Sometime back in July I visited the wonderful Potfest in the Park, and then totally forgot to share the images. So here they are, better late than never!
Potfest in the Park is a selected event that showcases the work of ceramicists both home and abroad. It is held in the grounds of the beautiful Hutton-in-the-Forest hall under a series of massive outdoor marquees.
As is common in Cumbria, the day was a real mixed bag of weather, having rained heavily the night before (and continued to do so on and off all day). The organisers did their usual fantastic job of ignoring a spot of bad weather and promptly turned their umbrella collection (which you can borrow) into an art installation!
This event does require visitors to have reasonable mobility as the terrain is pretty uneven and often soggy. I would suggest it's not really the place for wheelchairs or prams because of this, but also because it gets very busy and there's not much room to manoeuvre once inside the tents. As you can see from the image it is dog friendly, but if you visit with your furry friend/s please keep them on a short leash as wayward leads are a bit of an issue at times and there are some very expensive pieces on display!
The range of work on display is diverse with a good balance of sculpture, studio pottery and functional work. From my experience, people definitely visit to spend so if you have an eye on a particular piece by a maker get there early!
There is plenty of variety on show, from the more rustic salt glazed displays to clean white porcelain wares (which are usually what I'm drawn towards), these were my two personal favourites on the day.
Juliet Macleod - 'a lifetime of coastal memories retold on porcelain'
Jaeeun Ceramics - inspired by HTP (house-tree-person) widely used in art therapy to find clues about the person's hidden emotions.
Each of the artists selected for Potfest in the Park are also invited to create a themed competition piece which goes to a public vote. These were a few of the pieces I managed to capture on the day...
Heather Elvidge, Jackalope
Ania Perkowska, Fruit Bowl, Seeds, Pods And Other Objects For Holding
Katherine Winfrey, High Fliers
Leonie Rutter, See the Music, Hear the Dance
Did I go home with anything? Well yes of course, it would have been rude not to! I came away with a couple of Andrew Nibblet's raku pots. Andrew creates beautiful forms with the clay, his vessels are well balanced and elegant. What really interested me was that he is a military historian and spends time (with permission) salvaging battlefield relics which he works into his designs. Not only did I love them, but I knew my husband would be interested as he volunteers for the War Graves Commission. Ha, no justifying a purchase!
It's a long while since I exhibited at a Potfest, but I know a good few of the people who still exhibit at them, and I know they have a terrific reputation for being well organised, well attended and most importantly passionately promoted! Since I exhibited at the events they have gone from strength to strength and now take place all over the country. If you are a potter they are well worth looking at and I believe applications are just about to go live! If you're not a potter but love craft, take the chance to visit one of these events, they really are full of wonderful things made by fantastic people.