Redbubble
have now introduced cases for the iPhone4 & 4S, iPhone3GS,
and iPod Touch 4G to their range. You can now buy them with
my Happy Hippos design .
I bought myself one and am very pleased with both the look
and the quality.
The ideal accessory for any hippo collector with an iPhone.
Not got one? Maybe Redbubble will soon bring out cases for
the Blackberry and other phones. Click
here to go to their page on Redbubble
I'm using
the same design as wallpaper on my phone.
October
2011
I'm back
from the 6th Contemporary Ceramics exhibition at pont de l'Arche
near Rouen, which was a success. 11 ceramic artists, each with
their own style. There were sculptures both complex and pure lined,
and magnificent thrown pots. The visitors were numerous and admired
it all, sometimes staying a long time. They asked questions about
the clay, the firings, or our sources of inspiration. Some of
them went home with an addition to their collection, or simply
something they fell in love with.
Amongst
other things I made some new frogs.
I was pleased with how my combinations of slip clay and glazes turned
out.
Gossiping frogs
Xavier the big
frog
Circus frogs
September
2011
New event
for the run up to Christmas - I will be participating in the exhibition
"ROC'H AN ART GOAT" in Rochefort en Terre, organised
by the association
"Les Souris Troglodytes" from 25th November to 23rd
December.
The opening of the exhibition coincides with the inauguration
of the "Festival of Light"
in Rochefort.
I have just
received the poster for the 6th contemporary ceramics salon at
Pont de l'Arche
in October.
Juin 2011
Yesterday
I did a frog-modelling demonstration. This is part of it.
There were frequent heavy showers and my dog Paddy had the
best spot for keeping warm and dry. In between the showers
the clay managed to dry enough for me to bring my frogs home
at the end of the day.
I have been
invited to participate in the 6th contemporary ceramics
salon in Pont de l'Arche, near Rouen, from the 13th to
the 16th October.
I'm back from
the ceramics salon at Avon, near Fontainebleau, where
I won the public's vote for the best stall. Thank you
to everyone who voted for me and to the organisers for
their wam welcome. I think my clay hippo modelling demonstration
won me more than a few votes! For a change my ceramic
hippos weren't the only ones, there were hippos on three
other stalls too.
The
potters market at Village Mouffetard in
Paris was a succes again this year. It was
my second time there and the public was
pleased to see me back again, especially
the hippo collectors who bought almost all
of my hippos.
The weather
was hot and dry and the
Sunday was Mothers' Day in France, a
favourable combination.
Because of
the weather and the very fast
drying conditions I chose seals for my
modelling demonstration. When the clay dries very fast
I have to make something that doesn't have too many parts
sticking out, especially long legs and arms.
I was happy to
see my friend David with his
yellow hippo Tasha, and Tubby, the hippo of a
mutual friend from the USA, who is visiting
David and Tasha for a summer of travelling.
Tubby's "mom" Diane made my
Hippopottermiss apron as a gift when I did a
hippo modelling demonstration at the annual
reunion of the international hippo collectors
club in Chicago a few years ago.
April 2011
The
three small sculptures, centred on small fish tins that
I made for the exhibition
"Mise en Boite Ex-Voto"
which is being held at the gallery L'Artmateur in Plouër
sur Rance until the 25th April. infos
The titles are all word-play which doesn't translate - sorry!
My
"Happy Hippos" fabric isnow available on Spoonflower.
December
2010
I've
designed a multicoloured repeating hippo square that is
destined for several products to buy online.
I have
just made it available in four different colourways and
on four different products on Zazzle. My
Zazzle Store
It will
soon be available on Spoonflower the fabric printing site.
I've uploaded the files and am waiting for my test swatches
to arrive so that I know it prints correctly. Choose your
colours and get creative!
November
2010
My
first hippo necklaces are on sale.
There are five of them, each one different.
The hippos are hand modelled in white earthenware clay and
the rest is assembled according to my inspiration, using
wooden, glass and metal beads and natural stones.
You can find
them here:
At
the moment I'm making new hippos.
The
latest ones are fairy hippos, or "fairy'pos".
The idea of making hippos fly as though they are weightless
amuses me. Some of them will hang (fly) on a nylon thread.
Here they are drying so I haven't fired them yet.
There
will also be:
"cupcake'pos"
which are small ceramic cupcake shaped boxes, with a hippo
on top instead of a cherry.
"hippo
pods".A family of hippos can either be called a bloat
or a pod, so here is my personal interpretation of a hippo
pod.
My first
cupcake box.
Hippo pod
August
2010
After
the success of my "Focus" exhibition at the Artisans
Créateurs shop in Dinan I have been invited to join
the association as a regular contributor. I will be selling
a selection of my work there on a permanent basis. My ceramic
sculptures seem to fit in well with the varied styles of
the other artists, whose work I mostly like. They are nice
people too.
I
have a new cat design that is going down well:
Recently
I tried out swinging hippos - I took three to a potters fair,
sold two of them and have one ordered, so I need to make some
more for The Versailles potters fair in September. I haven't got a good photo
yet but will take some when I've made some more.
Here
are a few other new hippos I've made recently:
and
a few frogs:
March 2010
The winter
months are the time to do lots of things that I can't do
at other times of year when I'm busy working for potters
fairs and exhibitions. That may be working on new ideas,
classifying the photos on my computer, making new tools,
or as happened recently having trainees in my workshop.
I started with
Rowan and Nadja, two fifteen year old girls, who came on
a work placement scheme for a few days. They will be going
up to lycée next year and both want to go to the same lycée
that specialises in art subjects. I had them making sheep
and cats. Rowan had already done a small amount of modelling
but Nadja had never made a clay animal before. They did
quite well really.
Shortly afterwards
Florence came for two weeks. She is doing a professional pottery
qualification and wanted to learn some sculpting techniques.
Florence said she'd like to learn to make cats too. I think
she was surprised to find they aren't as easy as she thought.
Like with a lot of skilled craftsmen, people watch me modelling
something and it can look easy - until they try! Anyway, Florence
made a lot of progress and learnt a lot about technique and
observation along the way. By the time she left she'd come
up with a cat that she likes and that's really cute. The theory
is that she's going to practice meantime and show me the results
at my next potters fair in Honfleur at Easter.
August
2009
Chicken
order finished and delivered on time:
W.I.P.
More hippos:
June 2009
I have just
got back from a ceramics festival in Village Mouffetard
in Paris. I worked hard to get a batch of hippos finished
to take with me and it was worth it as I sold a lot of them.
I had two hippos ordered and one very nice one that sold
to one of my regular hippo collectors before I even reached
Paris.
He collected it on Saturday from my stall. It is called
"The Hug"
Dr
Richard Leaky and National Geographic's appeal for support for Wildlife
Direct.
Hippo pod
