Guy Sydenham

John925 wrote:Yes it was a great pity he couldnt salt glaze on Portland. Russel was going to at New Barn but it never happened   This is one of the early salt glaze I have

that's one of the best mermaids I have seen

Its about7 or 8 inches long She lives inside tis

this is a tile panel made from parts of the Poole pottery water feature, it's rare to find pieces that are guaranteed to be made by Guy and decorated by Tony Morris

When they built that they had to do it at a weekend as they didnt want it to interfere with all the visitors. I made a stitched together picture of it in the book as there was no way you could photograph in one go. There is a story behind the design. in the water at base there are pots. They start to climb the wall attracted by the big orange sun. When the pottery was being demolished Clive worked in there taking as many of the tiles off that he could. The mermaid disappeared. Probably taken by the then MD. Clive made a great job of those collages. Unfortunately they were and are way out of my price range. I wonder what will happen to the one in the conservatory on Portland

Hi Dan Is this a recent purchase ? It looks familiar. Went to Joan's funeral today. It was well attended and she had a really nice send off. I went to her and Guy's house to photograph the front door that I have been through so many times. It was a bit strange not going in to see Joan.

rare Hippo 4 inch x 6 inch

Hi Dan is that a picture of my hippo ?

no it's his brother

Lovely seed-shaped pen holder or bud vase with impressed plants

Love the hippos. Above is my stunning kiln by Guy with 9 unique pots - the tallest is 7cms - how did he thrown them !
Its 11.5" high, a one-off I assume with the gorgeous orange glaze to the interior. The exterior brickwork must have taken an age.

I think you use a stick to put pressure on the inside when throwing miniatures.I have oriental ones much smaller that blow my mind, they are so finely potted.
The hippo's are not mine, the images were donated by a fellow collector

You're probably right, the carafe type ones would have needed a matchstick.

That kiln is incredible.

Guy Sydenham's work is so special - he is the kind of potter that made the sort of pieces that inspires people to want to have a go for themselves.. You see Federer's grace and think yep I'll give tennis a go, or back then Jose Maria Olazabal's creativity at golf and think yep that looks fun I'll give that a go... It is a genius gift that, and Guy had that gift, a gift that inspires others to want to try it for themselves - his pots have invention, humour and grace...

I especially love the mermaids they are from a different world - a world embedded to imaginations... I see them and i think how wonderful, wouldnt it be wonderful to give pottery a go!

I see that there is a G. S. mermaid for sale online at the moment, unusual in that it would seem to be quite an early, Poole pottery version, grey in colour rather than terracotta and not salt -glazed. Shame that there is some damage to an arm and the hair, otherwise I might have bid on it.

Been dropped

Guy would leave the most stunning examples out in his garden, the frost would chip off he extremities but he just figured he could mend them

Dan mermaids don't have 'extremities'

not if they're left out in the frost they don't

I bid £85 but someone wanted it more

Underbidder sucks. I've won some things as I've bid the extra pennies and got in earlier than someone else. You assume that the winner just bid £130 or something way over the top but strangely people do seem to come the the same valuation - he may have only bid 88 or 90

I have a very similar one in salt glaze and far more refined so it doesn't suck that much