Labyrinth

I've made a few of these models of the Labyrinth from the Chartre Cathedral in France.

I've never been there.  But the path of this meditative form may be followed by just holding it in your hand and tracing the glazed parts with a pencil or pen, or even your finger.  Using your eyes is part of the meditation...it slows your breath, (go slowly so you can notice everything) and brings you to focus on something besides the daily life around you.

People who walk a Labyrinth regularly will tell you all the ways this is healthy, healing, and a spiritual practice.

I've been part of giving a workshop where we not only created our own drawn and colored labyrinths, but then built a big walkable one outside in a field.  We didn't try to make it permanent, but used feed corn, so birds and deer might feast upon it after we created and walked it ourselves.  It was fun!  And of course we had a slide show of famous labyrinths.  You may have seen the other one that I make in clay for finger meditations, a triple spiral like the one at Malta and Newgrange, Ireland.

It's international, global, and basic for many who follow that path.

Two Glazed Pottery

Soon it will be so hot we'll do our outside work before 9 am if we can.  For now I think 11 am is beginning to be pretty hot here.

 Vase, 5-1/2" hi, 4-1/2" diameter.  Three strikes of orange on one side of Mexico glaze on a raku clay body...the orange is from Eggshell, which when thin, leaves a lovely orange.  Mexico has been turning pretty metalic lately.

The Labyrinth from the Cathedral of Notre Dam, in a handy palm size which you can traverse with a pen or finger...4-1/2" diameter.  Glaze is Cinnabar.

A bit of a pumpkin shaped vase, with a thin coat of snowflake glaze, so the crazing is very faint.  The raspberry is just a hint around the rim.  4-1/2" hi x 5.-1/2" diameter.

This beer stein is plenty hefty, and the amber glaze (and liner) turned a bit blue with the raspberry overglaze on the rim.  .5-1/2" hi, 3-1/2" diameter at bottom.  Though I like the balanced look of the handle, the next one won't stick out as far from the body.  I had to have a man do a fist holding for me, to model the size that handles should be for drinking comfortably.  Cheers..

Snowflake glaze on the body, with the top rim and bottom (and liner) of this vase done with Matt bronze green.  There's something interesting that happens when the MBG and snowflake meet...not a blending as much as an opposition.  This is 7" hi and 4" diameter.

Same glaze combination as the last pic, but on a much smaller shape.  4-1/2" hi x 2-1/2" diameter