More new things, hearts included, of course

Here is a batch of more new things, just out of the kiln yesterday.  I am still assembling another heart using some copper wire, etc., will post that when finished.  I am planning to make more of these beachy salt cellars with bamboo spoons (or maybe I will make ceramic spoons, at any rate, here is my first prototype, I think it will be popular:

And the every popular beach box, the last one sold quickly, this one is a little smaller, but I like it:

In the "heart" department, I fell in love with this fabric on a bag I bought at World Market and got inspired to make a heart similar to that pattern, I think it works don't you?

and some time back, I made a box with a paint drip design, so I decided a heart like that would be nice: 

and I tried a technique using slip for raised bits on a heart to look a little like texture on a canvas, also used a painterly approach to this abstract sailboat and funky garden heart: 

and lastly, another one of my tall boxes.  looks like slip trailing, but actually, I carved the designs into plaster (the back side of some molds that I bought), and use this to impress the designs onto the box panels before I assembled them.  

Seeing your work in print, what a surprise

I just got a catalog in the mail from Dover Publications

and was browsing through it.  I have enjoyed using their publications as references and to make silkscreens for some of my pottery.    Their artwork is royalty free so good for items of my ceramic work that I sell.  Over a year or so ago, I provided an image for their Pinterest site, showing projects/artwork people have made using their publications as inspiration, etc.  They have reorganized the site and I don't even know what board my item is on now.  So it was indeed a surprise when I was browsing through their catalog to see my box with the sandpipers in print.  Glad I didn't just toss it aside, since I usually browse via the internet.
Nice surprise, made me smile.  Love those little sandpipers.

More hearts and one box

More Hearts

The heart form is a great way to try new techniques

I have the shapes precut sitting in a damp box, so whenever I want to try a new technique, they are ready.  I have been wanting to try the monoprinting technique I saw some time ago on Ceramic Arts Daily.  So yesterday I tried it and these two hearts were made using basically that technique but editing them after.  Interesting and different.  I think I can use this again.  It is a lot like gelli printing which I have looked at for paper/fabric, actually wet clay works a lot like the gelli base.  I think it was fun and will be interested to see it once glazed.  I will try this again too.  Here are some photos:  I started by using two flat hearts before shaping, one I covered with red underglaze, the other with deep yellow (didn't take a photo of the base yellow heart) then on the yellow heart proceeded to draw/apply other Underglazes, and smeared with fingertips, etc until I got something I could work with, then turned that over on top of the red Underglazed heart and rubbed---when I separated them, had two different images which I then edited, adding more blue underglaze to one, and finetuning some of the other features, lastly adding a silkscreen quotation from Bette Davis to the original one.

Then after letting them set up a bit, shaped them into puffy hearts:

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 I will use clear glaze over them and they will be ready for firing