​Recently I have been working on organising a "Paint your own handmade Wheel Thrown Mug" workshop. It was an exciting process painting a mug so I thought I would show you the process! Who knows, if you would like to come along to the workshop this blog post might be helpful to you to get you thinking about ways in which you can paint your own mug. However if you an artist/maker or someone just curious dropping by on this page I hope this information can be helpful.

Prepare your Mug!
I created this mug on the potters wheel. The mug itself is made from Stoneware clay which fires to a creamy white colour. The mug is Bisque fired first to 1000c to prepare it for painting!

Use a Pencil to sketch out your design
Firstly before painting, I did a bit of research for inspirational imagery. I was thinking well its coming up to September. Being this time of year in the UK I was thinking about the kind of nature we see. So researched on Google images such blackberry’s, butterfly and a mushroom.

From this imagery I then got to work drawing the main outlines of the form onto the Bisque ware mug. I used a basic pencil to do this. The good thing is that the pencil marks will not show up in the glaze firing. Another good thing about using a pencil is that if you make a mistake you can use a rubber to erase this.

Once we have the main outline of the form we can start applying the colour!

Wow! Now we applied the Glaze! What a transformation! 
Now that we have finished painting the mug we can then apply a clear transparent stoneware glaze.

If you are into glazing I dipped the mug once into the glaze and fired the mug to 1230c.

After all that work we can now see the finished results!

If you found this Inspirational I would defiantly recommend attending our Workshop to try this yourself and take home your unique Mug creation!

Martin will be teaming up with artist Wen-Hsi Harman to run a "Paint You Own Handmade Wheel Thrown Pottery Mug" Workshop. 

Come and paint your very own Handmade Mug. What makes this workshop special is that you get to create your own unique painting on a mug completely handmade, thrown on the potters wheel by the artist Martin that’s yours to keep and treasure!

​What will happen in the Workshop?

• Hand Paint 1 mug using ceramic paints and brushes provided. (Inspiration images will be provided if you need some guidance)
• Once finished I will take the mugs back to my studio to apply a clear glaze and fire in the kiln.
• I will then contact you for the collection.

Who is the Workshop for?

• Whether you’re an adult or child. Anyone can join. If under 12 please come accompanied with an adult. Bring your family along for a creative and fun-filled experience.

What time is the Workshop? How long is it? When does it Start?

• Saturday 21st September 2024. 2-4pm (2 hours)

Where is the Workshop?

• The Note Warehouse: 71 High St, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4DW

If you would like to book a ticket to attend you can find it here:

If you have been navigating the contemporary art world you might have come across the style of art known as Abstract Art. But "What is Abstract Art" and were did it come from?

What is the Style of Abstract Art?
Abstract art generally uses shapes, colours, forms, and lines to convey meaning without portraying reality. It is usually based on art that withdraws itself from our known external reality. Artists can sometimes draw inspiration from subjects in our external reality but brake them down to focus on these elements that become removed from being completely representational. 

Abstract art can embody: order, purity, simplicity and spirituality. 

Its also interesting to note that Abstract Art brought on other art movements that embody Abstract Art like De Stijl, Abstract Expressionism, Suprematism and Cubism. 

What Materials are used to create Abstract Art?
The materials used to create Abstract Art ranged from painting, sculpture and even buildings! The Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht, Netherlands was built in 1924 by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld who was inspired by ideas from De Stijl. The artists involved were abstract artists.

Were did Abstract Art Come from?
It originated in Europe from the 19th century as part of the Modern Art Movement. It was a shift away from traditional art and philosophies.

Who were some of the pioners of Abstract Art?
Hilma af Klint
A Swedish artist known for her mystical paintings. Considered to be the first abstract artist known in Weston art history.

Piet Mondrian
A Dutch painter known for his paintings depicting basic shapes and primary colours. He was also involved in the movement De Stijl.

Theo van Doesburg
A Dutch artist, who practiced painting, writing, poetry and architecture. He was the founder of the art movement De Stijl. 

Jackson Pollock
Pollock shook the art world with his large canvases covered in expressive marks the viewer could get lost in.

Naum Gabo
An influential sculptor from Russia's post-Revolution avant-garde exploring geometric abstraction.

How do I see Abstract Art?
Some of my inspiration comes from Abstract Art. In some ways my art is non-representational as it uses shapes and colours to convey an idea. However sometimes the representational works its way in.

In essence I see abstract art as being immersed in an experience that invites curiosity. Like listening to music we are left to decode the art form for ourselves and that is the beauty of it.

You are welcome to watch this Video I created bellow: What is Abstract Art?

In this video I attempt to answer that question from my own perspective to try and shed some light on the subject.

Hopefully it can give you more info.