Cob

Cob is a fantastic material made up of subsoil, straw and water and on the Ceramics and Cob course Jill and I will endeavour to show the extraodinary possibilities it has to offer. It is a material that the 400 year old house I live in is made of, so it has strenght and durability but it can also be used to create a fineness and sublty which is both exciting and captivating.

After ten years of collaborating with Jill using cob, we are still passionate and enthusiastic about our work and all the ideas we continually have. Collaboration is fantastic and I have really enjoyed combining our work and methods with Ruperts amazing knowledge and creativity.

This course is about passing on our understanding of clay and cob, discussing our ideas and work and giving you the freedom to play and explore with either one or other or both materials. The venue is here at the farm situated in a beautiful part of Dartmoor National Park offering fantastic views and a relaxed environment to work in. In the yard there are three 10 tonne piles of different coloured cob mixes, Paignton red, Launceston yellow and the off white from this site. If you are not happy with something you are making, you simply break it up, re mix it and start all over again - nothing is wasted.

Dartmoor Arts Summer School is an inspiring 6 days. It is full on, not only on your selected course but also in the evenings when everyone gathers for a meal at the local pub followed by an evening event. I cannot recommend this week more highly, whatever course you choose to attend.