Category Archives: the hayrack gallery

a peek into this week at CHC

May 17, 2013   Charlotte   No comments

It’s been a great week at CHC headquarters! I’ve been busy planning and organising for some exciting new things ahead. The weather has been up and down but we have still had our fair share of sunshine peering through the clouds. I’m on a mission to make 3 vases a day at the moment… so far so good!

I paid a visit to one of my local stockists yesterday at The Hayrack Gallery in Upper Stowe, such a charming little shopping village with a barn restaurant and farm animals. The gallery is looking lovely inside, it had been about a year since my last visit, so it was nice to see fresh work from new artists. It was time I replenished my stock for the gallery, so I took along lots of new pieces and even helped set up a new display of my work. It was great fun!

We used one of the window sills just as you enter the gallery, so at the moment you will be greeted by my work as soon as you enter. I think the rustic brick window sill really complimented my work with the natural tones.

Various bowls of all different shapes and sizes are on display, along with a couple of clocks, framed pieces and some ceramic planters.

There is also a second display of my work inside the main room of the gallery, where you will find a selection of vases, more bowls, plant markers,  and mini art on easels (see below).

Just outside the gallery there is a beautiful display of turquoise planters that look really stunning. I would quite like one of the hanging cones myself!

Posted in: ceramic art, ceramic bowls, ceramic clocks, ceramic dishes, ceramic plant pot, ceramic wall art, ceramics display, framed art, handmade bowls, handmade ceramic vase, handmade ceramics, the hayrack gallery
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New Stock for Hayrack Gallery

June 19, 2012   Charlotte   1 Comment

I had a lovely visit to one of my stockists a few weeks ago, The Hayrack Gallery at The Old Dairy Farm and Craft Centre in Upper Stowe. There was some union jack bunting hanging in the trees ready for the Jubilee celebrations, which gave a nice welcoming feeling to the gallery.

The gallery is currently undergoing a few changes and improvements and is looking fantastic. It was such a nice surprise seeing my work on the centre display as you walk in. Now that things have been moved around in the gallery, I was told that regular customers notice pieces that they hadn’t seen before.

The Hayrack Gallery is nestled inside a little courtyard shopping centre with other craft shops, a cafe and small boutiques. There are also woodwork and glass artists working on site with their workshops in some old barns that you are able to see working, and chat to. One of my highlights from my visit is always seeing this friendly cockatiel in the avery who always comes to give you a kiss and wolf whistles!

My stock of products at the gallery has now been rotated and updated a little, and is positioned in front of this beautiful watercolour painting – one of many others that you will find in the gallery.

If you are in the area why not pop in and have a look… There is plenty to see and do for an afternoon out, as well as picnic benches to eat lunch or enjoy a cuppa out in the sunshine.

Posted in: Galleries, stockists of charlotte hupfield ceramics, the hayrack gallery
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Stone baked Pizza & Gallery Display

May 26, 2010   Charlotte   1 Comment
Do you remember the cast iron burner (scroll down on that link) that my Dad got last summer? Look at it now! It was originally pure black but it has been out all through winter and weathered with a rustic effect. I think it looks better like this, it gives it more characteristic.

Last week we sat out in the garden at my Dad’s and made homemade pizza’s. Yep, you guessed it – then we cooked them in the cast iron burner. (The section with the sunshine pattern on it is a flap that pulls down with a shelf inside).


We tried this last summer for the first time but we put the pizza’s on too early while the fire was still smoking. The pizza’s turned out tasting a bit like charcoal. But this year my Dad used coal instead of wood and the pizza’s cooked perfectly.


We used these hand-thrown terracotta dishes that are heat proof. The pizza still had that rustic tasting edge to it but thats what cooking in this burner is all about. Some nights we toast marshmallows on it too :)


Remember the new stock I took to the Hayrack Gallery before I went on holiday? Those pieces were added to my existing collection and a few pieces were swapped around. This will keep my display fresh for the customers, and it’s good for them to see new pieces I’ve been working on. My display in the gallery is looking quite big now.


~ News ~

And guess what?

I’ve had a shop in Devon contact me and they are interested in stocking a selection of my ceramics. This was great news and made up for the bad craft fair last weekend! I’ll be keeping you up to date with the progress.
Posted in: ceramics display, Galleries, pizza, the hayrack gallery
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New stock for Gallery

April 25, 2010   Charlotte   4 Comments
I’ve been busy having a sort out of stock this week. I’ve made a proposed list of all the items I’ll be exhibiting at the ‘Gifted’ 2010 Christmas Exhibition at The Newcastle Borough Museum & Art Gallery from November to December, so I need to start working on a few of those pieces soon. It’s exciting knowing a large display of my work will be on show at the other end of the country. I was selected amongst 50 other designer-makers to exhibit my work at this show, out of hundreds who applied, so I was very happy when I found out this news back in February! I’ll be keeping you up to date with progress.

One of my local stockists, The Hayrack Gallery, have sold a lot of my work over the past few months so I delivered some new one-off pieces to them on Saturday. I always look forward to paying them a visit to see what new pieces some of the other designers have been working on. I’ve watched many different designers’ collections grow since I have been supplying The Hayrack Gallery with my work.

This is a selection of new work I took to the gallery. Various one-off bowls, vases, sculptural vessels, packs of magnets, a clock, a letter rack, framed ceramic wall art, and some sets of coasters.

I like to keep the stock fresh and new so that it is varied for the customers. Although, I do keep a few pieces out on display for a long time. This is since one of my large garden vessels was purchased by a couple that had been admiring it for months – They kept going back to the gallery to look at it, and the lady finally decided to buy it months later when her husband wasn’t with her, as it was a present for his birthday. I love to hear all the little stories about the people who buy my work from this gallery.

So it does pay off if you leave the same item on display for some time, you just have to have a little patience. And I’ve proven that again today, as I’ve just sold this Hanging Fabric Print (left) that has been sitting in my Folksy shop for AGES…


I’ve been wanting to sell it for a long time as its a completely one-off piece that I made one day when I wanted to do something different, rather ceramics for a change. It was a print I designed from a range of my drawings of a pineapple surface. I’m so pleased that it has sold!

I made 2 of these prints, and the other one, which is slightly narrower, is now available in my Folksy shop here :)
Posted in: fabric prints, folksy, Galleries, gifted exhibition, My Work, the hayrack gallery
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The Hayrack Gallery – Shout out for new Designers

January 17, 2010   Charlotte   12 Comments
I paid a visit to one of my favourite stockists yesterday – The Hayrack Gallery in Upper Stowe, Northamptonshire at The Old Dairy Farm Craft Centre. It’s around about this time each year that I take some new stock and swap a few things around, although I haven’t been making any new stock for a while, its too cold out in the workshop! I’m determined to get back out there soon though. Either that or I’ll bring some clay into the house!

So I’ll be taking over lots of new stock to The Hayrack Gallery in a couple of months. My current stock that they have in the gallery is getting a bit low now. They sold a lot of items last year, and I found out another vase and a bowl were sold in January. I think the display will look much better once I make some new sets of coasters, plaques, clocks and maybe some letter racks to go with the current vases, sculptural vessels and bowls.

My favourite designer at the gallery is fused & slumped glass maker Carrie Anne Funnell. One of my main reasons for visiting the gallery is to see what new creations she has made. This photo was taken in the gallery last year, and not many of the glass pieces are left now. Carrie Anne Funnell has been travelling for 12 months and is just about to start on her new glass ideas, I can’t wait to see them. How amazing is the green and red glass lamp?!

The Hayrack Gallery is on the look out for new artists, designers and makers at the moment. They do like to ‘vet’ any new work before they decide if it is right for the gallery, but if you are interested please let me know by leaving a comment on this post.

Posted in: Designers Features, Galleries, handmade ceramics, the hayrack gallery
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    I hope you enjoy my news and updates about Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics. My blog is home to my latest work in progress, new work fresh from the kiln, craft projects, favourite recipes, inspiration, trips and holidays, and a little bit of life in general. I like to think of my blog as a place where you can get to know more behind the maker of the work on this website. Please feel free to comment on any of my posts - I would love to hear from you!

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