I was very saddened to hear of the death of ceramic/print artist, John ffrench, last Friday. He was a real inspiration to me and many of my contemporarys. His work has a timeless quality and radiates happiness and he was a true gentleman that gave his time and information generously to younger potters like myself. I will cherish the very small collection of his work that I have and the joy I get from having it around me.  John ffrench 1928 to January 2010…

Click here for a nice tribute to his life in the Galway advertiser…

Showcase Ireland continues until Wed and as usual there is some talent to be found (plenty of the other as well). The Creative Ireland area is by far the highlight of the show with the odd gem to be found elsewhere. The textiles came out on top for me, there is some great talent still manufacturing work in Ireland……

Hope and Benson  gorgeous bags

You have to see for yourself how beautiful these clothes really are, impecable….by unicorn design

Edmund McNulty knitware is all about subtle tones and soft, soft wool

Paul Maloney Pottery is very fresh in colour and functional in design….

This week saw the launch of the ninth edition of the renowned ‘Bridgestone Guide’, an absolute for anyone who wants to source the best of artisan producers and great places to eat in your county (you might be surprised to learn about some you did not know existed). If your heading away for the weekend its all you will need.  Thanks John and Sally for the lovely mention,    

 ”The Jarrow Cafe….Fascinating food, and a truly lovely space, especially as the Estate Yard is home to a panjandrum of wonderfully gifted craftspeople, including Rosemaire Durr, one of our favourite potters….”

These cookies are very good and very simple to make. I was a bit more generous with the cinnamon and wrapped up a few in some greaseproof paper with a ribbon for a simple pressie….enjoy

Oat and walnut cookies

Makes 36

2 sticks or 8oz  salted butter, soft

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F

Cream butter and both sugars light and creamy.

Add milk and vanilla and mix well.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each egg.

Add flour, spices and baking powder.

Stir until just combined.

Stir in the oats and walnuts.

Use about two tablespoons of mixture for each cookie.

Roll it into a ball and place on a baking paper lined cookie sheet.

Make sure they are placed well apart.

Press the balls down with the bottom of a glass.

Bake until golden, but still a bit soft, 14-16 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

After five days without water (it just came back today, thank God) one realizes how precious it is, not wasting a drop using as little as possible to make the buckets last………this is what Nancy Bauch from white forest pottery, is exploring when she makes 108 bowls:a Water Mala. The project has inspired me and I would love to go on a meditative journey of my own with clay and water (I do this everyday, but when you introduce all the pressures of running a business into the equation I tend to loose the meditative journey part) so now I’ve put it in print I must make it happen………watch this space

This gorgeous, talented, young, stylish, edgy,(you get the message)  kilkenny girl has a very exciting year ahead of her (in my opinion). Blanaid Hennessy is her name and she has a couple of blogs on the go right now, if your looking for the latest look both fashion and interiors or inspirational quotes then click here. If celeb gossip, and a bit of a laugh is what your after then click here. Keep up the good work Blanaid………….

Well on the eve of Christmas eve, with one more day to go in the shop I would like to thank our customers for their support in the past year and we look forward to seeing you all in the coming year. It has been a very positive year for us, with good things happening and lots of great ideas to get stuck into in the new year. The shop will reopen next week  from Tues to Thurs in the afternoons. Call me on 087 6833639 if you are making a special trip………..Happy Christmas

This weekend we had seasonal weather for a change, with the first fall of snow and sooo cold. It was nice to be able to snuggle up in our warm little house, well as you can see our four legged friend was going nowhere. Im looking forward to winding up work on Christmas eve………

Micheal Parsons wrote a great article yesterday in the Irish Times on MADE in kilkenny featuring yours truly and I was delighted with the photo they included………..

Andys Solo Christmas show opened last night at the Waterfront Gallery in Westport. Its looks great, bright and joyful for the season thats in it. There was a great reaction from everyone there with lots of sales. Prices range from €40 to €400 so its perfect Christmas present territory. If your not going to be down Westport way then call by our shop where he has lots of new work available…….

We had a great night on Thursday with the launch of the MADE pop up shop. Everyone came out to support us and some of us girls got dressed up(any excuse) wearing some beautiful millinery creations by Rebekah Patterson. We had our ‘annual ladies festive dinner’ afterwords. Anne from the Butterslip (just 3 doors down from the MADE pop up) also had her customer night on Thursday complete with pink champers, and mini cup cakes  for everyone………this made for a great festive pre dinner warm up.

I love a challenge and one of the biggest to date is the transformation of an empty two storey shop unit in Kilkenny city into a beautiful styled shop full of gorgeous craft which is all designed and hand MADE in Co.Kilkenny. I think in this day and age this is pretty amazing. There are not many places anywhere, where you could get this quality of work all MADE in such a small geographical area. There was lots of hands on deck and within three evenings we got this great shop together with a beautiful exhibition upstairs. The people of Kilkenny and the surrounding areas have no excuse this Christmas…………they can support their local community of crafts people, give amazing gifts that will bring pleasure for a lifetime and it is all on their doorstep under one roof. Click here for more info.

I love this gift wrap paper, its double sided and not specifically Christmasey , just beautiful. I started tonight, gift  wrapping boxes(to create the look) for the new Pop up Shop that MADE in kilkenny are opening in Kilkenny this Saturday. We start to make the shop beautiful and fill it with gorgeous hand crafted goodies on Wednesday so 3 days to transform the space……….I love a challenge. Rolls of gift wrap are available from Rosemarie Durr pottery €6 each

 Our pottery comes in beautiful gift boxes, perfect for wedding gifts, corporate gifts, Christmas gifts or just something beautiful for someone special…………check out our new section for more gift ideas

As part of the Savour Kilkenny festival Andy took part in a beautiful exhibition at the Kilkenny Design Center. There was a food theme going on, lovely colourful work. The show is now over, but the work which wasn’t sold is now available from the main shop. Andy is busy getting ready for a solo show which opens in December at the Waterfront Gallery, in Wesport, Co.Mayo. I’ll keep you posted……….

Ok…. two weeks back into work after our break I’m still getting inspiration from the west cork landscape. I am trying to keep my head clear going into the crazy season but it’s not easy, the next three weeks are top production weeks in the workshop. It is so hard to keep focused as all our new stock for Christmas arrives in the shop. I would like nothing more than immerse myself in creating beautiful displays but alas I will not give in just yet……….I will give you a glimpse of all the exciting new stuff any day now, promise!

A week spent in west Cork has been the perfect stock up of inspiration to get me through the winter months ahead……….

Autumn is my favorite season, the food, the colours, the crisp days and long nights. I’ve had great fun carving pumpkins, collecting leaves and making the shop look seasonal………

There is a new section in the recent issue of Ceramics Ireland Magazine, called ‘meet the makers’ it features yours truly, and some other young makers from around Ireland including, Sinead Lough, Adam Frew, Mandy Parslow and Stephen Farnan. The Magazine is available from my shop and other outlets nationwide.

Check out some new bits and pieces in the shop, here……..

 Jack Dohertys beautiful pottery is still on show in the National Craft Gallery. Its a real treat to see rows and rows of beautiful pots………..

Check out the new MADE in Kilkenny website………..the best of craft in Kilkenny and some of the best in Ireland

Just had a fab time at ‘Electric Picnic’ as usual it is a very cool place to hang out for the weekend or in my case a day(a bit of a light weight I’m afraid, just can’t keep up that pace for more than one day) I was fortunate enough to be there as a guest of the Bridgestone Guide……..John and Sally McKennagh showed me a super time. I was delighted to be chosen to  make the  ‘Bridgestone Electric Picnic Awards 2009′ for the second year running. It is such a big deal for me as the standard of food stands at this festival is certainly a one off in this country……..superb. The winners were among the best producers in the country and to think that this is the standard available at a music festival. I have to confess that I have been to Electric Picnic every year from the start and its the food that excites me as much as the music………..here are some snap shots to give you a feel for what went on.

Knockdrinna Farmhouse Cheese receiving their award from John McKennah and myself

A very happy group from the slow food movement recieving their award….

These girls won an award last year as well, they deserve it for their Mad Hatters stall it was magical as you can see below (they were by far the best dressed as well)

The beautiful and talented Lisa Hannigan….

The launch of ‘Made in Kilkenny’ was a huge success, lots of people turned out and there was a great atmosphere around Butler House and the Castle Yard. The exhibition itself looked great and the theme ‘Kilkenny 400′ really came trough (it was not easy to get craft from 26 different makers and have it sit together, and look good in one room, well done Ray). Thanks to the group for the beautiful flowers and wine they presented me with it was much appreciated…….

I made (with the help of some fairys) 400 ceramic flowers and placed them in the garden of Butler House….

Above are some photos from the exhibition to show the diversity of the work. We will be live with the ‘MADE in kilkenny’ website very soon, watch this space………

Six artists from the Estate Yard have a joint exhibition in 4 William Street, Kilkenny for Arts festival. All the artists share the some working environment at the Estate Yard, whilst creating their own varied personal artworks. It was a buzzing launch, great reaction to the work and lots of red stickers………….

Work by Lucy McKenna and some potential buyers……

Rachel Burke Painting and Ruairi Carroll sculpture

Ross Stewart Painting

Tomm Moore, director of ‘The Seceret of Kells’ pointing to the new addition to his houshold, a beautiful ceramic fish by Andrew Ludick.

Maeve Coulter beside one of her beautiful prints. Two of Maeves textile peices.

Rachel Burke paintings

Its been a long time coming but at last we are launching ‘MADE in Kilkenny’ a group of 26 professional designer makers based in Kilkenny city and county. We launch with an exhibition in Butler House, Kilkenny at 1pm on Sat 8th, all are welcome. The exhibition is part of Kilkenny Arts Festival and is inspired by ‘Kilkenny 400′. We will be launching the Craft trail which is part of trail Kilkenny. The craft trail brochure is fresh off the printing press today and the website will be launched a couple of weeks from now….

We had another successful open day here on Monday. The rain didn’t come until late in the afternoon and all of the kids had a go at making a pot, creating a picture out of felt and getting their face painted………as well as all the craft taking place outside in the Yard there were also some beautiful sculptures placed around both outside and in the exhibition space, they are there for the month of August, its worth a trip.

A wet and windy, overgrown garden is what I’m faced with. This year I promised myself more time at least one day a week when I try to keep house and garden in shape………..didn’t happen. The rain is a constant but even if the sun was shining I haven’t had any time at home in ages so I just went out this morning and cut lots of flowers. Its a great way to make use of my vast collection of jugs (I’ve always been more fond of jugs than vases for putting flowers into). If you cant get to the garden bring the garden to you.

I’m very fortunate to be able to spend my holidays in this beautiful home in the States. Its a little like a wildlife reserve, the woods are full of all sort of exotic birds and animals (exotic to me anyway) and the house is very simple shaker style.  I get back to work relaxed and rested, that’s all I want from a holiday. I know it won’t be too long before we make the trip again………….

Check out the latest issue of ‘House and Home’, these photos were styled by Eleanor Harpur here in the Estate Yard and down the woods. I love how they turned out. The chair below will look familiar, I have featured it many times in this blog (it is very photogenic). Isn’t funny how places you see everyday look so much better when photographed beautifully and put into a glossy magazine………

I am still in the land of the living……..it has been forever since I updated my blog. A combination of ‘peak production’ time of year and a trip overseas, has consumed most of my days and nights. The summer months are always flat out for us, I have to make a lot of  pots for our own shop, other shops and special orders, other things tend to suffer ie.computer work.

Some bright summer displays and new stock in Rosemarie Durr Pottery this month, call in and see………..

The Wisteria is in bloom ( a large plant bought in a sale and it was supposed to be blue, when it bloomed it turned out to be white much to my disappointment, but with time I have grown to love the scent and it is thriving up against our stone wall) and I bought these gorges purple daisy’s last week, they just lift the front of the shop. The clymatis flowers didn’t last very long this year, who’d blame them, still I love the way the stems knot around each other so they are interesting all year round. I’m looking forward to the sweetpea and honeysuckle each side of the door, coming into bloom, then we will be the best smelling shop in Kilkenny ……..not to mention the prettiest.

What I want most from my garden is to have some sort of flowers or pretty foliage all year round, so I can keep a vase of fresh flowers in the shop and at home without breaking the bank. This is going to take a bit of time to get right……….at the moment things are a bit behind in the garden, with the weather so cold everything is slow to come out, the flowers above are stocks I bought. They not only look pretty in the shop but they smell beautiful. You can’t underestimate the joy a beautiful vase of flowers, brings to your day.

How many people would love to give up the rat race and live an idyllic life in the woods. Well two friends of ours managed just this. They built a beautiful house that’s warm and full of light, (two very important qualities in our climate) in the middle of the most perfect piece of woodland………the gardens look like nature planned them (with a lot of help from Trish). Nothing looks out of place or at odds with the woods, it all fits in just perfect.

Good food, chat and a nice glass of wine shared with friends can clear all the rainy day blues you might have. Our friends have a great conservatory where the rain dosen’t seem to matter and to hang out there on Sunday evening was just what I need after a week of thunder and hail storms………..when is the summer coming?

 I’m writing an article at the moment for Ceramics Ireland’s next magazine about my work and why I choose to make tableware, and it has encouraged me to reread some of my old pottery books. In doing so I came across this paragraph written by a great old lady in her 90’s. I think it sums up a potters life…….

‘To make a pot, we must have skills-truly basic skills-firstly making the clay usable by pugging, wedging, kneading, and balling, then throwing the pot on the wheel, followed by turning the perfect foot rim, pulling or extruding a strong handle and, last of all the most difficult, decorating the vessel in an appropriate way. Allied to these formal skills is the paramount understanding of what we use and what we use it for, how relevant this is to our customers and, subsequently, if we can persuade(educate) them that this is what they themselves need as well as buying it as a gift. Apart from all these reasonable simple tasks, the potter fulfills what I believe to be a fundamental role in the community, in being, perhaps, the only relic of a magical time past-the simple craftsman in a village deprived of blacksmiths, cobblers, saddlers and carpenters. I do not mean the good old days in a romantic sense, but a time where people were in touch with where things came from. As working potters, we are the link to the earth. We are the monstrous relics of a marvellous time when designs and ideas flew from men, as opposed to machines. A time when craft was a noble word.’

From Brickfields by Mary Wondrausch

This beautiful exhibition opened on Saturday in the National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny. I took photos of a small selection of work, but I think it is worth a trip if at all passable make your way to Kilkenny to see it for yourself. Andrew Ludick (my better half and voice of reason) has some beautiful pieces in the exhibition. Ann Mulrooney (curator of the National Craft Gallery) done a great job of displaying all the different craft in such a sensitive way….

Andy looking very serious.

Andys new work is full of sunshine, bright colours and organic patterns. Every home should have one….

I hope you get a feel from these photos of how cool this garden is. The old wooden caravans above were bought by Klaus a few years ago, he painted them, and fitted them out as a sauna……….what a perfect place for a sauna in rural, wet Ireland. The Gazebo is a living willow structure, growing with the rest of the garden,  a great idea for a new flat garden, instant height and looks beautiful.

This post has taken forever to finish, just because of all the crazyness around here……..

 I love the easy way everything sits together in this house, Klaus and Heikes personalities really come through, theres a relaxed, easy, homely feel to everything inside and out, what more could you want from your house? The beautiful hand painted tiles are from The Bridge Pottery.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was going to feature some friends house that I loved. Today I want to start with Klaus and Heika an inspiration for all who know them, the most self sufficient couple I know. They live in a beautiful house which Klaus built with his own two hands, with their two boys, Oisin the dog and all sorts of feathered friends. Heika is a basket maker, wonderful Gardner and home maker extraordinar………..I want to start with her workshop

This is harvested willow waiting to be transformed into beautiful baskets.

You should be left in no doubt as to how baskets are made. They are so beautiful to use and have in your home………Next I will give you a glimps into their garden and house.

When I think that the rain will never stop and the grey skys are with us for good (today is one of those days), I’m going to have a look at these photos of the beautiful cherry tree in our garden, the photos were taken a couple of days ago…….look at that blue sky.

Yesterday it was so wet and windy I thought the cherry tree would have no flowers left by today so I brought some in where I can enjoy them for a few more days

I have a weakness for cookery books, many of which decorate my kitchen but rarely get an outing. You can tell with one glance which ones get used all the time, the ones that are covered in stains and floury finger marks. As if i don’t have enough cook books I read every recepy I come across in magazines, cutting out the ones I think might work for me (I stay away from complicated methods or too many ingredients I’m not familiar with, living in rural Ireland I usually have to make do with my local ‘euro spar’, nothing too exotic). My favorite recepys of late have been coming from the Irish Times Mag on Saturdays. Domini Kemp never lets me down, almost every week she comes up trumps. Here is one I got round to trying this week end and it was fab, bung it in the oven and forget about it for a couple of hours, let the lovely aromas fill the kitchen and best of all it tastes even better the next day. The lamb can be substituted with some roast sweet potato towards the end of the cooking or what I did was a little bit of both.

Lamb and chickpea soupy stew
(serves 4-6)
2 tbls olive oil
2 onions peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
600g diced lamb shoulder
salt and pepper
2tsp ground cumin
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 bay leaves
really good squeeze of tomato puree
I liter chicken stock
3 tins of chickpeas
2 tins of tomatoes
bunch of coriander
black olives to garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, for which you have a lid. Sweat the onions and garlic for five minutes until they are soft, then turn up the heat and chuck in the lamb and brown it. Season well then add the cumin, paprika, cloves and bay leaves. Mix well so the spices coat the lamb. Add the tomatoe puree, mix well, then add the stock, chickpeas and tomatoes. Put the lid on and cook for about three hours or like I did, transfer into an ovenproof dish and bung it in the oven for 3 hours @ 175 degreesC.
Garnish with coriander and olives, and serve with crusty bread and salad. Enjoy..

I have watched Lisa Hannigan lots on utube and just love her unique voice and incredible creativity. Its great to see craft and music working together. Enjoy………..

This Ruthanne Thudball teapot is one of my prized possessions. I use it almost everyday and love everything about it. It is the perfect size, feels just right in your hand and pours like a dream. Not to mention how lovely it looks in my kitchen. This teapot has inspired me to share some of my friends homes with you. Give you a glimpse into homes that are full of personality, lovely pottery and gardens to match. So watch this space while I visit some friends with camera in toe (you know who you are, so get cleaning).

I made this delicous crumble at the week end and it went down very well, have a go, you can’t go wrong with rhubarb crumble……….
Serves 4

400g rhubarb, trimmed, halved lengthways and cut into 4cm lengths
200g demerara sugar
100g porridge oats
124g self-raising flour
150g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
75ml double cream

Preheat oven at 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Put rhubarb in ovenproof dish sprinkle with 3 tbsp of the sugar (more if the rhubarb is very bitter).
In a bowl, mix together the oats, the remaining sugar and the flower. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Now add the golden syrup and cream and mix well. Tip onto the oat mixture and stir together. Spoon on top of the fruit, level out, then bake in the oven for 45 mins until its set and golden brown.
Leave to stand for 10 mins before eating. Cream, Ice cream or custard  are the obvious partners in crime.

All of us at Rosemarie Durr Pottery would like to wish our customers, friends and family a Happy Easter. The shop will be closed tomorrow Easter Sunday but open Monday 1-5.

It’s a dilemma every year whether to open the shop on Easter Sunday. I know there will be lots of people around for the egg hunt, cafe and walks but it is a holiday equal to Christmas and one I want to spend at home, making a beautiful lunch, eating chocolate and going for a long walk.

Over the past few years it has become increasingly difficult as a small shop to live up to the expectations of the general public (especially as we are situated in the beautiful surroundings of the Discovery Park which only closes Christmas day) on Sundays it feels like it is expected as the norm to be open not so much for business but for entertainment….this is difficult for small business with one or two people involved, its often too quite at off peak times to employ extra staff but is disappointing for the public if they visit the Estate Yard and find some of the studios closed.

I guess it’s just one of these things we have to live with, but if you are coming to especially to visit a particular studio its always better to contact them before making a special trip. Enjoy all those eggs……..

What says Easter better than a bunch of daffodils? How cute are these egg warmers? they come complete with egg cup and look so funny lined up in a row, heads flopping in all directions………..