Pottery closure

Posted on August 13, 2025 Posted in Cat, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Cat, Ceramic, Closed, Hand painted, Industrial heritage, Life, Pottery, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent1 Comment

There was a pottery in Burslem where they let you paint your own designs.

Unfortunately like many other ceramic factories it has closed. The cost of gas and electricity means that a once thriving local industry is dwindling. Stafford pottery was one of the latest victims.

There are still excellent potteries that create designs and pieces of art for the 21st Century. Portmeirion, Emma Bridgewater, Wedgwood are a few that continues to produce beautiful work. It’s hard to say whether they will still be producing ceramics in a few years time. We also have a company called Lucideon which undertakes research and development of ceramics for such things as electrical insulators, non slip tiles and other diverse uses.

Hopefully this city of potters will continue to survive well into the future.

Poppy’s are out!

Posted on May 14, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Buds, Closed, dappled sun, Green, opened, Plants, Poppies, popping!, Red, Spring, SunlightLeave a comment

Last week when I saw these on the local allotment they were hardly in bud. Not anymore! They are glorious. The red pops against the greens. The sunlight splashes down onto the plants and paving. A cool breeze made light shimmer over the heads of the poppies. What a warm sunlit spring it’s been. But we might have a drought!

Empty seats

Posted on April 8, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Bar, Building, Closed, Empty, Friendly, Gone, Poem, Poetry, Sad, seats, shut loss, TimeLeave a comment

A sunny afternoon.

And the seats were out

Waiting for the sun

To come round

But they were empty

No more fun

No one to drink it in.

The bar is closed

Convivial loss

No one to stand and drink

The place is shut

So don’t walk in

To sit and sip

A cool one.

Film theatre

Posted on January 24, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cinema, Closed, film studies, film theatre, Memory, Sad, Staffordshire University, TimeLeave a comment

I just read a post on Instagram about the problems the Film Theatre at Staffordshire University is having to deal with before it can reopen after covid. I wrote a response because this independent cinema had a great impact on my understanding and appreciation of films. Here is what I said.

I used to love coming to the film theatre. You could see films that made you question your beliefs, challenged your thoughts, tickled your imagination! It seems mad that it’s not open. I first saw a film there in 1979 and it was also used for the film studies part of the Fine Art Ba(hons). My hubby came to a projectionist course and learned how to project the reels and know when to change them. It’s sad you are having these problems.

Botheration!

Posted on November 22, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Canvases, Closed, five pm, four pm, Life, minature paintings, Time, Tiny canvases, TrafficLeave a comment

We went out this afternoon because I really need to get some tiny canvases to paint some new minature paintings for the exhibition and craft sale on Saturday. We didn’t rush out. I thought if we got to the shop before five we would be OK. We actually got through the traffic and arrived at 3.50pm. The place was already closed! They close at 4pm! I must get there in the morning otherwise I won’t have much time (no pun intended) to get things done. Oh well, Tempus Fugit!

Chocolate orange

Posted on April 23, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, chocolate orange, Closed, Drawing, Memory, Sketch, Sketchfu, Sketching, Time, WebsiteLeave a comment

Another Sketchfu drawing from the now closed site. This is a picture I drew from memory about ten years ago. I used to love eating these at Christmas. I think it was probably a challenge to draw something sweet. Strange how some things suddenly became fashionable but then lose their appeal again. I don’t think I would buy one now.

Marilyn

Posted on April 15, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Black and white, Closed, Drawing, Fun, Life, Marilyn, Memory, Sketchfu, Sketching, WebsiteLeave a comment

Drawing I did at an old website called Sketchfu nine years ago. Sadly it closed down a few years ago. The tools were very simple, but that made it easy for artists to use. I was pleased how this digital sketch came out. If I find more drawings I will share them.

I’m bored

Posted on January 31, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Books, Bored, Boring, Closed, Drawing, Ill, Memory, Mind, remember, shut, Sundays, Tea, Years ago2 Comments

Fed up with being ill. Not Covid, but a cold/ chest infection. But I’m getting bored. I feel trapped but that might be a good thing. Perhaps I’m getting better?

Sundays used to be boring when I was a child. Nowhere was open, shops shut, nothing really to visit. If you ran out of milk you could not buy any. Memory of a different world. Time changes things. Then I was waiting for fruit salad with evaporated milk with bread and butter for tea. Watching my mom and dad doing the washing in a boiler in the kitchen that had a mangle on the top and an old spin dryer to get most of the water out. While they did that we played in the garden. Unless the weather was bad. Then I would read a book, or draw. Maybe it wasn’t all that boring?

My mural of Molly Leigh

Posted on August 23, 2020August 23, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Back room, Burslem, Closed, Life, molly leigh, Mural, Painting, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, The Leopard Hotel, WitchLeave a comment

Molly Leigh was said to be the Burslem witch. She lived in a small cottage, a photo of which I based this picture on. There are no photos of her so I tried to find a painting of an elderly woman from about that time and chose a picture of a French peasant by Theodore Gericault as an inspiration. The plants in the background are meant to be foxgloves and different herbs in a garden I imagined to be full of things you could use for remedies. I didn’t find much out about her life, except she is meant to be buried in a local church yard with the grave orientated East West, instead of the normal North South way. We went for a walk and ended up in the graveyard, only to get told off by someone from the church who kept getting people messing about round Mollys grave. When we explained we were on a photo walk of Burslem and we didn’t want to do any strange rituals he was OK. The painting is set on a night of the full moon and I tried to make the sky atmospheric and spooky. I’m sorry people won’t be able to see my murals in the Leopard anymore. No doubt they will be painted over or removed.

Getting paintings back

Posted on May 31, 2020May 31, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Art shop, Closed, Disappointed, Life, Sad, Serendiparty, Shop, Very sad, VirusLeave a comment

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Sad day today.

I’d had some of my paintings on display at a lovely art shop in Stoke called Serendiparty. It was displaying local artists work, and also art workshops for a creative experience. Unfortunately the lock down happened soon after it had opened up, so the people didn’t visit and it’s had to close.

This is so sad. The person who ran it is called Phil. He really wanted to bring something new to the town. He is still creating his own artworks and has decided to work from home. I wish him the very best. He deserves it for trying hard to make the place work.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Closed