05x06 - 1960s Glazed Vessels & Repeating Patterns

[bunniefuu]

It's '60s week in the pottery,

and our seven remaining potters

are making vibrant,
colorful vessels

in honor of that iconic decade.

A defining decade,
man landing on the moon,

England winning the World Cup,

Breakfast at Tiffany's,
darling,

and, of course, television
in glorious Technicolor!

- Agh!

Why did no one tell me
I've got a stain on my boob?

Can we go back
to black and white, please?

Oh, come on.

Welcome to
The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Can I get a wet wipe, please?

Audrey didn't have to deal
with this nonsense.

- Last time...
- It's like a w*r zone.

...the potters brought
garden gnomes to life...

- Come on!

...and tackled
the biggest throw down

ever seen in the pottery.

- That's just a bit scary.
- Oh, God, it's coming off.

AJ impressed
in both challenges...

You've run with
a very, very different style,

and you've really pulled it off.

...and became
potter of the week.

- While Christine struggled...
- No, I can't. I'm not doing it.

- Dropped him? Oh, no.
- Yeah.

...it was Cellan's gnomes
who fell short...

For me, they're a bit
on the small side.

...and he left the competition.

Just wasn't my week.
Just wasn't my week.

- This week...
- Life and death with mud.

...the potters go retro.

- '60s in a vase.
- With vintage vessels...

Finding this one
quite stressful.

...and a decorative spot test.

Whoa! Look at that purple.

With a very special
guest judge.

- Oh, my God
- Wow.

Who will swing their way
to the top?

I just think they're brilliant.
Absolutely wonderful.

I think he likes them.

And who will be facing
the chop?

Focus.

The potters are back, and
this week the remaining seven

will be sent back in time
to the swinging '60s.

I love the '60s.
My house is full of '60s stuff.

It's vibrant, it's colorful,
it's fun, it's carefree.

It's all the sort of things
I like to be, I suppose.

It's gonna be tricky
to make something

that's made in the modern day
but is very much '60s style,

especially when
you're as young as me

and don't know much about it.

I don't really remember
the '60s.

I do remember
the '60s revival, the '80s.

I've kind of got that slight
cultural connection to it

that maybe some of
the younger ones don't have.

But I don't think
that's gonna make a difference

up there today.

Hello, potters.
Welcome back to the pottery.

It's 1960s week, which is
a special week for Keith,

because he was born in 1965,

and within days was at a wheel
throwing his first pot.

- That's right.
- He's a natural.

For your main challenge this
week, the judges would like you

to throw a pair
of 1960s inspired vessels.

Yes, not one vessel, but two.

Your vessels could be
vases, pitchers, jugs,
or maybe a mixture,

but they must represent the
extravagant style of the 1960s.

The '60s was a great decade,
not just 'cause I was born,

but we want your vessels to have
that leopard-skin effect

which was really, really popular
throughout Europe in the 1960s.

It was an era
of bold color and excess,

so we want that color
to come through in your work.

Have fun, and give us
some bright, colorful pieces.

Keith, I think I speak
for the whole room when I say

we'd love to see you
in leopard print one day.

We'd like to see that '60s style

in both the shape of
your vessels and the decoration.

They need to be different forms

but feel like they come together
as a very obvious pair.

You have five hours
to make and refine

your pair of '60s vessels.

Your time starts now.
Potters, get potting.

This is the kind of thing
I make. So... excited.

Yeah, '60s week,
so I will be using words

like "groovy," "radical,"
"far out," quite a lot,

and making two vases.

Both vessels need to be
40cm high...

There is a lot of clay
to handle today.

Whoo!

...so the potters may choose
to throw them in sections.

I'm gonna throw the base section
and then throw another section,

and then join them
when they get a bit harder.

If you can throw in one piece,
it's stronger,

but it's just really hard
to pull up that high,

unless you're an experienced
thrower, which I'm not.

So we've headed
back to the '60s, Keith.

What an era for color
and bold impactful pots.

Well, it was kind of
more is more, wasn't it?

Bold, bright, punchy colors and
really, really ridiculous forms,

and, you know,
all these different sections

that usually don't really
go together.

They're sort of a bit odd,
but they used to

sort of cram them all
into one form

to give us these really sort of

out-of-this-world
kind of vessels.

I really love it. I mean,
I brought this one up, you know.

I bought this for my mum
in Holland, you know,

and I just love the kind of,
the bulbous form,

these kind of tiny little almost
slightly out-of-proportion

sort of lugs on the side,

and then this really
sort of chunky, robust rim.

It just feels
outlandish and different.

I just hope that our potters
embrace that exuberance.

But however
they choose to do it,

they've gotta be mindful
all the time

of that glaze application
that's coming later.

That's it,
and we've asked them

for the '60s-inspired
leopard-skin effect.

We want that glaze to be
really bold, confident,

and really flow and move
with the form that they've made.

I mean, the fluid glazes I love,
I love that sense of alchemy,

that sense that the glaze
becomes fluid in the kiln.

And that needs an appropriate
form to work on, you know.

It's gotta run round
a beautifully voluptuous form,

or down
a straight-sided cylinder.

It just, you know...
The two work together.

And not only that,
they need to work as a pair.

And that's where it's
really tricky for our potters,

'cause not only have they gotta
get it right on one pot,

they've gotta get it right
on the other.

They need to feel like
they're part of the same pair,

and, you know, those pots could
be two very different forms,

so the glaze is gonna behave
very differently

on both of those surfaces.

That's the crux
of the whole challenge.

- Hello, Anna.
- Hi, Anna.

- How are youse doing?
- Good.

- And how are you?
- I'm grand, I think.

- Good, good.
- Yeah.

So, tell us, what's your design?

- I've got two designs here.
- OK.

OK?
This is the first design.

- You're gonna pull the handle.
- Pull the handle, yeah.

And so it's gonna
sort of morph onto...

- Yes, it sort of, yeah.
- Wow. And then?

I've gone
sort of for different colors,

because I think the '60s

is more about clashing colors
and individuality.

And they're gonna fit together,
are they?

I think they will

in their own little strange way.

In a '60s kind of way.

Well, in your little
strange way.

Anna's jug and vase
may be different shapes,

with clashing
color combinations,

but she's aiming
to make them a pair

by creating a river
of leopard-skin-effect glaze

that will flow
around both vessels.

I've just got a bit of doubt

that, you know,
they're a matching pair.

I've got a sense of that,

but I'm hoping
when they're finished,

they'll look to be
a matching pair,

so we'll wait and see.

Anna might be gambling
on two very different vessels,

but Tom is hoping
for a more cohesive design.

So I'm making two vases.

I'm doing the opposite of what
a traditional vase looks like.

So a traditional vase
goes out in the middle
and back up at the top.

Mine go in at the middle
and out at the top,

sort of like
an hour-glass shape.

Just exaggerated
bulbous forms, really.

Yeah, fun things to look at.

Tom's pair of bulbous vases

will have
interlocking silhouettes.

His leopard-skin effect
will be broken up

with bands
of orange and red zigzags,

in his nod to the vibrant
colors of the decade.

Are these the kind of vases
that you would like?

Yeah, definitely. I love this
kind of style. I love the '60s.

Obviously I wasn't there,
but the music was amazing.

- Clothes were fantastic.
- The hairstyles.

- Hairstyles were great.
- Don't put me near a lit flame.

Phwoar!

Also a fan of big hair
is Nick's mum, Gloria.

She was an apprentice
hairdresser in the '60s,

so I imagine she had the big
honeycomb thing going on.

I asked her what she remembered
about the '60s, really,

and she remembered
all the dresses and the fabrics.

So I've kind of taken
a little bit of inspiration

from some of the materials
back then,

and there was
lots of circular patterns.

I imagine
she dressed pretty cool.

Channeling his mum's
retro wardrobe,

Nick's cylindrical vases
will feature

square and circular
geometric sprigged motives,

stylized handles,
and bold bands of color.

Quite frankly, Nick,
I love those.

- Brilliant.
- Absolutely amazing shapes.

Yeah, if they come out
the bisque firing all right,

you know,
I'll feel better glazing them.

Well, good luck. I'm really
looking forward to seeing them.

Yeah, if I can pull it off,
I'll be, um, chuffed.

'60s in a vase.

Bold. Elaborate.
Brightly colored.

And Christine's duo of vases
will be all three,

with their flared necks,
statement handles,

and colorful glazes
which she'll paint

onto an intricately carved
surface design on both vessels.

How are you putting
all of this surface in?

Is that embossing?
Or is that all with decoration?

I'm going to carve it back,
'cause my work is slip cast,

and what I do is I layer and
then carve back from the layers.

So I thought, well, I might
as well use that strength.

And are you gonna have time
to do all of this?

I don't know. I hope so, yeah.

- So do we.
- I know.

But throwing such large,
bold shapes on the wheel...

- Ah! Rejected.
- ...is no mean feat.

Only really started
throwing bigger things

the last couple of months.

I am, like, a little bit
in flap mode at the moment.

- Hello, Lucinda.
- Hello.

- Hi, Lucinda.
- Hi.

- How are you feeling?
- I'm all right.

- Yeah?
- I am all right.

I can't throw very tall,
so I'm just kind of...

- Is that why you're on a box?
- Yes.

- What's your plan?
- My plan.

So let's have a look at this.

So, basically, um,
started off with

what the main kind of motifs
of the 1960s were,

the fabrics, the wallpapers,
and it's all about circles.

Lucinda's celebration
of circles

will feature
doughnut-style handles

and two highly decorated
curvaceous vessels,

made up of a series of
spheres, cylinders and bowls.

I have got so much to do.
I've got nine pieces to throw.

Lucinda may have given herself
a towering to-do list...

Time is tight.

...but Jenny has chosen

one of the trickiest forms
to throw on the wheel.

I'm throwing a doughnut,
so at the moment

I'm just bringing up
the interior wall.

So I'm gonna curve this over,

start to bring it over
to meet the other wall.

It's something that I make
all the time at home,

so hopefully...
hopefully it'll be all right.

Jenny's doughnut vase will be
joined by a disc-shaped one,

both of which
she'll decorate simply

with incising, sprig molds
and bands of orange

to contrast
the leopard-skin-effect glaze.

How are you feeling
about the glazing?

I'm excited about the glazing.

I haven't used
these glazes before,

but they look beautiful.

Yeah, so really excited
to get them on

and really bring the pots
to life.

But then I hope I'm not
setting myself up for a fall.

Focus.

- Really encouraging, that.
- Yes, I know.

Potters, one hour gone.

One hour gone?

I'm gonna run out
of dance moves.

This is all I've got,
to be honest.

When throwing
multiple sections...

This is the bottom of one,
and that's the top of it.

...to create
a singular flowing form...

I'm gonna bring the top in
a little bit

so it's the diameter I want.

...precision is key.

The top of this pot
has got to be

exactly the same size
on my vase.

I'm finding this one
quite stressful.

I wanna make sure
that my bits fit on well.

I just don't wanna be, like,

the first person
to ever walk up the front

and hand them
half a vase or something.

When I practiced at home,
I made a big bowl,

and then I went to put the top
on it and it went through it,

like I made the opening
too wide,

so I've got to
not do that today.

Hoping they have their
measurements spot-on today,

AJ will be throwing
spheres and cylinders

to form their pair of vases,

which they will decorate
in bold colors

with a band of
the all-important

leopard-skin-effect glaze

dripping down
over the bellied forms.

This glaze technique,

is it something
you've ever done before?

- No, never.
- No. No, OK.

I quite like glazes
that sort of do...

almost do the decoration work
for you, though,

the sort of reaction glazes.

Well, that's right,
I mean, you know,

the '60s was all about

that reaction with the glazes,
wasn't it?

And that vibrancy
is what we're looking for.

Almost as vibrant
as Ellie is looking.

Almost.

Nothing is as vibrant
as me today.

- No.
- Look at it.

It's like sunglasses all around.

We're not really toning, are we?

It's like muted, muted...
I'm here!

- I'm just off to chop wood.
- Yeah.

Potters, you are halfway
through, you groovy dudes.

With all the sections
of their vessels thrown...

I've got my neck,
I've got my base,

I've got the doughnut,
I've got my disc parts.

...the potters
are about to find out...

This is the scary bit
of the whole thing.

...if their diameters match up.

Well, seems pretty good, right?

This is
such a crucial bit, right?

The whole thing lives or dies
on this one joint.

- Life and death.
- Life and death.

With mud.

Oh, yeah, baby.

Have you seen how much
my hands are shaking? Ooh.

Every join must be seamless.

So, the internal diameter
is pretty close,

but the external diameter
on this is a lot wider,

but once that's on
and set a little bit,

I can then trim it
and blend it in.

But not all the joints
are easy to access.

Now, I can't get inside
to join this,

so I have to make sure
that what I do here

is really, really solid.

Usually, you know,
you get your hand inside,

and you can sort of feel what's
going on, but not with this.

It doesn't quite
look like the picture.

Potters,
you've got half an hour.

With all
their vessels joined...

I've got some sprigs
to attach to this vase,

and then I've got some carving
to do on the doughnut vase.

...the potters
can attach any handles...

If it works,
it'll be great, but...

if it doesn't, we're in trouble.

...and surface design
or texture to their pieces.

I feel quite confident
with the carving.

It was just I was worried
that I might not actually

get the chance
to get to the carving.

It's satisfying,
and it's really scary,

'cause, like,
the littlest, like, mistake

and you've ruined everything.

This is where
the bands of color are gonna go.

- You OK, Nick?
- Yeah.

Oh, you've got them on.
Well done.

- Just a bit messy, but...
- No, they're grand.

It's terrible when
you're doing things in a hurry.

Tom's in.

How much time have we got?

- Five minutes left.
- Yep.

Nick's just
finishing up.

- Are you done?
- I'm done.

- With time to spare.
- With time to spare.

Well done, Lucinda.
We're nearly there!

Look. I wanted to do so much
of that sort of thing on mine.

I just didn't have time.

Five, four, three, two, one.

- Well done.
- Oh, that was not groovy.

Oh, you've got circles
and spheres. That's smart.

I found that
quite hard-going.

If they come out all together,

I will be absolutely landed
with that.

My pieces came out
exactly how I wanted, yeah.

I'm really pleased with them.

I just hope I've done enough
for the judges

to sort of pick them out
and love them.

I mean, potter of the week
would be... would be lovely,

I mean, again, but who knows?

I mean, the glazing could...
could spoil it. I don't know.

I haven't used
any of those glazes before.

'60s week is in full swing.

What is under the hessian?

And the potters now face
a retro second challenge

that will test
their decoration skills.

Potters, your second challenge
this week is a spot test.

You're going to be creating
a '60s-inspired repeat pattern,

like these.

- Oh!
- Yes.

- I remember some of those.
- Lordy.

This type of design
was all the rage in the '60s,

and arguably still is
if you hang out

mostly at car boot sales.

We want you
to design and decorate

this kitchen utensils pot with
a really bold repeat pattern.

The pattern
must be continuous,

and we're looking
for full coverage,

that's top to bottom,
right the way round the outside.

And for the first time
in Pottery Throw Down history,

we will be firing
your second challenge

so it can be judged in all
its beautiful technicolor glory.

This will be judged blind,

so you two can pop off
and practice your twist.

- Right.
- Off you go. I mean it.

I can see all your minds
absolutely whirring,

so I won't keep you any longer.

You can head back
to your benches.

You have 90 minutes.
Your time starts now.

Potters, get potting.

OK, lots to work with.

Oh, this is not me. This is
not me, but I'm doing it.

This is a ground-breaking
second challenge

for Pottery Throw Down.

I absolutely love pattern.

It is completely my thing.

So, this couldn't have been
any better for me.

The potters
have to create and paint

their own 1960s-inspired
repeat pattern,

and to make the colors pop,
they'll be dipping their pots

in a transparent glaze
before firing.

Time worries me, and also
shaky hands is another thing,

so I'm just trying to relax.

And what they don't know

is that their final pieces
will be judged

by the queen of patterns
herself, Orla Kiely.

From royal wear to homeware,

Orla's iconic patterns
are renowned

for their vivid,
repeating motifs.

She'll be looking for designs

that reflect
the '60s aesthetic

of bright colors
and bold shapes.

I've got no idea
what makes it a 1960s pattern,

if I'm totally honest.

Sort of really bright, bold
pops of color.

There was a lot of flowers
in the 1960s,

and circles and leaves
seem to be a major theme.

I'm gonna do basically
a flower decoration,

bright, colorful flowers,
and an awful lot of them.

While most of the potters
have been inspired

by '60s flower power...

If it comes out
anything like my drawing,

I'll be chuffed to bits.

...Nick's considering
going down

a completely different track.

The only thing that's '60s
that's popping to me

is '60s hot rods.

What I think of '60s hot rods
is flames, so I don't know.

I've just filled the bottom in

while I'm still
thinking it over,

just something happy,

so I'm hoping
that's not gonna be too risky.

- Christine.
- Yeah.

Do you think I'd get away with
doing a hot rod flame thing?

I don't see why not,
just as long as it repeats.

- And it's '60s.
- And it's '60s-inspired, yeah.

- On your head be it.

- That's mean, that.
- I'm gonna do it.

I'm just getting
the pattern on first of all

with ceramic pencil.

Messy, isn't it?

One, two, three...

Oh, it's not enough.
Five. I need five.

No room
to make any mistakes.

It's like a repeating pattern,

so the mistakes
are gonna be very obvious.

I've gone for five lines,

because when you look
at the pot,

you get one line
down the middle,

and you get half of each
on the side.

It just fits perfect
if you do it like that.

I want to get
as much planned as I can,

and then literally
just sit and paint, so...

I think I might
start painting, actually.

That's half an hour gone,
potters.

I repeat, half an hour gone.

I'm feeling slightly less shaky

now that I've actually got
a design on my pot.

I'm gonna choose a contrasting
color to the purple.

Probably yellow.

That purple.
Whoar! Look at that purple.

Approach at the moment
is put my base layer down first,

and then I'm gonna do green
leaves, and then orange flowers.

I'm just trying
to get the flowers finished.

I think they want
everything decorated,

so I'm gonna paint
the background blue.

I'm hoping
it's gonna look like

the front bonnet
of a '60s hot rod,

super sharp, you know,
bright, all of that.

The flames will go
red, orange, yellow,

and then a black background,
but it'll be mostly flamage.

Gotta go quickly.

To create
the bold block-color effect

that defines 1960s patterns,

the potters need to build up
layer upon layer of underglaze.

I need to make sure that
my color application is good,

so I'm gonna have to try
and get three layers on.

Oh, my God,
there's some amazing ones.

I'm doing as many layers
of this glaze as I can get done.

Two's the bare minimum,
basically.

One gives you
the sort of watercolor look,

and the '60s vibrant kitchenware

is not known
for looking like watercolor.

But Anna is going
for the opposite effect

for the background
of her pattern.

I wanted it to be
a brushstroke-y effect.

Just think it breaks up
the solid color,

and I kind of wanted it to
look like it was hand-painted.

I perhaps should have done
the background first, but...

Ah, I'm not too far behind.

Potters, you have
half an hour to go.

I'm under
a bit of time pressure.

- Paint quicker.
- I'm good for half an hour.

That just gives me
a bit of time to refine.

Don't wanna make it too fussy.

Bit panicky about the time,

but I'm pretty pleased
with the pattern.

I'm painting the inside.

I just want to give
a completely finished vessel.

I'm not painting
the background. I'm leaving it
the color of the clay.

There's too much background
to paint in the time we've got.

I feel I need
something else there.

Red. Red, red, or orange?

Well, I hope the judge
is gonna like this.

It's a bit fussy, but a lot
of the '60s designs were fussy.

Ooh, I've missed a bit there.
Missed that bit there.

Ten minutes left, potters.
Ten minutes left.

And remember to dip it
in the glaze first as well.

Transparent glaze as well.

It's now a race against time
for the potters

to get their layers of
underglaze finished and dried

before dipping their pots.

I'm reluctant
to put another layer on

when I really need to be
getting it dipped soon.

I want it to be
properly, properly dry,

so that the transparent glaze
adheres properly.

Any wet patches going
into the glaze at this stage

will risk ruining
a perfect finish.

I'm just trying to get
a little bit of depth

into the petals of the flowers

by painting another layer.

I'm going
for a second layer,

and I also want to touch up

any little splashed bits,
of which there's a few.

- Here we go.
- Right, now then.

With time running out,

the first of the potters

are taking the plunge.

Ooh, wow.

- Oh.
- Gorge.

- Well done.

I'm gonna do a dip.

And then I've gotta try
to keep my grip.

- Well done.
- Whoo!

I'm just freehanding it now.
The whole methodical thing's
gone out the window.

I've done one layer of blue.
I think I'm running out of time
to start a second layer.

Just trying to block in
an extra coat on my leaves here.

- Hot rod's going in.
- Wow, look at that.

I'm a little worried
about the underglaze

not being dry enough,

but I just really want
that bold color.

Just making sure
they know it's a '60s hot rod.

If in doubt, literally
write it on the bottom.

- Just in case.
- How you getting on, AJ?

Nearly there.
Nearly, nearly.

We've got AJ, Tom and Anna.

I hate dipping.

- Lordy.
- One minute left.

Dry.

- One minute, Tom.
- Needs to dry.

- Everyone dipped?
- It'll have to do.

Shove it in.

Come on, Tom.
You're making me nervous.

- Swirl it round.
- Easy-peasy. Perfect.

Wow.

Five, four, three,

two and one.

Well done, everybody.

The decorated '60s-inspired
kitchen utensil pots

will now be fired for 24 hours.

Got finished. Can't believe it.

And the potters won't
see them again until judging,

when they'll be revealed
before surprise guest judge

and design legend Orla Kiely.

- Everything groovy?
- Groovy indeed.

I'm really excited to see
how everything's come out.

Even if it's a bit crap,
I'm still excited.

I think I did a fairly
traditional '60s repeat pattern.

- I think it's gonna go OK.
- Looked pretty hot.

We'll have to see how
the judges interpret that one.

They might absolutely love it,
or they might go,

"What the heck are you doing,
dude? Off you go."

24 hours after firing,
the potters are about to see

their '60s-inspired
kitchen utensil pots

in all their glory,

and have no idea
that judging them blind

will be special guest,
the queen of patterns herself.

Potters, I can feel the color

shining out
from under the hessian.

So let's get cracking.
Actually, do you know what?

I think we could do
with a third opinion here.

Potters, please welcome someone

famous for their 1960s-inspired
graphic repeat designs,

it's Orla Kiely.

- Oh. Oh!
- Wow!

Oh, my word.

Hello. Hello. Hello, everyone.
Lovely to be here.

- Hello.

Orla, can you tell us
what you're looking for

from the potters' designs?

I'm looking for strong design,

repeats that have been
thought through, good color,

and something that makes me
feel joyful and happy.

OK. Here we go, the first one.

OK.

It's very charming, it's got
lovely quality in the flowers,

but I think the color could have
had a little bit more oomph.

And I'm noticing at that back
there's two flowers that meet.

I think one more stem
would have filled that space.

So, moving on,
let's have a look at this one.

OK, this has got
full coverage,

which I think is very nice.

The color has been applied well.

It's certainly bold.

And it's beautifully configured.

- Oh, and look!
- Yeah.

- I like that.
- Nice little surprise.

Yeah, you don't often
see that, you know.

I think that's really cute.

Number three.

- Ooh.
- Wow.

That is very cute.

That's got
a nice graphic quality to it.

- The repeat is perfect.
- Absolutely.

And I also really like
where they've cropped the shape,

because if you thought,
"I'm not gonna do that flower,"

you'd be left with a hole.

OK.

And number four,
let's have a look.

OK, um, there's a lot of
different things going on here.

All of these different elements
are slightly competing.

And I also wonder
about the flatness of color.

It feels like it's lacking
that really graphic power.

OK. Moving on, number five.

So this looks interesting.

Again, it's full coverage.

Maybe the potter here
wanted to have

this kind of
watery-looking background,

but I would prefer
if that was flatter,

and then the lovely flowers
would pop out more.

But as far as a repeat
is concerned, I like that.

Number six. Let's have a look.

Ooh. That's quite fiery.

Again, it's full coverage.

It's a repeat, I guess,
as it goes round the vessel,

and the color is evenly applied.

And, look, a smiley face.
I love that.

That's
really well ex*cuted.

That is beautifully done.

- Maybe less '60s.
- Last but not least.

So this is sweet.

I quite like the fact
that it's, you know,

all going in one direction.

The yellow could have been
a bit darker,

and then you would have seen it
and seen that it was a flower.

That's been nicely designed.

I guess just in the way
the color has been applied,

I feel it could have been
a little bit stronger.

Orla will now rate the pots
from worst to first.

To start at number seven,
it's this one.

I do think there are
too many elements there,

and it could have been
a little bit simpler.

Number six is this one.

If you'd moved all these stems
a bit closer to each other,

then there would have been
a little bit more coverage.

Number five is this one.

I do think you've applied color
really well.

It's maybe less of a repeat
than all the other ones here.

In fourth place is Anna,
in third place is Christine.

And in second place...

is this one.

Jenny, I think you've done
a great job, you know.

It's graphic, it's simple,
it's definitely got punch.

- Well done.
- Thank you.

And in first place, this one.

That's me.

AJ,
this looks super cute,

it's beautifully spaced,

the flowers
are all pretty regular,

and the color looks great.

Congratulations.

Thanks so much.

Well done, AJ.
Well done, all of you.

And thank you, Orla, so much
for coming to the pottery.

It's been a pleasure
having you here.

You're so welcome.
It was really fun.

I don't think it's sunk in.

That's brilliant.
Orla said it was cute.

I'm pleased with that.

I expected to come last
for sure.

It could have gone a lot worse.

Little smiley face
always helps, doesn't it?

Aw, I was last.
You can't win 'em all.

But I hope
that I can pull this out the bag

and do something good
for the big vases.

Hmmm.

With the demanding discipline

of repeating patterns
behind them,

the potters now face a more
anarchic decorating challenge.

Want to see the pots.

First, though,
it's a trip to the kiln

to see how their vessels
have fared

after a 24-hour bisque firing.

- Ooh.
- All right.

- Good morning, potters.
- Hello.

- Morning.
- I love yours, AJ.

Thank you. I'm so pleased.

I made giant maracas.

- Chh, chh, chh!

It's really good.

There's no cracks or anything.
I'm so pleased.

But not everyone
has been quite so lucky.

Now, Nick.
Bit of an issue with your piece.

Oh, piece or pieces?

Do you wanna come
and have a look in the kiln?

Ah!

- The base has blown out.
- OK.

Shall we have a look
how bad it is?

Oof. I'm quite happy with that.
It looks quite cool.

The organic look.
Right, thank you.

I'll go and, uh, polish a turd.

The potters now have two hours
to decorate their vast vessels

ahead of a final firing.

I'm really pleased with my pots.

They've come out
just how I'd hoped.

I've got one little issue here,
as you can see,

just a bit of a crack
under the handle.

Hopefully it won't
stress anymore,

but I do need
to tart this up a bit.

They've had
a bit of a blowout.

Hopefully I can pull it back
with the design,

and maybe counteract
the problem in my bottom.

And while they've been given
the usual array
of glazes and oxides,

mastery of the unpredictable
leopard-skin-effect technique

is crucial
if they're to impress.

I love this kind of glaze.
I use this kind of glaze
at home a lot.

This is my normal style
of pottery, I suppose,

big bulbous vessels,
different random glazes

that melt in interesting ways.

This has gotta be
the most difficult

decoration stage so far.

Absolutely, the '60s-inspired
leopard-skin effect,

that's what
we're trying to emulate here.

And really
we're asking them to do

sort of some
considered decoration,

but also with a technique
that can be fairly volatile.

Yeah, 'cause essentially
it's just kind of

that very fluid dark base glaze
which melts

at a lower temperature
than that white glaze,

so one stays sort of floating
on the surface of the other.

And that's what I love
about this challenge,

because it is alchemy
in that kiln chamber

that they're not necessarily
going to know about

until they open that kiln door.

That's it, and it's what
sort of ceramics is about.

It's about everything melting
in the kiln

and sort of being on the brink
of disaster, you know.

Usually you're applying a glaze

and you want it to stay
where it's put.

You're not expecting that glaze
to flow and move

and dribble all over the pot.

And the potters
need to really make sure

they get that application
thickness just right

so it flows enough
but not too much.

Absolutely.
That leopard-skin effect.

It's gonna make their pot
come alive.

I've started putting
the leopard-print glaze on.

I've got two bands to do,

one on the red pot
and one on the yellow pot,

but it took me a minute to start
'cause I'm terrified.

The potters will need
to work fast

if they're to reproduce
this iconic '60s technique.

This is the beginning
of the leopard glaze,

so three coats of this
sort of rusty-colored glaze,

and then three coats of white,

and it reacts then in the heat
and it sort of just pulls apart

and you get
this leopard-skin effect.

And with leopard-skin-effect
glaze, there are no shortcuts.

So there's two hours

and obviously there's
quite a lot of layers to get on.

A lot to do, so I have to work
like a machine.

Tom, though,
is hoping to control

this notoriously
temperamental finish.

So, you're the only potter I see
using masking tape.

Are you a genius,
or are you a cheater?

- We'll see at the end.
- OK.

It might make it worse.
I'm not sure.

I think it's a really good idea.

- Do you know why I did it?
- No.

I thought it'd save me time,

but everyone's already painted
half their pots.

While Tom's
striking '60s pattern

requires a little taping time,

some of the potters
are going freehand.

I don't want
really straight lines,

I want them
to sort of blend together

a little bit on the edges,

so that's why I haven't bothered

masking up
or anything like that,

'cause I want a soft effect
where they join

rather than really harsh lines.

But as the layers
of leopard-skin-effect glaze

move and shift
in the heat of the kiln,

where the glaze is placed will
have an impact on the pattern.

It's a deliberate
decision to put this at the top,

because it might move, and then
I'll get a nice contrast,

in that that's very ordered
and very organized,

and this is a bit more free.

And the more dynamic the
design, the greater the chance

the pattern will drift
out of shape in the kiln.

It's quite a drippy glaze,

and although it's a fairly
simple pattern in many respects,

I'm getting sort of drips,
and I wasn't expecting it

to be quite so fluid as that.

But after a disappointing
display in the spot test,

Lucinda's risking all
with another punchy pattern.

The decoration is gonna be
really kind of bright,

lots of lovely color
and pattern.

So, yeah, I mean,
you do want it to really

kind of shout out at you.

- Halfway through, potters!
- Whoa.

And, my goodness, these pots
are looking decorated.

- We've got an hour left?
- Yeah.

- That's not fair.
- It's not enough time, is it?

With an hour to go, the potters
begin the second stage

of creating
the leopard-skin effect,

stacking white glaze
over the layers of brown.

On the white now, so it will be
good to get all of that on

so that I can then move on
to the colored glazes.

I do just need
to get a shift on.

But with
such a complex pattern,

Lucinda is starting
to struggle.

Really running out of time.

I don't quite know
how I'm gonna achieve this.

It just takes longer to do when
you've got a bit of pattern.

I'm just gonna have to hope
that I can get all of this on,

and then get some color
on the rest of it,

'cause there's
a heck of a lot to do.

While Lucinda panics
about her pattern...

Slight flaw in the plan,
but never mind.

...Tom is having trouble
with his tape.

You got the white on?
I'm putting white on next.

The brown hasn't dried
'cause I used masking tape,

so where it's on the masking
tape, it's really wet,

so I'm smudging it everywhere.

But Nick is still bummed
about his bottom.

I heard
you had a blown bottom.

Yeah, bit of a problem
with the old bum, yeah.

- How is it?
- Have a peek under there.

Oh, there's still a bottom
attached. Could be worse.

- Oh, yeah, could be worse.
- Yeah.

Is leopard-skin glaze something
that you've used before?

It's not something I've used,
definitely wouldn't wear it.

- Not a big fan?
- Not any more.

Not any more? Your leopard-skin
days are behind you.

Do you see much leopard print
in Barry?

In the, um, wrong places, yeah.

In the right places.
I flippin' love leopard print.

- 30 minutes to go, potters.

With time running out,

those with complete coats

of leopard-skin-effect glaze

can start adding color.

So, leopard print at the top,

and then the panels are
going to be green and yellow,

and then the other one,

the panels are going to be
orange and red.

Right now, all I need do

is to take the tape off
and put in the bright colors.

The rest must labor on
with their layers.

Going fast.
There's half an hour to go.

Finishing my last white coat
on this one.

Then I can stick
my yellow on it.

I've just slapped it on thick.

We just have no time spare
to be fiddly with this.

Right, I've gotta get
some color on now.

The orange and yellow should go
really nice together,

flaming type effect.

I'm not expecting sharp lines,

but I'm expecting the kind of
memory of sharp lines.

I know that sounds pretentious,
but that's what I'm going for.

I'm just taking my time,

try and get everything
as neat as I can.

- Ooh, dear.

Don't dribble on your pot.

It's very dribbly. It's nothing
to do with me at all.

Potters,
that's five minutes to go.

- Ha!
- Time has just flown.

Copper gold
on the rims.

I'm hoping it'll do
some crazy stuff.

Hopefully
it'll look better once
it's all melted and fired on,

'cause it's a bit
of a dog's dinner right now.

Remember, potters,
this glaze is super reactive,

so it's very important
to have clean bottoms.

Right, there you go, just gotta
do the rims and I'm done.

Clean like you've never cleaned
a bottom before.

- Front to back.
- Front to back.

Time's up.
Well done, everybody.

And breathe.

- They look brilliant.
- Thanks, Anna. So do yours.

The potters must now take
their finished vessels to Rose

for one final firing.

Jenny's gone rogue,
two at a time.

When they next see them,
it will be judgment time.

You know,
as far as a '60s design,

I think I've got that
pretty spot-on,

but then it's got no butt on it,

so I definitely think
I'm top contender

for going home this week
at the moment.

I managed to get pretty much
everything I wanted to do done.

When it comes to judging
who's gonna go,

I think the second challenge
is important,

so fingers crossed
it will be all right.

I have a sense that
this might be my last time here,

and I really hope it's not,
but I'm just not sure

if I've done enough
at this stage,

or if everything's
gonna work together,

so, yeah, I'm... I'm worried.

It's judgment day, and after
a 24-hour gloss firing,

the potters' '60s vessels are
ready to come out of the kiln.

Obviously,
he's got a bottom missing.

Best-case scenario,
the little, like, kiln elves

have gone in there and patched
up the bottom, fixed it,

and I win, and everyone's happy,
and we have a party.

Uh...

Whoa. They're bright, eh?

Oh, dear.

I want to so much go on

and just keep on
experiencing this,

but I just am concerned
that maybe

I've pushed things
a little too far.

They're bright.
They're extremely bright.

I'm hoping that when I see
the pots for the first time,

they're sort of really bright,
dazzling colors.

Oh, my God.

And I really hope
the leopard print worked.

Seven pairs of '60s vessels

now face the judgment
of Keith and Rich.

Hello, potters. Oh, my Lordy.

These vessels look
absolutely amazing.

Best vessels I've seen
in a very long time.

Shall we start the judging?

There's no option,
so I'm glad you agreed.

AJ, can you bring down
your vessels, please?

Well, as a pair,
I think they work really well.

The forms are fantastic.

You can tell
they're really well built.

But in terms
of that '60s aesthetic,

yes, they look
really, really good.

This is wonderful, isn't it?

The way that's bled
down the side of the red.

Look at that. That's fantastic.

The curve is pristine
right the way round.

The profile is perfect.

It's difficult to make a sphere

and make it feel purposeful
and voluptuous

and nice and round,
and you've done that.

Your choice of where to put the
band as well is really sensible,

because on the top
of that kind of spherical form,

you want that glaze to move
and migrate downwards,

so it's the perfect place
to put it.

I just feel like
you've hit the nail on the head.

You've gone for
a really, really simple design,

and you've
ex*cuted it perfectly.

Thank you.

It's interesting, because
by sort of first appearance,

they work really beautifully
as a pair,

but when you kind of
really look at them, you know,

the qualities in this red one,

and the spring and the life
and the energy,

this form is beautiful, and this
rim where it's flared out

gives it such spring,
such presence,

and side by side with this one,

it's just
a completely different make.

This is
so purposeful, though,

this really generous incising,

and it adds an extra dimension
to the vessels,

and this glaze effect,
it's really, really worked.

- Thank you.
- Yeah, well done, Christine.

This vase, somehow the form,
there's just real volume to it.

It feels really expansive. It
feels really kind of voluptuous.

This one, for me,
it's a very different form.

Yeah,
this isn't that purposeful,

it's slightly weak there,

but there's certainly
a lot of color.

For me, you didn't need zigzags.

You could have just done lines,
I think.

And maybe you would have got
a bit more fluidity

with the leopard-skin
glaze then.

That glaze has almost

been held up
by the zigzag slightly.

It hasn't integrated
and moved everything down.

If there'd been
a bit more integration

between all of those glazes,

it maybe would have
softened everything.

The application
of the red on this one

hasn't really worked,
but apart from that,

this is a wonderfully
turned base.

Your finish, it seems
to be getting better and better,

which is really nice to see.

I think they
very much feel of the '60s,

and they're a very obvious pair.

It's just some of the attributes
that you've got

kind of lack that exuberance,
of the handles, essentially.

Like this spout on the jug is
just a bit mean and a bit small.

I'm with Rich.

If you're gonna do a lip,

especially if it's in the '60s,

make it really come out,
you know,

get that lip really pushing out.

I always kind of
look down the profile

when things have been altered
and moved.

- And that is slightly off.
- It's so crooked.

Slightly crooked, but for
me what it lacks in the forms,

you've made up for
with the decoration.

This is brilliant,
and, of course,

we've got
this leopard-skin effect.

We wanted that free movement,
and you've done it.

You've kind of understood

the aesthetic
that you were going for,

and, boy, have you delivered it.

In terms of them
working together as a pair,

I was really worried
during your build stage

that they were just gonna be
so different,

but I think the thing
that's really saved that

is that graphic edge
between that leopard-skin glaze

and the colors
that you've put on them.

The one thing for me
in terms of the form,

I feel like the handle probably
wanted to be on this side,

'cause I feel like actually that
would have given it real lift.

It feels a bit sort of sad
and a bit downward-facing.

So as a '60s inspired structure,

this is a bit too organic
for me.

It would have been nice to
have this maybe more brutalist.

But I'm loving
this green and blue.

I was just drawn to that
straightaway.

It's like a lava lamp. It's sort
of so reminiscent of the '60s.

Well done.

I kind of had a lot of
high hopes for the two forms.

I was thinking, yeah,

it's indicative
of that classic '60s design,

and that's really worked well
for you.

They are a bit
on the old heavy side.

That's maybe why
that's blown out.

That must have been
really, really thick.

I mean, I know you haven't been
throwing for that long,

but, yeah, that base going
is not great.

I mean, there's
some lovely elements to it.

The glaze has worked
really well.

I'm really liking
all these drips.

I think the thing that
really lets them down for me

is those bands
just feel a bit lackluster.

They haven't got that precise
quality and they're a bit messy.

You've got a bit of cobalt
that's sprung across here.

Just that glaze application's
let it down a bit,

and that blowout,
it's a real shame.

Well, I'm not even
gonna ask you what you think.

I just think they're brilliant.
I think you've really nailed it.

They hit the brief completely.

They are '60s-esque inspired,
absolutely wonderful.

The forms are great.
They look like a pair.

I love the Ying and Yang kind of
thing you've got going on here,

the way that glaze has broken
over the surface.

It's fantastic.

The leopard-skin effect that
you've got is really wonderful.

This is nice, and bleeds
really nicely into the form.

These handles are perfect,
absolutely wonderful. I mean...

I think he likes them.

I'm just so pleased
for you.

What can I say?
I can't really add much, can I?

They feel really ambitious.

There's no holding back
in terms of the form.

I think they show real kind of
aptitude for bold design.

I think these rims
are just delightful, you know.

The way that's broken on the rim
is just beautiful.

I mean, for weeks now,
six, actually, we've seen you,

and you haven't quite
hit the nail on the head.

But these have just
really come together for you.

I'm just so pleased.

I loved it.

Look, honestly, Jenny,
it really shows,

and they're really wonderful
to see.

- Thank you.
- Thanks, Jenny.

Thank you.

That went so well.

I'd looked at my pots
and thought,

"I'm really pleased with them,
I love them,"

but to get that confirmation was
just, yeah, really emotional.

I feel like I let them down,
'cause there were
so into my design.

I think it does come down
to my experience and naivety

on this one unfortunately, which
was gonna happen at some point.

I'm feeling deflated.

Keith preferred some things,
Rich preferred other things,

but overall they sort of agreed

where the things
that could be improved on were,

so I'm in significant trouble,

and I do feel
my time's come to an end.

Well, what a brilliant week
in the pottery.

The '60s has really brought
the whole place alive.

How have you found it?

There's just been
a great vibe.

I just think all of the color

and the exuberance
and the forms,

it's been a real release,
I think, for our potters.

Yeah, I mean,
we were looking for excess,

we were looking for bold colors.

And they delivered.
It was brilliant.

Who do you think's had a really
good week in the pottery?

Well, I would say
AJ's had a fantastic week.

The forms were just
voluptuous and beautiful.

The leopard-skin glaze was put

in exactly the right place
on the form.

I just thought
they were fantastic.

For me, Jenny, she really,
really nailed it this week.

That incising
and the sprig work,

and the way the color broke
over that surface detail.

And the forms themselves,
the shapes,

they were just brilliant.

They were so indicative
of the '60s.

And both of those potters
also did very well
in the second challenge.

AJ came first,
Jenny came second,

so they've really had
a great week all round.

Yeah, they have, yeah.

So who's in danger
of leaving the pottery?

Well, I think, unfortunately,
this week, Nick.

His vases, you know,
they had such promise,

the design intention was there,
just so evocative of the '60s,

but, you know, that blowout,

and that decoration,
it just lacked that precision.

Yeah, it was surprising, really,

because we've seen so much
observational skills from Nick,

and those colors were just
a bit on the stiff side,

they didn't really work for the
whole aesthetic of the piece.

I mean, Lucinda's
not had a great week either.

I mean, you know, she set the
bar very high with that design.

She didn't quite meet it. It was
slightly disjointed in the form.

And she came last
in the second challenge,

so it's not been
a great week for her.

Yeah, and the other one,

she kind of saved herself,
really, was Anna.

You know,
the forms weren't exactly '60s,

but she did really, really well

at piecing
the two together as a pair

because of the way she applied
that leopard-skin glaze.

And what about Tom? You weren't
so mad on his zigzags.

No, he didn't need to do that,
you know.

He spent all that time
blocking out the zigzag pattern.

He could have got away
with just doing a big thick band

and let that leopard-skin effect
dribble slightly over.

For me, it looked like he'd
thrown the kitchen sink at it,

and it didn't quite work for me.

Well, it sounds like
you have a lot to talk about.

- Yeah, absolutely.
- We do.

I'll go and get us some
Babychams, take the edge off.

Nice.

Potters, thank you
for another brilliant week.

Crikey. It's getting
a bit hard now.

Let's go for the good news
first of all.

This week's potter of the week
garnered rave reviews all round

and has really made me
crave a doughnut.

It's Jenny.
Congratulations, Jenny.

Well done, Jenny.

And now to the rubbish bit.
Oh, my goodness.

I hate this so much.

The person sadly leaving us
this week is...

Nick. Oh, we're so sorry.

All right. Come on, bring it in.

Oh, it's been a blast.

Lovely creative space,
creative people.

I'm gonna miss everyone.

Sad to see you go, Nick.

I'm absolutely shocked.

I really was fully prepared

for my name to come out there,
and then it was Nick,

and I'm so sad to see Nick go.

This week really hasn't been
Nick's week.

He had a blowout
in one of the vessels,

and that precise application
we were looking for,
it just wasn't there.

I'd like to think I brought
my own unique style
to all my pieces.

- You can go surfing now.
- I know. I can, can't I?

I'll never do anything
like this again,

unless I take up
sewing or baking.

You might see me again.

As Nick leaves the pottery,

Jenny's '60s vessels
become her first piece

in the Throw Down gallery.

- Hello.
- Hello.

Are you potter of the week?

- Yes!
- Oh, well done!

I'm so pleased
for Jenny.

For weeks now
she's been close but no cigar.

'60s week was definitely
her week.

I think this week I've shown

that I can do it
and I can achieve.

It's just a massive
confidence boost.

Yeah, it has given me
more belief.

I'm just buzzing.

Next time...

Think I might
chop his neck off.

...the potters go wild...

Literally doing tooth implants.

...with hand-built
animal table lamps.

I think this is gonna work.

Oh, that's cool.

And a surprise second challenge

that lets their imaginations
run wild.

It's easier
when we're told what to do.

Who will be flying through
to the quarterfinal?

How do you even
pick it up?

- And who will be going home?

Do you know what?
I forgot to put a hole in it.