New Music Themed items

Just put these and a few others in the two shops that sell my work. Wilmington is a very musical town and items I have made previously using my sheet music screenprinting have gone over very well. I enjoy making them too!

My poor "Piglet"

Piglet is my cat and she is an indoor cat, but she has gotten little sleep during the day watching this bird make a nest in one of those cheap wooden birdhouses bought at craft shop several years ago, and plunked in this bush outside my BR window. This video clip is from yesterday and she watched the activity all day:


Then again this morning, she is perched up on the back of the chair watching again:

More new stuff

I am busy making more "music-themed" items, as well as a few other things. Here's an assortment:

Answers to questions

Undaunted in the comments has asked: "Is the design produced with decals?" The answer is no, I have developed and refined the use of silkscreens on ceramic. It certainly has been done by others, but I think the specific methods I use work best for me. I teach a class here in Wilmington, NC on how to create silkscreens (very easy process actually), and I have over the year and a half that I have been into ceramics created about 50 screens. I also have learned a great deal about how to make them work with clay and the various tips. I silk screened underglazes onto the leatherhard (sometimes even dryer than that) items. I also have silkscreened onto bisque items, but find doing it earlier, before the bisque firing, makes it easier to correct
smudges, etc.

If you look at the slideshow in this blog entry, you will see numerous items where I have used the silkscreens. My musicsheet silkscreens have produced items that have been very popular and I have sold all that I have made. I did a huge sale in December on my silkscreened Christmas ornaments too and can produce the images in any color of the many available in underglazes. The Peek a Boo kitty ornament used a silkscreen also. I used the same silkscreen on the two vases in this slideshow which sold quickly at that sale. I actually began experimenting with silkscreen on clay in 2007 and you can see some of my early silkscreened items, pendants, etc. here. That should answer your questions. The silkscreens I make are from two companies PhotoEZ SilkScreen and EZ ScreenPrint They supply the 8 1/2 x 11" sheets already covered with emulsion --then I make transparencies with items I want to silkscreen printed in the blackest ink (opaque) as possible, then I expose the screens to sun for about one minute, then place in a waterbath for about 15 minutes, then scrub out the soft emulsion that did not harden by the sun because it was blocked with the black line images, text, etc. then the screen is ready to use. Each screen might cost about $15.00 counting the making of the transparency and cost of blank screens, but each screen can be used countless times! I made silkscreens for the kittybank project and used them over 50 times. These screens are flexible and don't have to be mounted in a wooden frame. You also can screenprint on newsprint then transfer that to the clay items, to include a thrown cylinder for example, that can then be manipulated into complex shape and the image expands nicely. Bonus is that the screens can be used on card stock, paper and on fabric as well with acrylic paint with textile medium. I love using them and create some unique items using them.
Hope this answers your questions, I will try to get some photos made of the screens and some parts of the process so you can see it.

OK, I'll have to fess up

"Undaunted" wants to see all around on this teapot. I did show the good side before.
But now I have to come clean. The other side got a little too much clear glaze on it, I didn't check the glaze bucket to discover someone at the studio had left the lid off overnight and the glaze got too thick, soooo, as you will see in this picture (the whole truth and nothing but the truth!), that heavy glaze shows. I have since ground down the thick bits and touched up glaze on the bad side and teapot is ready to be refired to smooth things out. Good news is that today I have gotten the matching sugar and creamer out of bisque and glazed ready for same kiln load as the reglazing of the teapot, so (fingers crossed), it all will be beeeutiful maybe next week or so. In the meantime, here is teapot from all angles:

My first Teapot

Here it is, I have since made a sugar and creamer to match, but they should be coming out of Bisque Kiln this morning at the studio. Will have to clear glaze and hope they come out OK. Most of the items I have put in the Gallery have sold I am happy to say. Some of my things are also in a shop in Wilmington, NC---Blue Moon Gift Shops
This is actually the booth of a friend of mine and the paintings on the wall are from another friend. At the moment, I am wondering if I am spread out too much. It takes such a long time to get items through all the processes. I still hope to do two shows a year and just hope I can produce enough items to do all of this. Yesterday, I made five more of my musicsheet screenprinted hanging cones. So far, I have sold all seven that I have made. I am also experimenting with some other items with music themes since they seem to be quite popular. The vases with falling squares sold after four days in the gallery and the "Lovers" sold a week ago.
I had a large order for Christmas Ornaments which I have completed and another commission that I have finished, so now I am ready to work on getting some inventory produced for the gallery and the gift shop any maybe a few items for the two shows I will be in later in the year (September and December).

Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World

For Diana Gabaldon fans

Can you believe this two posts in one day, and this one has nothing to do with pottery/ceramics. Some of you might have read previous posts about one of my most favorite book series/authors here and here.

This mornng, my DH called my attention to a Mallard Fillmore cartoon which cracked me up since I usually sound just like this when I explain the book series to friends!

My newest things popping out of kiln:

OK this time I will forgo making an animated gif, but I really love these very contemporary vases. I have such fun pushing the limits of ceramic to see exactly what I can get it to do. I love the look of these and the seemingly precarious bits flying out of each vessel:

Love

OK, I promise this is my last animated gif, but once I remembered how to do these again, I wanted to reinforce the learning by doing several. This is the first time I have made a figure of a couple. Inspired by something I saw in Greece last summer, I wanted to try to create a similar look in ceramic. I am very happy with how it turned out, now I need to put it up for sale. My DH has gotten me a grinder with a rubber wheel and proper sanding strips for it, so I can get my bottoms (of my ceramic creations) nice and smooth and clean. Well here is the lovely couple dancing of course:

Another Dancing Lady

I am trying to reinforce my animated gif skills and share another ceramic creation with you. The Dancing Lady I made and showed in this blog entry was sold and it was time to make another. I just love making them dance.
Isn't she cute?

New Figure, is she a Sister or a Nanny?

Meet the new Family

I loved making these figures, just in time for valentine's day ------

Gallery Walk--Jan2009

During my workday at the Gallery last Monday, I took a series of movies that have been put on this site Take a tour of what is currently for sale in the gallery. I think Sonny Hall will be updating this monthly so each time I work, I will do a little gallery walk for all of you and you can see what has been featured recently in the gallery.

Happy New Year everyone

It's official, a local gallery, Port City Pottery and Fine Crafts has accepted me into the gallery. This gallery is owned by seven potters and has been an extremely successful venture for a almost two years since they opened in April 2007. There are about 20 talented artists in the gallery and I am honored to be among them. Recently, one of the fiber artists, Louise Giordano posted a detailed rundown with photos on the gallery, its artists, and some nice photos of items that were on sale in the gallery here in December. Louise's most recent posting features an article/interview with Diane Masi, the gourd and pine needle artist who is one of the gallery members.

As part of my commitment in selling my items in the gallery, I will work three days a month, all gallery members work in the gallery and I look forward to working with the other artists and getting first hand acquaintance with visitors to the gallery.

Below is a slide show of some of the newer ceramic items I have made and are making, as well as a couple I may not have shared in previous posts. I will be giving another workshop on my methods of making screen prints and using them directly and as transfers to add patterns, images and text to clay on January 31st at the studio where I do all of my clay work (Fat Cat Pottery in Wilmington, NC) One of the readers of this blog, I am happy to say, has contacted me as a result of my mentioning my class in my previous posting of the screen printed Kitty Boo ornament and as a result, she will be traveling from the Charlotte/Hickory area of NC to Wilmington, NC to be in the class. Information on the class can be found here. I have used screenprinted/ transfers onto lots of my pieces. The kitty vases in the slideshow in the September posting showed a few, kitty faces on two vases which have sold and the turtle vase, also sold in December. I also sold over 40 ornaments with silk screened images/print during the December show--my first as a part of the Coastal Carolina Clay Guild.
At the last minute (literally, the night before), I decided to do some creative packaging, i.e., cutting paper envelopes and using my sewing machine to stitch blanket stitch pattern in red thread. Made over 40 of these in one night to make a more interesting presentation of the ornaments and it worked! They flew off the table, I guess Dec 6th was a great date to pick up small, affordable, handcrafted gift items. At the December show, the "Dance with me" lady and my tree lady also sold.

I have also done a couple of things in damask pattern (which is my favorite), I guess I was on a napkin ring--coaster--ornament kick for a while. I have a few more sculptural figures in the works (some drying, some bisqued and one ready for final glaze). I love the lady with the two children, sitting on drying shelf, I have already underglazed these and will see how they make the kiln journey. I want to make more in different shapes, positions and colors. also have a silkscreen with sheet music and have used this one to make wall hanging vases which can hold flowers. I was inspired by the Scandinavian custom of making sheet music cones, mostly for Christmas as I understand, but think these would be pretty in ceramic all year round on porches, fences, indoors and out.

I look forward to working with Port City Pottery and Fine Crafts in this coming year and to continue to share the adventure with those of you who continue to read my blog despite my recent laxness in posting. I hope to do better and wish you all a healthy and happy 2009!

Peek a Boo Kitty Christmas Ornament

I have decided to begin again to list a few items I have been making in my Etsy shop which has been bare for many months. Mostly because I put several of the items previously listed into a local shop here. Since I last spoke to you regarding the art show I was in and some of the items in that show, I am happy to say it was very successful for me. I have been selling regularly here in Wilmington and have another show next weekend. I will also be in a local gallery beginning the first of the year. However, I have made these adorable kitty peek a boo ornaments which I will list at the shop this week prior to my show next weekend to see what might sell. I actually have made 10 of these and I love them! I also plan to list several other ornaments, all of which feature my silk-screen transfer technique. I teach that technique at my local studio and have developed it further. I love using images in my work and this is an excellent way to accomplish that.
More later dear friends.

My First Art Exhibit/Show

I spent all day yesterday collecting some of my pottery/sculptures, etc to put in our local Art Show which opens tomorrow. It will feature some of my recent work, some you have seen, but also my new "Bowl Heads" very funny, makes me smile when I see them. Since you all can't come to the show, thought you might like a little viewing via slideshow, and here it is:

Glazed and Dazed

Well here she is in her lovely colors --I love her and will put her in the art show I have signed up for in late September.

My latest

Shhh she is sleeping and is now covered with glaze to be final fired today, and hopefully emerge intact next Tuesday!



Her saucy, saucer collar is one step behind her, due out of bisque firing today:

Another Concealment Idea that needs more work

There has been a place in my kitchen that has outlets with wires to phone/lamp, etc. For years this lovely majolica plate (no I didn't make it), has tried to hide the area.


Now I have a new potential fix, this ceramic screen which was designed to hide that area and provide illumination through the holes (I have a small lamp behind it). Unfortunately while decorating it broke and I had to mend it before final glazing and last firing. It has held together, but has some weak spots as a result. I may refine the idea a bit and create a new one. This lovely sheep was painted from one of my favorite photos taken in Ireland in 2001. I have always wanted to use it somewhere. I also used ceramic raised accents which you can see in the closeup, I love the shaggy sheep idea. Also decided to play around with a quotation that might help geet the message across. I like it for now, but will work on another one later I think.

Now for some more "creative concealment" ideas

Have you ever wondered why all toothbrush holders stand up? I have, and wondered why there hasn't been a better invention. So, because I can do things with ceramic now, I thought I would have a go at a different design. Here is the "old" toothbrush holder, with slime dripping down and catching at the bottom, messing up counter, etc., see my green toothbrush for a clue to the direction I am heading.

YUCK! I don't even like looking at toothbrushes and wanted a way to hide them but still have them accessible.









Here is my new invention, it works, but a friend commented that it looked like "paraphernalia", and I don't think that is a good thing--so I need to find a more pleasing look for these toothbrush tubes.

More on these ladies

I sold the first "lady" I made and enjoy making them, here is a picture of the first one I sold in her new home. I am honored that she is standing next to an original "Claude Howell" sketch (he is an artistic legend here in Wilmington)


I will be making a series of these in different attitudes, etc. I love them.

The third one I have finished may be in an art exhibit late in September, it will be my first art exhibit and I love this lady, not sure what to call her though, perhaps
"Rooted and Reaching", let me know if you have any other ideas. I was amazed she made it through all the processes, but she did, so she is tougher than I thought.

Several posts, lots of new stuff

Aargh! I can't believe I messed up, but it was a long, long post, with lots of pictures, which I created whilst trying to blog. Made one critical error in enlarging a picture in the preview and lost the whole posting. I have had a Mojito too, so no telling what is coming through to all of you, but here goes, I will try again. First, I had taken several pictures of this lady sculpture, and it seemed a great idea to create an animated GIF to show her doing the Macarena (or some such dance), and I was learning on the fly exactly how to do that. So this post will cut off with her (so I don't lose it again), then I will continue with a new post. I have indeed figured out how to create this animated GIF, and how to put her up at TinyPic.com and share her antics with you all. Hope you don't get dizzy watching her, not the greatest achievement, but I wanted to learn something new. She might look different the next time I see her since she is back on the glaze firing shelf to fix a bit of her top that didn't get glazed the first time, "and" might mute those polka dots a bit, but for now she is a "wild and crazy" lady. Ta Da!!

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008)

I think silliness is the "only" universal language and it is GOOD! If this doesn't make you smile, nothing will.

In Lovely Company!

Sweet Donna of The Decorated House, has included my "dancing gal" in one of Etsy treasuries. I haven't figured out how this is done, but I am honored to be included. I will be putting up lots more stuff in my Etsy shop after my return from a vacation (like I need a vacation with such a glorious life?), but I have always wanted to visit Greece and Turkey and in a weak moment DH said yes, so we will be joining three other couples on a tour to these exotic places. I don't want to put much up in the store since I won't be around to fill any orders, etc. so I will just wait until I get back to test a few other pieces. I have just made a lovely birdhouse decorated with silkscreens, etc. and it is waiting to go to bisque firing. Have several other things in the process as well. This new hobby is quite addictive.
Hope you all are enjoying this glorious spring!

Pauline's Place is "Open"

Finally, I have opened my Etsy shop and are busy uploading an item each day from my handmade pottery. At the moment, only my ceramic things are listed, but I am keeping the shop fairly generic so I can add other things I love to make. Hope you all will stop by and view the items currently listed. I have just glazed a bunch of lovely pendants that should be coming out of the glaze kiln in a week or so at my studio. I also have been inspired by Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" and "The Power of Now", in particular, some of the memorable quotes in his work, such as "Life is the dancer, I am the Dance." I am creating a series of one of a kind vases with "dancing gals" attached, which I hope will sell. I will be listing a few of these soon. I tend toward things that have some practical use, such as boxes, receptacles, vases, etc., as well as some artistic flair.
PS, I am pleased to say my amarylis sculpture found a very good home at the silent auction and a very nice amount was paid for it which will add to the funds this Foundaton provides to local charities and other non-profit organizations doing wonderful work here in Wilmington, NC.

Old and New plus minor accident

I finished a piece today (actually, it was a handbuilt platter done by a friend but never decorated, so I had a go at it with a tuscan scene done in underglaze but not yet coated with clear glaze and final firing). As luck would have it (common occurence when working with ceramics--as I was pouring the final glaze onto the piece, the beautiful handle broke off! It was a feature I liked most about the platter, and I did take a photo before it got final glazed and here it is, with the handle that is no longer there. It will be a much brighter piece when finally fired, sans handle, however. Also in this grouping I am including a pear box I made a while back, and a pear vase thrown with dark brown clay and glazed in one of my favorite chartreuse colors. I had seen a similar vase on the web somewhere and tried to make one. Flowers do not stand up properly in the thing, however, unless I insert a pin holder in the bottom which I may do to actually use it. Now little lamb has company with the second lamb behind my range and inspired by my kitchen towel.

The middle grouping shows the wall vase I made which is up on one side of the fireplace and now I will need to try to make another hopefully like it, or close to hang on the other side. The photo grouping shows the piece ready for bisque firing which I posted earlier, thought you might like to see finished piece.

And lastly, the grouping to the far right shows a couple of vases and some of the silkscreened items I made for the class I gave last month and another one I will give later this month.

I will be away for a short while and then return to the studio to make more things. I have some buttons screenprinted which should be coming out of the glaze kiln while I am gone and if they turn out well, I plan to make more, also have several pieces drying ready for bisque kiln.

I think this catches me up on most of my projects. The kitty banks were traveling on their way to Southern Pines last Monday, that job is completed for now.

Charlie bit my finger - again !

OK time out for a couple of cuties, saw this on blog of Corey Amato and just had to include it on mine. Love those children!

I hope you can bear one more look!

I hope I haven't bored you all to death with my obsession in working with this piece, but here it is finally. I need to do some small finetuning, but it has indeed materialized more or less as envisioned, a piece that can be used as a vase with three stem tubes to hold water and real flowers and then ceramic inserts with six amaryllis blossoms when there aren't any fresh flowers to show off! I will do my little finetuning, then carry it home for pickup by the foundation folks for the silent auction. I have to tell you I am both relieved and quite happy with the result. I am sort of hoping no one bids on it and I can bring it back home!
I really enjoyed this project.

Now I am almost finished with my first phase of the "Kitty Banks" project. I have six more to assemble, (add tops/bottoms and ears, and need to slab out and construct sixe additional banks to meet my promised quota).
I have spent hours and hours and days and days on these. The first few have popped out of final glaze kiln with a huge batch in the bisque kiln and another huge batch drying and awaiting bisque firing. Each of the banks takes about three hours work, times 50, 150 hours! These also are turning out quite nice and everyone who sees them in the studio comments on how cute they are.

Huge Sigh of Relief

My second "base" made it out of the glaze kiln OK, whew. I took this photo of it as I intended to have the piece used as a vase. Those are little tazetta narcissus plucked from my garden to show it holds water and does look pretty I think. The photo below shows all my amaryllis flowers which need to be assembled into stems that can be inserted into each tube when real flowers are not being used.
I am still waiting for a few little components to pop out of the kilns to complete the assembly. I am pretty sure it will be a beautiful ceramic piece with the flowers inserted. Hopefully, it all will materialize as envisioned. Soon, I hope so I can turn it over to the Foundation as my contribution to their silent auction. I am now spending hours and hours making the kitty banks and am making progress although it is quite exhausting to handbuild them and that is just the first step!
More later.

Aaargh!

What you have to be ready to deal with in making pottery is that every process is fraught with potential risks as I am learning all too well. The base of my sculpture with its final glaze did not make it through the final firing intact. The tip of a leaf broke off in the kiln and fused itself to the base. So I had to make another base piece which is now awaiting bisque firing. The flowers (darn it, I forgot to take pictures of them all lined up on the final glaze firing shelf), are ready to go into final glaze kiln though and I am hoping eventually, this all will come together without hazard.
In the meantime, I have been asked by a friend of mine --Camie Marion,to make some "kitty banks" for a fund raising effort by the Feral Friends of the Sandhills. I have come up with a unique design and after total failure on my first try, have managed to produce a prototype which is currently awaiting bisque firing. I will then use my screenprint technique to finish, then clear glaze these to be used by the group. They have ordered 50 of them, so upon my return (short trip away this week), I will be finishing up my donation piece for the foundation and starting on the commission for the 50 "kitty banks."
Here is a look of prototype in process:





Camie Marion by the way, when she is not donating time to her animals and animal rescue and suppport efforts, does wonderful pet (and other) portraits and paintings--check out her new website when you have time here

I spent yesterday making forms for the kitty banks so that I can produce more than one at a time, otherwise, it would take me months to get 50 done. I will start on this when I get back. I also have lots of ideas to expand this basic form into other interesting items.

In the meantime, I will give a class on what I have learned about screenprinting on clay on February 9th, and I have created this piece as an example of what can be done. I will do another and take more care in the design/etc, but this was done in a hurry. This picture shows what it looks like coming out of the bisque kiln, it has since been clear glazed and is also awaiting final bisque firing:



Also, produced another little lamb to face the first one I made behind my range:


More on all this when I return!

The pottery continues

Well, I really meant to post something for Christmas, but the whole holiday zipped by me so quickly, I didn't get around to it. I did manage to decorate the house and tree but less so than last year, but in the end, quite enough since holiday decorating follows the rule of gravity, what goes up must come down.

I have been spending every spare moment at the pottery studio. Yes, I am immersed in my newest hobby trying to learn more and create unique pieces. I blythely volunteered to donate a ceramic item for a silent auction to raise funds for a local charity. I envisioned an unusual piece, but am taking quite a risk trying to produce it for the auction, never having done one, or anything like it before! But that is part of my personality and hey, if it doesn't work, nothing really terrible happens. I had to write up a description for the item to put in the print materials that are being created for the Gala event at which the silent auction will be held. Talk about pressure huh? Especially since the piece has not been finished. I was a little heady with excitement when the first phase progressed rather well. That is the base with the stems. By the way, here is the description I wrote up for the piece:

"This unique ceramic sculpture incorporates the artist's love of all things botanical, and the desire for combination of both art and function whenever possible. The sculpture is the artist's original design and was constructed from a blend of stoneware and porcelain clay using slab handbuilding techniques. When glazed with clear coat, the clay body results in a creamware that fits in any decor. The design was inspired by the unusual stems of the Amaryllis plant. This dramatic sculpture is useful as a vase since each of the ceramic stems will hold water and showcase your favorite "real" flowers which become all the more dramatic against the creamware finish. When not displaying live flowers and/or foliage, separate removeable ceramic flowers fabricated from the same clay body and clear glazed, can be inserted into each stem."

The base piece with the stems is in the final glaze kiln now and will come out on Tuesday. Here is a photo of it covered with glaze awaiting firing:


As you can read from the description, I wanted amaryllis-like ceramic flowers to be inserted into those tubes when they are not being used to hold water and "real" flowers. Creating the flowers and thinking about getting them into and out of all the processes safely has been a huge challenge, but I have made several of them, after finally figuring out a technique that would work (or should I say "might work"). At any rate, I think I see the light at the end of this tunnel. While pondering exactly how to make those danged flowers, I created a few other pieces to keep my hand busy. Here is my little lamb inspired by the tea towel (now I must make another one facing in the other direction to go behind my kitchen stove, and some sort of little ceramic wonky house to be in the middle I think):


And while the flower challenge was churning back in the brain cells, I thought I would make two wall vases to hang over my fireplace. I had thrown and altered (that's a funny word used to describe something you do to a thrown piece deliberately to make it look "not thrown", but I must come clean and say that this piece flopped and I just rearranged the floppy pieces to create this cute little "whatever.") But I purchased two commercial glazes that I tried on this piece shown below, and loved it, so hence the more aggressive project, large wall vases, handbuilt, not thrown to be glazed similarly to this piece:



So the vase will be coming out of bisque kiln and glazed like the above piece (green on outside and inside the honey color with the ruffley bit done also in the honey.



If this piece works I will attempt to make another one just like it, or close so I can have the pair I had originally envisioned. I can see it with long branches sticking out of it on each side of the painting above the fireplace.

So kids, you can see I am busy ---perhaps not focused, but having fun with all of this with hundreds more ideas playing around in my head. I am also scheduled to give a class on screenprinting on ceramic on February 9th. I have experimented a whole lot with this technique and am ready to share what I have learned and also to put the technique to some interesting projects.
By for now!

Must stop playing now and get serious about Christmas

I love these bugs! Had fun playing as you can see, but now I have to get busy finishing up chores for holiday. I spent all day yesterday playing in the mud, getting things glazed, fussing with things in various stages, must now concentrate on getting ready for Christmas, then back to the studio to play some more. I made a lovely tiny barnacle bowl that will be put in the final glaze kiln but not be out before the new year. I threw a pear vase and altered it, that is drying now and another textured vase, and I threw my best bowl yet --also drying now. My glazing leaves a lot to be desired and does not meet my expectations on all pieces, but each one is a learning experience. I also learn much from other potters there and their successes. I have another spectacular piece mulling around in my head which I will donate to a foundation fund raiser (if it turns out as well as I have envisioned in my head). Maybe I will post again before Christmas, but I must now get off the computer and get started!

Inspired by Red

This morning I am inspired also by red, and the posting at Block Party Press in which she observes:
"One thing I think the cardinal can teach us is to not be afraid to stand out, or to be afraid to create things that stand out. While most animals try to hide and blend in with their environment, the bright red cardinal is bold and is more concerned with attracting a mate than hiding from predators."

Her posting reminded me of the photos I took several years ago of cardinals in the snow one winter. Here in Wilmington, NC, we manage to get a sprinkling of snow once every five or six years or so. I can count two times in the last ten years! But in keeping with our holiday season, red seems appropriate.

My latest vase

Jaca, this is the vase I was talking about!

Experimenting like Mad

I don't have much time today, but thought that a slideshow might be best vehicle to show all the stuff I am doing at the Pottery Studio, I am obsessed at the moment which is how I usually attack any new endeavor. I started in the safe, black and white mode, trying to make things to use in my kitchen and to go with my Mary Rose Young mugs, but had been experimenting with using silkscreens to decorate, and trying to find the best technique. I think now that using them damp on bisqueware gives best image. Using underglazes on images, the tree plate was my last silkscreen. Also venturing out with glazes, early attempts were UGLY! I loved the woody look on my first triple vase so used it on my garden fairy clothing and on some jewelry beads, most of the photos have annotations, so anyone interested in what I am playing around with can see and read what I did. Still experimenting and most of this stuff is just for fun. Will give away to friends as gifts (whether they want them or not!)
Have fun, I sure have---------

We love our cats don't we?

Just a quick post to share a video, you may all have seen by now, you really can't dispute the affection this cat has for this woman. This should put to rest the ridiculous notion that cats are not affectionate. I know my two are!

Transitioning from Angel to Fairy

I have made three angels for Christmas gifts but as you can see my muse was pushing me in another direction, the last angel ended up with a pod halo, which begged for the creation of a garden fairy. The first one I made and labored over for quite a while fell to pieces in the drying process, I didn't even get a photo of her before she fell apart. Undaunted, I set about creating another and she is behaving herself up to now as she dries. You never know if these things will make it through all the processes, but for now she is sleeping quietly while drying enough to get bisque fired. Shhhhhhhhh