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New Designs 2013
Something Celestial
Barn Owl and Angel by Tracy Wright Zoo Ceramics
7 October 2013      Tracy has just finished carving a new Barn Owl that is balanced on the head of an Angel. The inspiration for this piece came from a gravestone angel in Edinburgh. The back of the design has some symbolic little sprigged feather and key details, which are part of the hidden iconographic language found on graves.
 
Daisies and Poppies
Tile Panels by Maggie Betley Zoo Ceramics
30 September 2013      Maggie's new Tile Panels feature her popular Daisy design, alongside a new Poppy pattern. This set of six tiles will be frost proof and can be displayed inside and out.
 
Fish Dish
Fish Bowl by Maggie Betley Zoo Ceramics
28 September 2013   
You shall have a Fishy, on a little Dishy,
You shall have a Fishy, when the boat comes in.

Maggie's latest fish designs have just come out of the kiln.
 
Snow Cat
Snow Cat Demo Tracy Wright Zoo Ceramics
19 September 2013     New in the Cat Collection is Tracy's Cat and Robin with sprigged snowflake patterns. This design will be glazed in predominantly white glazes, to create a sharp and frosty glow.
 
Tawny Owls Chicks On Top
Tracy Wright Grave Owl Chicks Zoo Ceramics
10 September 2013     Tracy has been working an another gravestone piece, topped with three Tawny Owl Chicks from the ‘Parliament of Owls' Series. The gravestone featured comes from the churchyard near Blickling Hall in Norfolk.
 
He Loves Me, He Love Me Not
Maggie Betley Daisy Fish Tiles
4 September 2013     Maggie is having a little break from glazing hundred's of fishes; only now she has to glaze hundreds of daisies instead.
 
Grave Crows - Memento Mort
Grave Crows by Tracy Wright Zoo Ceramics
9 August 2013     Tracy has been working on a new body of work incorporating gravestones in to the base of her bird designs.
 
Fragile Handle With Care
Bird Box by Tracy Wright Zoo Ceramics
6 August 2013     Tracy has found a home for several of her Little Owls. This is part of a new series of pieces called “Bird Box”. The wooden box has been slab built and carved to resemble on old abandoned crate and little key shaped sprigs have been added along with a lock and butterfly.

Bird Box No 1 – Fragile Handle With Care - Please Return All Keys
 
Snow Flakes, Keys and Butterflies with Eyes?
Snow Flakes, Keys, Locks and Butterflies
1 August 2013    Is this some sort of secret code?
No, they are new sprigs that Tracy will use to decorate her owls and cats.
 
Rat Royalty
Rat King and Queen
29 July 2013     

Tracy's Rats have now got thrones, made to resemble twigs, leaves and stones.
The King has a crown and a sword of steel.
The queen has an acorn cup and a scarf by Chanel.
(It's not really Chanel, but it rhymed with steel; scarf made of clay too!)
 
Maggie's Boxing Clever
Maggie Betley building Daisy Tower
23 July 2013     Maggie is certainly thinking outside the box with her new design for a large sculptural Daisy Tower. Here she is adding daisy motifs to the first base box. I wonder how tall it will grow and whether it will fit in the kiln?
 
Dodo Delight
Dodo and Alice by Tracy Wright Zoo Ceramics
3 July 2013     Tracy is delighted that her new Dodo and Alice survived the glaze firing. It is always a tense time waiting for the kiln to cool down to view new designs and hoping that the new glaze combinations have come out well.
 
Crow Conundrum!
Crow Glaze Demo Tracy Wright from Zoo Ceramics
18 June 2013     Tracy has finally got around to glazing these frost-damaged crows that she made at an Easter show and is now wondering whether she should fire them at all. Unfortunately the temperature went down to minus ten degrees and t he clay went very strange and fractured. Will this murder of crows survive a glaze firing, or will they explode in spectacular fashion. Oh well, only time will tell, so into the kiln they go.
 
The Real Alice
Alice Liddel Alice in Wonderland
 
11 June 2013     Tracy has been working on a series of Alice in Wonderland inspired Dodos and the latest design features the real Alice; a little girl called Alice Pleasance Liddell. On 4th July 1862 the young Alice asked Charles Dodgson for an entertaining story on a picnic outing with her sisters. He came up with the idea of a little girl who fell down a rabbit hole and had a strange adventure. The story was later published under his pen name Lewis Carroll.
 
 
Dodo and Alice by Tracy Wright
Fantasy Animal Ride
5 June 2013     Tracy is busy sculpting Alice on a Dodo, but would love to have a ride on one herself.
(If they were a bit bigger and not extinct, of course.)
If you could have a fantasy ride on any creature, what would it be?
 
Daisy Tiles by Maggie Betley
Maggie’s Dreaming of Daisies
5 June 2013     In the run up to our 25 Year Exhibition titled ‘From Dodos to Daisies’, Maggie has the epic task of creating hundreds of daisies to decorate her pots, hares, clocks and these new tiles. Forget about counting sheep, Maggie will be dreaming of daisies.
Blue Tits and Robins by Zoo Ceramics
Little Blue Tits have a Bob Marley Moment
23 April 2013      Just taken our first batch of blue tits out of the kiln and photographed them outside in the glorious April sunshine with a group of robins sitting in the heather. Reminds me of the lovely Bob Marley song “Three little Birds.”

Rise up this mornin',
Smile with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Each by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', "This is my message to you-ou-ou: "
 
Blue Tits by Maggie Betley
Little Blue Tit Bandits
"Who Was That Masked Bird Anyway?”
16 April 2013      Maggie has been designing some little blue tits to go with her round robins. They look quite cute and funny with their black banded eye patterns; like mini masked bandits or tiny super heroes.
“Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!”
 
Executioner Crows by Tracy wright
Executioner Crows
14 March 2013     I have just added the hoods and axes to these Executioner Crows. One of these unusual birds is a commission for a gentleman who was able to choose his own retirement present. Quite poignant really as he considers that he has been given the chop. What would be your idle retirement gift?
 
Animal Magnets by Zoo Ceramics
Animal Magnets
13 March 2013     Maggie has been designing some new animal magnets. Apart from being great kiln fillers, these little pieces give our arms a much needed rest from making our large creations.
 
Gargoyle Magnets and Plaques by Maggie Betley Zoo Ceramics
Beak Head Gargoyle Magnets
28 February 2013     Continuing with her Lincoln Cathedral theme, Maggie has been modelling a new batch of gargoyle magnets inspired by the Beak-Head stone decorations that adorn the doorways. The gargoyle magnets were very popular in our range, so we have decided to re-introduce them as part of our twenty five year celebrations.
 
Cathedral Daisy vases by Maggie Betley
Celestial Ceramics
26 February 2013      Maggie is feeling in a rather spiritual mood of late and has been creating a new range of slab vases inspired by the Lincoln Cathedral. These pieces incorporate motifs from her daisy and fish designs and some will go towards our 25 Years Exhibition in October.
 
Mini Kiwis by Tracy Wright
Mini Kiwis
19 February 2013     Several people (I believe they may well be from New Zealand, or they are going to visit people in New Zealand) have requested that Tracy make some Mini Kiwis. So she has begun to create a small tribe of these strange little creatures, that are almost not like birds at all. They have wings, but they do not fly, feathers that are more like fur and nostrils at the end of their beaks and whiskers just like a cat. They are also tricky little beggars to make in clay, as they have a tendency to fall over and their beaks want to snap off. Hopefully they will behave themselves and dry out nicely.
 

Updated By Tracy Wright 10th January 2014