Oxford Clay

Katherine Tomlinson

Chats about pottery with an environmental focus. Tune in for pottery tips and a discussion of issues in the handmade pottery industry today. Oxford Clay creates resources for Potters seeking a more environmentally friendly pottery practice.

Oxford Clay website: www.oxfordclay.co.uk

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125 episodes
Updated July 26

Episodes125

Newest first

Mar 30, 2025 · 19 min
85: How Potters Can Use the Circular Economy
For the last 200 years, industrial society has used a linear economic model that takes raw materials, makes them into products, sells them to consumers who then eventually throw them away. Natural resources are ‘lost’ in this process and this model is widely regarded as unsustainable. Contrastingly in the circular economic model, resources are continuously reused, recycled and retained in the supply chain. In this episode, I talk about some opportunities for Potters to use the circular economy model and reuse materials in their work, such as; ♻️ - Copper from electrical waste ♻️ - Rusting iron ♻️ - Post-consumer glass (you could also use sea glass found on the beach!) ♻️ - Ash from wood-burning stoves and heaters ♻️ - Leaves naturally fallen from trees and shrubs The book that inspired this episode is called ‘Doughnut Economics: Seven ways to think like a 21st-century Economist. By Kate Raworth published in 2017 by Random House. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/support ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Mar 23, 2025 · 15 min
84. Is This The Most Useful Pottery Tool Ever?!
In this episode, I talk to you about the 6 different ways in which I use my favourite pottery tool - a cotton tea towel! 💡 - To reclaim wet clay on. 💡 - To wedge (or knead) clay on to remove excess water from clay thats a little bit too wet. 💡 - As a rolling cloth when rolling out clay. 💡 - Between pieces of wet flat clay as it’s drying. 💡 - In a technique to make a perfectly flat rim or base of a pot. 💡 - To remove condensation in a damp box when drying clay slowly and evenly. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/support ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Mar 16, 2025 · 18 min
83. Choosing Your Thoughts To Best Support Your Pottery Making
Some thoughts created by our brains, support us when making pottery, and some definitely less so! Join me for this episode where I talk about some thoughts I've had in pottery that haven’t supported my pottery such as ‘I’ll never be good at pottery’, ‘I’ll never be as good as them’ (in an evening class setting) and ‘I don't like my finished pot’! I talk about some alternative thoughts you can replace these with to truly support yourself in your pottery-making and make your mind a safer and kinder space to learn. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/support ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Mar 9, 2025 · 17 min
82. How To Write a Pottery Book (Or Any Book!)
I created this episode for anyone who thinks they might like to write a book but hasn't yet - you can do it! The world needs to hear your ideas and unique voice! In this episode, I talk about how I follow my curiosity to write books on pottery. I speak about how my ideas form, and how I experiment, research, write and format my books before publishing. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/support ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Mar 2, 2025 · 23 min
81. How to Design Pottery For The Environment
Designing for the environment is a way of creating products where the minimum possible negative environmental impact on the environment is intrinsic to their design. In design for the environment, a product is thought of holistically, from the raw materials used to make it to its manufacturing process. Potters have a huge opportunity to design for the environment because we have direct control over how our pottery is made and the ingredients we make it with. In this episode, I explain the three different aspects I used to create a design for the environment framework at Oxford Clay in which to make my pottery. The three aspects of designing for the environment framework in pottery are: ⭐ Raw materials ⭐ Pot design ⭐ Pottery-making processes The books mentioned in this episode are: Eco-conscious Pottery Glazing: Make your own pottery glazes with minimal harm to humans, animals and the environment. Eco-Friendly Pottery: 30 Simple Ways: to make your pottery practice more ethical and sustainable. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/support ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Jan 26, 2025 · 17 min
80. How to Reclaim Clay in Pottery
Clay can be infinitely recycled before it’s fired! This process is called ‘reclaiming’ and it involves turning clay that is either too dry or too wet, back into a usable state. In this episode, we talk about how to reclaim your own clay without any specialist equipment, in four very simple steps. *Scooping sloppy wet clay out of the reclaiming bucket onto a tea towel, inside away from wind and sun. *Waiting a few days for the clay to dry out. * Wedging the clay on another tea towel or cotton cloth to keep the wedging / kneading area free of clay. *Storing the clay in an airtight container. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast: https://www.oxfordclay.co.uk/support ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Jan 12, 2025 · 24 sec
79. Regenerative Fashion’s Lessons For Pottery
I read a really interesting book recently on regenerative fashion and it really got me thinking about whether any of the concepts could be applied to the handmade pottery industry. In this episode, I explore author Safia Minney’s ideas in the book Regenerative Fashion: A Nature-based Approach to Fibres, Livelihoods and Leadership and think about ways we could use them as Potters. The ideas from Regenerative Fashion I think about are; *Thinking about pottery holistically, from where the materials have come from, who has mined them and where, how they have been processed and transported. *Whether we can use renewable materials in pottery *Eliminating fossil fuels in pottery *Using local materials to reduce global transportation. *Sustainable design in pottery - designing for the environment rather than for purely aesthetics If you would like more information on pottery materials, knowing where they come from and their environmental impact, these books from Oxford Clay are particularly focused on this issue: Eco-Friendly Pottery: 30 Simple Ways: to make your pottery practice more ethical and sustainable Eco-conscious Pottery Glazing: Make your own pottery glazes with minimal harm to humans, animals and the environment The blog post on Designing Pottery for the Environment mentioned in this episode can be found here. The book featured in this episode is Regenerative Fashion: A Nature-based Approach to Fibres, Livelihoods and Leadership Paperback – 28 Nov. 2022 by Safia Minney (Author). You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Jan 1, 2025 · 17 sec
78. Four New Years Resolutions in Pottery⭐
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! ⭐In this episode, I tell you about my four New Year’s resolutions in pottery. *Talking to myself kindly about my pottery, especially when things go wrong - an inevitable part of the pottery-making process! Creating a kind, safe space in my own thoughts to make mistakes. *Prioritise experimentation and playing in pottery. *Creating a joy list of things I really enjoy doing in pottery (one of them is this podcast!) and only doing those things. *To stop rushing through making pottery and instead savour the process of creation. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Dec 15, 2024 · 17 sec
77. How to Find Your Own Unique Creative Style in Pottery
Every person creating in clay is totally unique and therefore has a totally unique creative style in pottery! In this episode, I talk about the ways you can cultivate your own unique creative style in pottery, such as; *The importance of following your curiosity and joy in pottery. *How practising pottery techniques reduces the gap between what you want to make and what you can actually make, opening up new creative possibilities. *The importance of making ‘mistakes’ and things going ‘wrong’ in pottery for growing your skills. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Dec 8, 2024 · 12 min
76. What is refiring and why would a Potter refire a pot?
Refiring is firing pottery again after it has already been glaze-fired once. But why on earth would a Potter want to do that?! In this episode we discuss what refiring is, and some reasons why a Potter may want to fire their work again. Potters may re-fire their work for example if their pot has been underfired in the first firing, which can sometimes happen if the kiln switches off accidentally during the firing cycle or if the kiln hasn’t reached a hot enough temperature. Another reason to refire pottery is if you don’t like how the glaze looks after the first glaze firing. In this episode, I tell you about two top tips for re-firing pottery from a potters book by Bernard Leach as well as my two failed attempts at refiring pottery! The book featured in this episode is A Potters Book by Bernard Leach the 1976 edition published by Faber and Faber. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Dec 1, 2024 · 19 min
75. Building a Second Brain in Pottery
I learned the concept of a ‘Second Brain’ from the book: ‘Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organise Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential’ by Tiago Forte. In this episode, I talk about what a second brain is, and why it’s so amazing for anyone with creative ideas (ie everyone!). I explain four reasons why having a second brain is particularly useful for Pottery makers. As well as what my own second brain looks like at Oxford Clay. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Nov 24, 2024 · 33 min
74. 13 Best Tips for Making Casting Slip in Pottery
Making your own casting slip can save money and be more environmentally friendly. CO2 is saved from transporting powdered ingredients rather than the water present in ready-made casting slips. In addition, Potters can control exactly what ingredients they are using, sourcing ones mined in areas of high regulation. Making casting slip is also really fun, especially when you see the magic of how a deflocculant works to make the clay runny! You can find an eco-conscious casting slip recipe in the book: Eco-Friendly Pottery I learned to make my own casting slip from books, YouTube videos and a lot of trial and error! In this episode, I tell you about the 13 top tips I've learned over this time: *Wear an FFP3 Facemask when working with powders *Use a plastic gardening scoop to measure out powders *Keep powders in a metal bin with a lid, on a wheeled platform for manoeuvrability *Use rainwater *Use paper in slip to add strength to your work *Use a recipe with ball clay to add strength to your work *Weigh out the deflocculant onto the paper you’re adding to your slip (no washing up spoons!) *Use a hand stick blender to blend the water, paper and deflocculant first, before adding to the dry ingredients *Make up small amounts of slip each time (5ltrs) to minimise the risk of over-deflocculation *Use a paddle mixer to mix slip *Use a silicone spatula *Always sieve slip before use (even if washing the sieve afterwards is annoying!) *To make the slip more runny, try adding water first, before adding any more deflocculant! You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Nov 17, 2024
73. How to create a perfectly flat base or rim on handmade pottery
Having a perfectly flat base or rim on a pot adds a professional feel to handmade pottery. In this episode, I tell you about an amazingly simple and easy technique to create perfectly flat bases or rims on your pottery. After having read about this pottery technique in a book, it is now something I use on every one of my pots! Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Nov 10, 2024
72. Dealing with disappointment in pottery: 3 new ways of thinking to support you and your pottery-making
Disappointment in pottery can happen when the pot in your mind's eye isn’t the same as the one that comes out of the kiln! That sinking feeling of disappointment can really hold us back as potters and can affect even the most experienced of Potters. In this episode, I talk about three mindset shifts that I use to deal with my own feelings of disappointment in pottery; 1. That disappointment is a natural part of the creative process. 2. That disappointment is a natural part of pottery-making so much out of our control as potters (especially what happens inside a kiln firing!). 3. That experiencing failure and disappointment in pottery means that you are at the growth edge of your skills and experience. I hope this episode inspires you not to be discouraged if feelings of disappointment ever come up in your pottery-making. The book featured in this episode is ‘A Potters Book’ by Bernard Leach, 1976 edition published by Faber and Faber. Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube -✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Nov 3, 2024
71. How to Make a Pottery Glaze from Fallen Leaves - Making the Glaze
It's Autumn here in the UK and the leaves on the trees are starting to fall! But did you know that you can actually make a pottery glaze from fallen leaves?! Whilst wood ash is often quoted in glaze recipes, leaf ash can actually be used instead. In fact it is often the leaves of plants which have fallen naturally at the end of their growing cycle which create the most beautiful pottery glazes! In part two of this two-part episode series on making pottery glazes with fallen leaf ash we discuss: *How to make a stoneware glaze using quartz, cornish stone, leaf ash and water. *How to weigh out glaze-making ingredients. *How to mix a glaze and sieve it. The ash glazing recipe in this episode and also used in the book Leaf Ash Glazing: A guide to sustainable pottery glazing with fallen leaves is: *Quartz - 20 Parts *Cornish Stone - 40 Parts *Leaf Ash - 40 Parts *Water - to make up to the consistency of single cream. Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Oct 27, 2024
70. How to Make a Pottery Glaze with Fallen Leaf Ash - Creating the Leaf Ash
It's Autumn here in the UK and the leaves on the trees are starting to fall! But did you know that you can actually make a pottery glaze from fallen leaves?! Whilst wood ash is often quoted in glaze recipes, leaf ash can actually be used instead. In fact it is often the leaves of plants which have fallen naturally at the end of their growing cycle which create the most beautiful pottery glazes! In part one of this two-part episode series on making pottery glazes with fallen leaf ash we discuss: *How to identify plants so that leaves can be safely collected from non-toxic plants. *How to collect leaves without accidentally collecting insects and other invertebrates. *How to sort and dry leaves ready for burning. *How to burn leaves into an ash that can be used as an ingredient in pottery glazing. Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Oct 20, 2024
69. How Much Does Clay Shrink By in Pottery?
Clay shrinks at every stage of the pottery-making process. This can make creating the right size of pot quite tricky! Another confusing thing is that different clays shrink by differing amounts up to around 25 per cent, from wet clay to finished pot. Join me for this episode, where I talk about a simple way to find out how much your specific type of clay will shrink by. I talk you through how I discovered that my clay at Oxford Clay shrinks by 15 per cent from leather-hard clay to final glaze-fired pottery. Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Oct 13, 2024
68. Give Yourself Permission to Grow in Pottery - You’re Doing it Right!
Because the process of making pottery is so prone to technical ‘failures’ it can often feel like you're constantly doing pottery ‘wrong’! In this episode, we explore how giving yourself permission to get things ‘wrong’ in pottery as you learn and grow in your pottery-making skills and experience, opens up infinite creative opportunities for your work. I share some things I’ve changed in my own pottery recently and some tips for how to give yourself permission to grow in your pottery-making. Knowing that pottery isn't meant to be ‘perfect’ and choosing thoughts such as ‘I'm doing it right’ (even though it often doesn't feel that way!), really supports our pottery-making learning journey. Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Oct 6, 2024
67. Failed Colour Creation Experiments! Some things I thought would create eco-conscious pottery colour that didn’t work - Eco-conscious Pottery Colour Series: Bonus Episode
Colour in pottery is usually created with commercial metal oxides available as a raw material or as an ingredient in stains. In a special bonus episode of this podcast series to celebrate the release of the book ‘Eco-conscious Pottery Colour: A guide to colouring ceramics with scrap metals, glass, plant ash and clay’, we explore some things I've used in pottery to try to create colour that haven’t worked, including sugar molasses, kale stems, Chia seeds and fermented seaweed fertiliser! *A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here. Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------
Sep 29, 2024
66. Creating Eco-conscious Pottery Colour with Metal-Rich Clays - Eco-conscious Pottery Colour Series: Part 5
Colour in pottery is usually created with commercial metal oxides available as a raw material or as an ingredient in stains. In the fifth of this special five-part podcast series to celebrate the release of the book ‘Eco-conscious Pottery Colour: A guide to colouring ceramics with scrap metals, glass, plant ash and clay’, we explore how to create beautiful colours in pottery, using metal-rich clays. *A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here. Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube ✨Support the Podcast ------------------------------- Resources for Potters: ⭐ Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon Free Pottery Guides: 🆓 Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners): 🆓 Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule) ------------------------------------