Prize Draw for the Digital Craft Festival

by Sarah Monk | Mar 18, 2021 | News

I’m doing a prize draw!

All purchases made in my shop over the weekend of the Digital Craft Festival will automatically be entered into my prize draw. The prize…. this unique commemorative jug made especially for the event! (UK p&p included)

Each item purchased is a seperate entry e.g. 2 cups means two entries!

Please take a look at my shop here!

The Digital Craft Festival taking place from the 26th – 28th March 2021.

Good luck!

Sarah x

close up of flowers from my mum's garden in a sarah monk ceramics jug

zoom layout with digital craft festival and sarah monk ceramics

commemorative slipware jug made by sarah monk ceramics with fresh spring flowers

I’m also launching lots of new designs in my shop especially for the event!

I will be posting on my Instagram over the weekend too @sarahmonkceramics

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Sarah x

Clay Packages for Zoom!

by Sarah Monk | Mar 18, 2021 | News

The Digital Craft Festival taking place from the 26th – 28th March 2021. It’s a wonderful & fun filled weekend of craft demonstrations, interviews and workshops and I’m doing a ‘ make along’ pottery class on zoom. I’ve just sent the first batch of clay and materials to participants… hurrah! The package includes terracotta clay, a pot of slip. some card templates and a hand made clay stamp.

Please note the deadline for purchasing tickets is Monday 22nd March, this will allow plenty of time for your clay pack to be arrive in the post.

pottery materials for the digital craft festival in packaging box

virtual workshop advert for digital craft festival

I will show you step by step how to make your own clay bug house and you can make along with me! No previous pottery experience is required, the session will be light and lots of fun!.

You can purchase tickets for my virtual craft workshop here!

I’m also launching lots of new designs in my shop especially for the event!

I will be posting on my Instagram over the weekend too @sarahmonkceramics

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Sarah x

Fresh Designs for Spring Flowers

by Sarah Monk | Mar 12, 2021 | Exhibitions, News, Outside

Spring is emerging here in Herefordshire. The primroses and daffodils are starting to come out in the Pottery garden, hurrah! So….. I have been inspired to make a collection of mini planters and flower bricks. These have been created especially for the Digital Craft Festival which will be held online on the 26th – 28th March.

These pieces are created by assembling soft slabs of terracotta clay. I gently crimp the edges together with my fingers and then decorate them with painted slips and sgraffito. They’re all unique, no two are the same!

brown planter and tray with sgraffito daisies made by sarah monk ceramics, corner view

cream slipware plant pot and tray with splatters and daisies by Sarah Monk Ceramics

I’m super thrilled to be taking part in the Digital Craft Festival ! It promises to be a funfilled weekend of craft demonstrations, interviews and workshops on Instagram, Facebook and zoom. In fact, I’m taking my very own zoom class here in my studio. My virtual craft workshop takes place on Saturday 27th March at 2pm. I will show you step by step my slab making process and you can make along with me! I can post clay if you book by the 22nd March. It will be relaxed with a strong emphasis on fun! No previous pottery experience is required.

PLUS the weekend provides an opportunity to buy direct from the 150 selected designer makers websites, across all craft disciplines, from all over the world! I’m launching lots of new designs in my shop including my spring flower planters and flower bricks especially for the event!

sea green slipware flowerbrick with x3 sgraffito daisies by sarah monk ceramics, side view

brushed dark green slipware flower brick slab built by Sarah Monk Ceramics with poppy seed head bouquet

I can’t wait to take part in the Digital Craft festival and I hope you can join me!

I will be posting on my Instagram over the weekend too @sarahmonkceramics

#digitalcraftfestival

Sarah x

New Designs for Digital Craft Festival

by Sarah Monk | Mar 9, 2021 | Exhibitions, News

Here’s some of my most recent pieces for the Digital Craft Festival. Fresh out of the kiln this week are espresso cups, plates butter dishes, lemon squeezers and egg cups. I’m very pleased with the results!

brown dotty butterdish with green polka dot handleby sarah monk ceramics

lemon squeezer with brown dots by sarah monk ceramics

The Digital craft festival is an online event showcasing 150 international makers. This will include talks, demos and films. It takes place from the 26th – 28th March 2021.

shelfie of slab plant pot by sarah monk ceramics

blue and white dresser with new collection of colourful ceramics by sarah monk

teal flower brick with fresh flowers by sarah monk ceramics

As part of this event I will be running a virtual craft workshop on Saturday 27th March at 2pm. I will show you step by step how to make your own clay bug house and you can make along with me! No previous pottery experience is required.

The Digital Craft festival is going to be lots of fun and I hope you can join me!

I will be posting on my Instagram over the weekend too @sarahmonkceramics

#digitalcraftfestival

Sarah x

Article in Clay Craft Magazine Issue 40

by Sarah Monk | Sep 30, 2020 | inspiration, News, Pottery Studio Life

Lovely article in Clay Craft Magazine!

Ceramic journalist Paul Bailey writes about how I got into ceramics and the current everyday running of my Herefordshire studio. Paul delves into the courses and workshops and the inspiration behind my most recent designs.

Clay Craft Magazine is jam packed full of inspiration for potters as well as providing simple projects for all abilities. Such a lovely vibrant magazine!

Thank you Clay Craft and a big thank you to Paul for writing it!

You can find my proflie article in Issue 40 and it’s titled ‘Surrounded By Ceramics’.

slipware cup handmade spoon and biscuit plate by sarah monk ceramics plus clay craft magazine font cover

holding a slipware cup with tea inside and holding magazine article

scribble hand thrown teapot by sarah monk ceramic

When I recieved my copy, I settled down in the corner of my studio with a nice cup of tea, a few biscuits and had a good read!

I have now ordered a subsription and look forward to receiving it regularly!

Bug Houses at Hellens Garden Festival 2020

by Sarah Monk | Jun 23, 2020 | inspiration, News, Outside

How could I resist?

When Hellens Manor invited me to provide a piece for their sculpture trail I just had to say ‘Yes!’ The Manor has been described by Country Homes Magazine as ” The jewel in the crown of Herefordshire homes”. It’s a privately owned Tudor house set in atmospheric grounds and I have enjoyed many happy visits there.

About Hellens

Hellens Garden Festival hosts an annual fund raiser for two charities: St Michaels Hospice and Back to the Wild. It takes place over a weekend and showcases the best of local growers, producers, makers and foodies. Speakers, interactive demonstrations and music make for a very engaging event. Very well supported locally, the event has an enjoyable and celebratory atmosphere. I’ve had loads of fun running free pottery workshops under the guise of Eastnor Pottery for years!

The Festival aims to celebrate the natural world and has an educational approach to local and global issues. The inspiring title forthis year’s event is ‘Together We are the Seeds of Change’.

slipware ceramic bug house by sarah monk ceramics in white with cobalt blue dots on a shelf in front of a green plate

holding a wet clay slipware bug house in the studio of sarah monk ceramics

eastnor pottery studio shelves with slipware bug houses by sarah monk ceramics

Inspiration

To begin my designing, I looked at the gardens: the ancient orchards, woodland trees. Hellens Manor has a team of dedicated gardeners concerned with conservation. I felt strongly whatever I was going to create needed to be functional in some way…. it needed to be caring! Clay is the perfect material for this project, it’s abundant and it comes straight from the earth.

My initial thought was to make a bird house, so I set about making a clay maquette (a small scale prototype). I discovered the small scale had a charm and an intimacy all of it’s own. My thoughts turned to the smaller creatures of the forest….. creepy crawlies!

The results ended up as a series of little ceramic houses. Insect dwellings which I’ve filled with hay, tiny twigs and seeds. Small hidey holes for bugs to dwell or hibernate. They’re designed to hang in trees or outside spaces. My intention is to display them in a tidy row, like houses in a street. Each house has been decorated differently in surface and colour. The idea that we live side by side in a world where we are able to protect each other and the world around us is a good one:

‘Together We Are The Seeds of Change’.

five pottery bug houses hanging on a branch with dappled sunlight

close up of three sarah monk ceramic bug houses hanging in the garden with leaves behind

brushed sea green bug house on a white shelf

When?

Hellens Garden Festival runs on the 22nd & 23rd August 2020 and is situated in the village of Much Marcle near Ledbury. Details about the Sculpture Trail here. They also have a Facebook page and Instagram.