Mike Palmer

Swift Cottage, 37A Oxford Hill, Witney,
Oxfordshire OX28 3JU

tel: 01993 708789
michaelpalmer@tiscali.co.uk

Although I have collected pots over the years, it was not till the year 2000 that I first handled wet clay, at evening classes. We were shown how to make a coil made bowl, but when I picked up that green glazed bowl, I knew immediately I must pursue this craft. After two further seasons of evening classes, I realised their limitations. Encouraged by my class tutor, I bought a wheel and started
to work at home. My tutor kindly offered to include some of my work in her old gas fired kiln. Then the question of glazes came up? I started to read every book on pottery I could get my hands on, little of it made any sense.

Late in 2001 I bought a Lazer gas kiln, and started to make my own glazes. Discovering Phil Rodgers book on ash glazes, again I knew this was the path to follow. Going to pottery fairs, talking to fellow potters was helpful, but most of the work ended up in the bin. Discussing my dilemmas with Sally my ex class tutor, she suggested I do one of David & Margaret Frith’s courses. Meanwhile after going to my local pot fair in Oxford at the end of 2002, ever optimistic, I decided to apply to do the following year’s fair.

Spring of 2003 was momentous, I had booked a place on the Frith course, and my application for Oxford had been accepted, my feet did no touch the ground for a week.

The course with David Frith in North Wales was fundamental, my first experience of a professional potters workshop, taught me a great deal. My work took a leap forward, meet other potters who were also struggling with their work, and had a lot of fun. But most of all spent two weeks with the hardest working, knowledgeable, skilled, and patient man I have ever meet.

October, and my first show, on the way to the venue I thought to myself if I sell one pot, I’ll be happy. By 10.30 I had sold my first pot and twelve more followed, deep joy.

On return from Wales I decided to take up pottery as a career, set to, built a workshop, and by 2004 I was making full time. I applied to take part in many pot fairs that year, but with no success.  The work started to get bigger, and my 8cu ft kiln was just too small. Optimism took charge again, and decided to build a kiln from scratch. Which also means another shed to house the beast.

2005 has proved to be a more positive year, managed to tame the new kiln, accepted into four fairs, and selling pots to appreciative people, makes it all worth while, but there is a very long way to go yet. After the euphoria of producing reasonably competent pots one realises making is only one half of being a potter, selling and marketing ones work takes as much time as making. With that in mind I decided to build a gallery by chopping the garage/ workshop in half, and making a shop front, so when you open the garage doors you have a gallery. The grand opening was late May and part of Oxford Artweeks. The first weekend we had twenty-seven visitors with most people buying pots, again deep joy.

I have admired salt and soda glazed work for some time, so decided to explore another avenue of the pottery world. July was kiln building time again, as the 2004 kiln worked well and studying other kiln designs I built a salt/soda version of the first kiln, just with more ports for introducing the salt. Having no knowledge of salt glazing I did a week course with Jeremy Steward at Wobage Farm Pottery in August, and learnt a great deal form very generous people. November, the first firing of new kiln, after a difficult day of getting the soda into the kiln and not reaching high enough temperature I was not happy, but on opening the kiln the following day, the most  wonderful orange blushing on pots, another milestone.