Leo Minnion Pottery

Leo Minnion Pottery A blog about my pottery work, how I make it and maybe a little bit about my successes, failures and what I learned from them.

I hope sharing ideas and experiences is helpful for other potters, but also gives non-potters insight into the world of pottery.

Over the last few months I’ve also been experimenting with some new glazes. These are both shiny, so they’re a bit of a ...
29/08/2026

Over the last few months I’ve also been experimenting with some new glazes. These are both shiny, so they’re a bit of a departure from my usual semi-matte finish.

Changing glazes is actually quite a big deal. Unlike paint, you’re not just choosing a colour; you’re dealing with a whole set of chemicals that respond to heat and interact with each other as the glaze melts in the kiln.

For example, in the semi-matte green glaze I normally use, copper does two jobs: it gives the glaze its green colour, but it also helps it melt at the right temperature. If I replace the copper with another colourant, the glaze doesn’t necessarily melt in the same way. The result can be a completely different surface (mine went from semi-matte to matte).

Iron, for example, which can also be used as a colourant, behaves differently to copper. In an electric kiln it can increase the melting temperature, whereas in a gas kiln it can actually lower it, because the lack of oxygen changes how the iron behaves.

Basically, you can tweak one thing in a glaze and have all sorts of knock-on effects that you might not discover until the work has been through the entire kiln cycle and ruined a batch of pots!

The glaze can also behave differently in the bucket (I.e. when you’re applying it). This new glaze contains ingredients that make it flocculate (basically, it becomes a bit ‘fluffy’ and clings to the pot when you dip it). The first time I used it, it went on far too thickly, so I had to wash it all off, adjust the glaze and start again.

And there’s the financial commitment too. Testing a new glaze often means buying a whole set of expensive raw ingredients without knowing whether the recipe is actually going to work. There’s a definite element of just having to take the plunge.

So glaze testing takes ages, and it’s not particularly fun when things go wrong.

That said, I’m really pleased I persevered with these two. They’re made with a new glaze base that breaks across texture but seems much more amenable to swapping different colourants in and out, unlike my usual green glaze. Hopefully that means I’ll be able to develop a much wider range of colours from the same base.

It’s been a really long time since I last posted, but I’ve got a bit of down time now so I’m going to add a few updates....
29/08/2026

It’s been a really long time since I last posted, but I’ve got a bit of down time now so I’m going to add a few updates. This was the biggest pot I’ve ever made and there are a few other special things about it. Firstly, this is a collaboration with my dad and we had great fun doing it. By the way, if you don’t already follow my John Minnion, you should, he is a brilliant artist who also puts a lot of love and thought into his Facebook and Instagram. Secondly, the pot was made for two of my favourite people to go in the window of my favourite shop, Stone Mini Market & The Inconvenient Store. I was motivated to make it because they had a huge, ugly plastic plant pot right in the front of the shop and it desperately needed to be replaced with something.

The pot is a caricature or Leytonstone, with the Minimarket right at the heart of the high street. We put a lot of thought into it and hopefully my love of the town where I live (warts and all) shines through.

If you live or are near Leytonstone, you can see the pot in person.

By the way my face isn’t always that red, it was a hot day and I’d just taken the pot out of the kiln - so I was boiling!

It’s a new year and I’m doing something different. Can anyone guess what these are going to be?
29/01/2026

It’s a new year and I’m doing something different. Can anyone guess what these are going to be?

20/12/2025

I’ve been slowly, slowly developing a butter dish design over the last couple of years. This particular piece, though, is more of a side effect of that process, a failed version that emerged along the way.

When you’re developing a product, there are always a lot of ugly ducklings that get spewed out before you finally land on something that feels right.

Part of the challenge has been accepting that the wheel just isn’t the right tool for butter dishes, which means engaging properly with slab making. Slab work is not my forte. It is a totally different way of thinking, with more joins, less compression, and a much higher risk of cracking if your technique is not spot on. Wheel-thrown pots are continually compressed and end up pretty strong; slabbed work needs a lot more planning and foresight.

That planning usually involves templates, which I quite enjoy, plus a fair bit of 3D maths, something I almost always get wrong the first time.

This pot is a perfect example. I made a template that did account for clay shrinkage so it would fit a slab of butter snugly. What I had not allowed for was the thickness of the clay itself, an extra dimension I had not considered at the template stage. It quickly became apparent that something was off and the dish was too small. Lesson learned and the template adjusted for the next one.

I still finished and glazed this piece because it is nice but just a bit too small. And luckily, my mum mentioned she prefers a half-size butter dish because she only takes half a slab out of the fridge at a time.

So a failed prototype turned into a perfect Christmas present.
Shhh, do not tell her. She is not on Instagram 😉





It’s been so long since I last posted on here that it took me a while to figure out how because Instagram have changed e...
27/08/2025

It’s been so long since I last posted on here that it took me a while to figure out how because Instagram have changed everything!

The last year or so, I’ve been consciously playing around a bit more with different clays and different forms - with mixed success (as you’d expect). So I guess I’ve been a bit shy about posting the whole process and exposing my weak underbelly to the world!

Lately, I’ve come back to a classic however: lidded casserole dishes. They’re very traditional looking, but I’m really happy with how they’re shaping up. The lids sit snugly just under the rim, the handles feel good in the hand and look nicely balanced.

You can probably tell these are made with a heavily grogged clay. That’s a deliberate choice because the grog helps reduce how much the finished piece expands and contracts with changes in temperature. It’s a practical way to address some of the inherent limitations of stoneware when it’s used in the oven.

The form is quite rounded too, and that’s not just for looks. Curves help minimise stress points that can develop around sharp angles, especially during firing or regular use.

When you start stacking up all the practical decisions like clay body, form, intended use, you naturally end up with something that looks fairly traditional. Which makes sense, really. Traditional forms often stick around because they work.

No glaze yet - so there’s still plenty of time to mess them up! But I think they’ll be ok - I’ll stick to glazes I know :-)

Also, I have actually made plenty of pieces I’m proud of and taken pictures of - but just not followed up with the blog. I plan to be better!

Here are the details of the market I’m doing on Saturday.
01/12/2024

Here are the details of the market I’m doing on Saturday.

Hi everyone, it’s been a while since my last post but I thought I should let you all know that I’ll be doing two markets...
01/12/2024

Hi everyone, it’s been a while since my last post but I thought I should let you all know that I’ll be doing two markets this weekend. On Sunday, I’ll be doing this one: Turning Earth winter market. That’s near Highgate Tube. Summersby Road (N6 5UH). It starts at 11 and finishes at 5. I’ll also be doing a local market at Lee Bridge Library - more details to follow on that one.

Following my last post, here is a picture of how the bowls end up. Perfect little snack bowls 😊
06/08/2024

Following my last post, here is a picture of how the bowls end up. Perfect little snack bowls 😊

It’s been a while since my last post, so here are some vases to keep you going until I get my next batch through the kil...
12/07/2024

It’s been a while since my last post, so here are some vases to keep you going until I get my next batch through the kiln. This is another photo by the marvellous photo lady by the way. There is plenty of work in the pipeline, I’ve got some plant pots, (more plates) and other bits and pieces nearly ready to fire.

I’m really happy with this set of bowls, which I made for a work colleague. I’ve been making bowls with the spiral patte...
22/02/2024

I’m really happy with this set of bowls, which I made for a work colleague. I’ve been making bowls with the spiral pattern for a long time now and it’s taken a lot of trial and error to get them consistently like this.

Glazing them is quite a complex 4 stage process. First the white is poured inside, then the spiral glaze is applied over the top of the white - this is done on the wheel using a slip trailer. I then paint wax over the entire inside of the bowl to protect the pattern from the final layer of glaze (again the waxing is painted on using the wheel to get an even edge near the rim of the bowl). The excess glaze is then removed from the unwaxed parts of the bowl to leave a clean line around the rim. I then leave the bowl for (at least) 24 hours to cure, then I dip the whole bowl into the green glaze.

When I describe the process, it seems ridiculously complicated, but it’s the only way I can think of to get this effect. There are a lot of things that can go wrong in the process and, even with this set, there was one bowl that didn’t quite work. Personally I feel it’s worth the effort, but I also have a day job that pays the bills, so I’m not relying on income from selling pots. If I were, I wonder if I’d have the luxury to spend so much time on each piece. Probably not… and that’s why I’m not giving up the day job yet!

Address

London

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Leo Minnion Pottery posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to Leo Minnion Pottery:

Shortcuts

Share

Category