a natch, a whirler, a slip trailer or a toggle is?

But those of us who are disorganised or untidy by nature need not worry. It only becomes a problem when the person is not just messy but impaired by the clutter, when significant portions of, say, a workshop cannot be used for the purpose intended or when you find yourself working cheek by jowl with a pug mill at your back, hemmed in by stacks of clay on one side and shelving on another.

We are not saying that belatrova ever allowed this to happen – it would be an exaggeration – but the time seemed right for a radical reorganisation of space.

River Cleggy in Wales

This compulsion came over us after coming back from the Welsh countryside where grandparental duties involving children and a horse had meant open air walks and an appreciation of the wide open landscape.

a complex personality

An irrelevant aside: Shetland ponies are strange little things – their whole posture speaks of world weariness and fatalism, but their actual characters can be quite complex; crafty, sensitive, single-minded and self-possessed are just some of the adjectives that come to mind. This one is called Tinkerbell, sometimes known as Stinkerbell.

Walking back into the workshop after the Welsh break led to a general rolling up of sleeves and shifting of shelves, racks and slab rollers to create more space for showing our wares as well as a more suitable area for belatrovian productivity.

the new showroom

Result: belatrova is even more of a beehive, with some new and interesting stuff coming out of the kilns, and not just in our four ranges. This long three-legged scooped bowl has something of the 1950s about it.

Do drop in and have a look at the rest – the showroom space we now have looks good, and we’ll offer you tea or coffee (remember that Dry Martinis are only on Friday afternoons). There is usually someone in all day but it is best to give us a call beforehand just in case we are out delivering or at a meeting.

a cavernous new space created

the showroom entrance

You were only waiting for this moment to arrive…

April 18th, 2014/0 Comments/in Blog /by Peter Arscott

image of blackbird perched on edge of ceramic birbath by belatrova

blackbird’s first bath

We told you in our last blog that we’d show you evidence of belatrova’s first birdbath being used, preferably by birds. So here it is: a local male blackbird is its first customer, having a break from pulling worms and pecking at insects and berries at the bottom of hedgerows. Apparently, they use vibration to attract worms to the surface. The males are all black and the females all brown except for the yellow-orange eye ring and beak.

Blackbirds are one of the commonest birds in Britain and there are thought to be over four million breeding pairs. It sings from a perch and its song is rich, varied and flute-like. Their calls are loud and varied. The warning call is given with flicking wings and tail and sounds a little like “chook”, and the alarm call is a loud rattle. Click this link and hear its song. Click this and you can hear “Blackbird“ sung by Paul McCartney.

During the winter, blackbirds can often be heard quietly “singing to themselves” within undergrowth, this is called sub-song. When the breeding season is over, the male blackbird will stop singing and will not be heard properly again until February. They are not the world’s greatest nest builders and their attempts often end in failure through inexperienced birds deserting the nest, cold weather and predation by cats, crows and birds of prey. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 9 out of 10 nesting attempts end in failure.

dead bird

So, enough ornithology from belatrova; after all, we are all about finely painted tables and beautiful ceramics. And ceramics can be used in so many ways, not only as bowls, dishes and birdbaths but also as commemorative objects … which brings us back to blackbirds.

Many years ago when Mr and Mrs belatrova were bringing up their own fledglings they were one day faced with a dilemma all parents have to deal with. Having rescued a young blackbird from the jaws of a cat, belatrova Jnr kept it overnight in a box with some water and worms she had dug up in the garden. When bleary-eyed Mr and Mrs b. awoke the next day they were confronted by their daughter who, perplexed, asked what it meant if a bird lay on its back with its legs in the air. And so Life and Death had to be explained. An important event worthy of commemoration – thus the ceramic plate.

image of ceramic platter with dead blackbird

explaining the big issue

belatrova, as ever in an expansive mood, and wanting to reward its sophisticated supporters, is giving you a taste of Summer, not by making a commemorative bowl but by inviting you to relax for eight minutes as you watch our video of bees working on a lavender bush. Watch each stalk sway as a bee lands on it, ease your mind into a restful trance and unclutter your head.

image od strawberries ina belatrova bowl with a glass of chilled Vermouth

strawberries and a cold glass of Vermouth

Then we suggest you buy some strawberries and pour yourself a glass of Dry Vermouth with ice and a slice of orange.

belatrova birdland

March 28th, 2014/0 Comments/in Blog /by Peter Arscott

With Spring approaching and the dawn chorus getting earlier and louder, belatrova, lying in bed and thinking belatrovian thoughts, has started to wonder about birds and what they get up to throughout the day. On the way down to the workshop along the disused railway line that is now a cycle path the birds one usually sees are blackbirds, dunnocks, robins and sparrows, as well as the rooks high above in their nests cawing and talking to each other.

rookery

If there is a puddle it will often have a bird splashing around in it. Why do they do that? Probably because it helps them to keep their feathers in good condition. After bathing some birds protect their feathers using special waterproof oil that comes out of a gland under their tail. And presumably, during the summer, bathing in water also helps the bird to keep cool. In dry area birds will bathe in sand in order to remove lice and other organisms that gather in their feathers. This also helps to remove old feathers so that new ones can grow.

However, belatrova suspects that they also simply enjoy it. With that in mind, we decided to make our first birdbath.

image of molded platter for birdbath about to be turned over

about to turn the clay over

We mixed porcelain with a little red iron oxide – Thelonius was not best pleased at this messing up of his internal workings – and molded and coiled it into a large platter over which we attached a shallower one, leaving a gap of about 1 1/2 inches between both surfaces and so ensuring an extra robustness for the outdoors. It took about a week to dry, after which we fired it very slowly to 1275 degrees in the kiln. It was a long firing and we were all a little apprehensive when the time came to open the kiln. Would it be cracked? Would it be in pieces? Will it be twisted out of shape? belatrova now understands why all potters are so calm and measured when so much of their work is in the lap of the gods.

We decided the base would be of oak. Oak wood is strong, hard and very resistant to moisture and the elements. Builders and carpenters prefer it for building support beams and foundations of buildings because of its durability. The assortment and complexity of patterns on the wood give it an appearance other hardwoods can’t match, displaying prominent rings, vertical stripes, wavy figures, intermittent flecks, ray-like projections or any combination of these patterns. It is also resistant to fungal and insect attack.

Whitney sawmills

Where to get the finest piece of cut oak? An hour’s drive from belatrova, in the English/Welsh border country near Hay-on-Wye, are the Whitney Sawmills – founded by Will Bullough thirty years ago. It is committed to replanting trees as they are felled. In addition, Will himself has planted a sixty-acre wood of mixed native hardwood at the site. But the main point is that one gets a quality product and a personal approach that is professional and caring; there is very little that Will does not know about wood.

two blocks of oak tio be used as bases for birdbath

two oak blocks await inspection

We drove to collect our oak, two pieces had been cut for us, and started sanding them as soon as we arrived back at the workshop.

sanding the oak

After the lengthy firing we allowed the birdbath to cool down and took it to the garden where we attached it securely to its base after we had placed the oak on a concrete foundation as a safety measure. A beautiful sixtieth birthday present surprise for a certain person, though, so far, reports state that the birds are eyeing it with suspicion. They’ll get the idea, and as evidence we’ll post a photo of a bird splashing around in it in the next blog.

the birdbath