Current Work

Salt-glazed reduced stoneware, thrown and often altered. Favourite shapes - Jugs with extravagant handles and Bowls.

Work generally available from:
Burton Art Gallery, Bideford, Devon
Appledore Gallery, Appledore, Devon
Peter Pears Gallery, Aldeburgh, Suffolk (July)
Taplin Gallery, Woodbridge, Suffolk
Work is also available from my own studio.

History

Deborah has been very much part of the contemporary pottery education and selling scene from the 1960's. Her start as an assistant in the first CPA Shop gave a good springboard for establishing her own residential courses as well as producing production pottery. These courses are still very important to her even though her skills in salt glazing have led to a more individual approach to her own work.

She originally established her pottery in 1971 at White Roding in Essex. Over the years she has become well known for producing hand thrown domestic ware, both in earthenware and stoneware, and also for her practical pottery courses held each summer. Since 1986 she has made individual salt glazed stoneware and the occasional raku pot for fun.

A founder member of the East Anglian Potters Association, in 1989 she was elected as their Chairperson. She is a professional Member of the Craft Potters Association.

In 1993 she fulfilled a long planned move to Suffolk and now lives and runs her Pottery and Summer Workshops from the very beautiful setting of Nether Hall on the Shotley peninsula.

Technical Information

Oil-fired downdraught kiln, 27cu. ft. packing area. Pots coated with coloured slips, based on ball clays and oxides.

Pottery Courses

Each Course begins informally with dinner. With everyone gathered around the dining table. the combination of good food and wine soon creates a relaxed atmosphere and an easy opportunity to get to know your fellow potters. The format of the courses has evolved over the years (and continues to improve) so that the student can progress at his or her own pace but still be part of a group.

Each course consists of around 6-8 students, some total beginners some experienced potters. A combination of frequent demonstrations. practical tips and personal tuition means that even those who have never touched clay before are soon making surprisingly successful pots.

Breakfast is served each day about 9.OOam. We offer a full English breakfast with cereals, eggs (free range from our own hens) bacon, toast and home made jams and marmalade. However should you not be able to face all this first thing in the morning, we will just hand you a cup of tea or black coffee! Pottery tuition starts after breakfast around 10.00am.

FULL WEEK COURSE - The first days' activities focus on hand building and exploring different methods of making that are used in primitive cultures. These pots will be quickly dried in readiness for the firing later in the week in the sawdust kiln and in the wood fired raku kiln. On the second day we will start work on the potters wheel. Those who wish to continue hand building, of course, are free to do so.
Deborah's main interest and enthusiasm is in wheel made forms and the sheer enjoyment of throwing and manipulating the clay on the potters wheel. Her method of teaching and passing on her experience gained over the making of thousands of pots means that her students are soon making mugs, jugs, jars and casseroles and even teapots and finding it all tremendously satisfying. Tuition and demonstrations resume after lunch. Formal teaching finishes officially around 4.OOpm (usually much later) but students are free to carry on working as long as they like.
Raku firing is the high spot of the week and exciting even for those familiar with pottery. During the week you will also fire your pots in a sawdust kiln; a primitive technique giving warm and subtle ­finishes. You will also explore various methods of surface decoration.

WEEKEND/LONG WEEKEND COURSES - Over selected weekends. Easter and Bank Holiday weekends we run short courses. These normally concentrate on working on the wheel and related techniques. The accommodation, food and company are as good as the full weeks. These courses finish late on the afternoon of the final day.

SALT-GLAZED COURSE - This specialist two week course is aimed at students with some previous experience. As with all Deborah Baynes courses only a small number of places are available. This ensures that each student has plenty of individual attention.
Pot making will start from day one: either by handbuilding or on the wheel, whichever you prefer. We will then progress to decorating your ­work using a wide variety of methods. Coloured slips are particularly effective with salt-­glaze. Another decorating technique traditionally used is sprigging (applied relief decoration). We will be using this as well as impressed designs and scraffito.

INFORMATION - Weekly courses are usually available during July, August and October, Long Weekend courses during Easter, May and Spring UK Bank-holidays, a Week-end course in September and a two week Salt-glaze course in June. Early booking is necessary to avoid disappointment.

For booking information, availability, costs and conditions please contact Deborah Baynes as indicated above.

Other Information

When I am not teaching Summer schools and short courses from my studio, I give throwing based demonstrations which also include different techniques of decoration including coloured slips and incising and impressing sprigs, etc.

Video - Deborah Baynes Pottery Course

(A review by Jonathan Sidney from Ceramic Review, no.172)

Watching potters at work, however familiar the process, is always fascinating, and in this video of Deborah Baynes working on the wheel, the beginner is taken through the basic process from kneading and centring to making and assembling a teapot.
Deborah Baynes is an experienced potter and teacher, straightforward in her approach, with no purist fads other than to find the simplist methods and processes to encourage rather than daunt, even, as she puts it, to cheat.
She gives clear descriptions of what she is doing, going over points to illustrate their relevance - such as testing the thickness of bases or using the appropriate tool. She illustrates various sorts of handles - includ­ing pulled and stroked, and wire-cut and twisted to form intriguing surfaces.

Four hours of useful instructions, straight-for­wardly told.

Copies can be obtained by contacting Deborah Baynes (see above)

Price (including postage) £26.50 (UK), £28.50 (Overseas)