blue and white party in the studio

On Friday I unloaded my super-full itty bitty kiln to find a veritable blue and white party.  I did a lot of work in porcelain a few weeks ago- some cups, three pitchers, some cafe au lait bowls, and a few little pieces to experiment on.

First, a happy little bud vase with a botanical sketch rendered in mishima I drew directly from here.  I'll be using this again.
This may be my absolute favorite pitcher from this series.  #22, porcelain, thrown in two pieces, and etched with this loopy garland on the bottom and the inside of the top.  Happy happy happy.  I'll be making many more things like this.  Two pictures because I like it so much.
#23, also porcelain, with a much wider strap handle than I usually make.  Thrown, altered to a squarish shape and etched with a herringbone pattern at the top.  Instead of working with mishima, I watered down my cobalt wash and brushed it over the etched area and the top ice blocking portion that I copied from some of my silver pieces.
#24 porcelain, and I tried to make this a more simple, modern, minimalist shape.  it really doesn't work for me but it's fine.

Lastly, a set of 4 honeycomb impression cafe au lait bowls in porcelain and cobalt.  I like these a lot.  I made them for a friend with whom I trade horticultural knowledge and goods for pottery.  I like how simple and happy they are.

Later this week: the new chicken tiles I made and a batch of honeypots.  Have a lovely week!

high summer

we've hit a blissfully cool spell this week- yesterday's highs were in the 70s, today's, low 80s.  So it was a very good time to suit up (and I'm so glad that I did!) and go into the beehive to fix some messy situations I'd observed from the window and then a big huge mess at the front of the hive.  Top bar hives are supposed to be REALLY good for the bees.  More like natural cavity hives, good for bee health and population growth.  Not so good for honey harvest, because sometimes the combs are built in a crossing, intersecting pattern, especially if they are near full honeycombs that are big and fat, broaching into territory that is meant for other combs.  So I knew I had work to do.

In the photos below, you'll see a straight, perfect comb.  The hive was full of these.  And next to it, a bowl of uncapped honeycomb that was built perpendicular to its surrounding combs.  I cut these out and preserved the straight combs.  There was one section that had 3 honeycombs fused together at the back of the hive.  I left those and marked them so I'd know not to move them, but could let the bees eat them.  After I removed the crossed combs and combs that were fat on one end, skinny on the other, I alternated these straight combs with empty bars to encourage the bees to build new straight combs.  One doesn't really reason with bees, but this was my attempt.  The uncapped honey doesn't keep but ferments easily, so I will either use this immediately (ice cream?) or give it to a friend who makes mead.

Above, you see the brood comb.  I was happy to see lots of larvae, capped brood, and eggs.  I checked three frames but didn't go back further than that.  There was plenty of cleanup at the front, some of which I harvested, some of which I set aside for the bees to clean up and reuse.  Lastly, you see my half-gallon jar, filled with chunks of capped honey, which I then crush and strain.  The cleanup at the front of the hive was quite intense, and the bees were less than happy with me.  I was grateful that I'd accidentally ordered a full suit instead of just a jacket.  They were ready to sting, but so far, the suit's kept me sting free.

My garden is going- tomatoes coming in.  Ajax enjoys the unripe roma tomatoes a little too much (he, incidentally, is never allowed to be outside while I'm working with the bees.  He is curious and looks too much like a small brown bear for his own good), and the yellow pear tomatoes have all succumbed to wilt.  I have pulled them out and will replace them with pole beans and cucumbers for the rest of the season.

Later this week I'll show you a) pitchers and b) a tile project I've been working on in preparation for the first city-wide Coop Tour in Memphis.
Have a lovely week and a happy Independence Day, friends!

half way point

this week marks week 26 of my pitcher project.  Pitchers 22, 23, 24 are in the kiln.  25 is on the drying shelf because a) I forgot I'd left it in the damp box and b) it wouldn't have fit in the little kiln anyway.  I've given away two pitchers, #3 to my mother for mother's day and #7 to a friend who, quite simply, needed it.
Here are the other 19:

I am still toying with the idea of showing these as a group next year. After that point, they'll (almost) all be for sale, either at the showing or in my shop.  Not sure yet.

This morning I went to one of the local shops that carries my work and did a refresh and swap out.  Later this week I'll list some of the things I brought home in a sale section in my shop.  And hopefully I'll glaze the other pitchers and have them to show you, as well.

seven

just listed in the shop! and I'm bisque firing honeypots early next week, glazing Weds or so. They'll be listed shortly thereafter.

hello Thursday!

blue and white/ 21

I am feeling extremely unmotivated to work these days.  Extremely.  Not good for the self-employed.
There are ideas swimming around in my head, but not coming out in the studio.  Pressing on, wanting to or not.
Here are some pieces from my last kiln load that I was happy with:

 

First, a set of blue and white tumblers.  Plain creamy stoneware, etched designs, cobalt inlay.  There is also this one, but the clover is a smidge too dark.  The think I like best about this cup is the smeary edges that came from glazing immediately after I applied the wash, not giving it time to dry properly.  The floral pattern, which you see repeated below, is the same one I lifted from the vintage bird platter I bought at an estate sale last summer.  I do like combining the traditional china decorating imagery with more abstract, subtle designs.  And the cascading blue circles is just about my favorite of the bunch.  These blue and white pieces will show up again, but I'm holding them back for a while.

And pitcher 21.  I'm still making them, but I'm a bit behind.  This is week 25 and I just finished pitcher 22 yesterday.  So today, 23, 24, 25.  This clay is a leftover piece from my faux bois platters that I rewedged with some fresh clay, so there is some slight blue marbling here and there.  I like the forthright shape and precise design blended with the running blue and marbling.

Later this week: I have berry bowls to list!  I'll post here once they're up.  Have a good week, y'all.

friday to friday

and they're finished. the bottom broke off of one in the kiln- not quite blew up, but not intact.
watery, yes?

 

I think he'd be happy.  I layered so many glazes and raw cobalt that you can't really even see the mississippi river slip, but I'm glad it's there.  Not my style, but I think they feel peaceful, and I hope they bring peace.

 

urns

Last year I had a conversation with one of my oldest friends about making an urn for her, when the time comes.  She wanted an unfired piece that would return to the earth along with her ashes.  Later that summer, I made an urn for a college friend for her mother.  Then, when my dear friend Papatya died, I made several small urns for her family to divide her ashes.  Since then I've made several pet urns, including one for my Birdy.  I was happy to make them, especially in small sizes, for pets.  Much less happy to make Papatya's, but glad that I could.

Saturday we received a phone call that our son's best friend lost his father.  It was very sudden, and we were all very sad. When his son, who is much like my own son, told me that his father wanted his ashes sprinkled at the Mississippi River, I offered to make a keepsake urn for his family.  His wife, who is also a good friend, requested a water/river theme.  Her husband grew up on the water near Boston and loved running on the river here as a young man. 

This week I threw three large lidded vessels and yesterday after I trimmed them I began thinking about River.  Rivers defy precision.  They aren't necessarily neat and tidy- a little wild, untamed.  I brushed iron oxide-heavy slip that I made from the clay I dug from the banks of the Mississippi on each of the pieces and let them run a bit.  The gray color you see here is a cobalt wash.  I plan to coat the pieces in a sheer blue to let the darker colors come through.  Working this loosely is a challenge for me, but I'm excited to see how they turn out and which piece the family will choose. 

I'm honored to make this for his family and also glad that urns are not my main product line.

I didn't make a pitcher this week, so next week will be a 2 pitcher week.
Hope you all have a good weekend.