Ladybug treasures

  

These pieces are just some that I made  and sold a lot to friends Marina and Charlie. They were great customers at the Black Mountain Tailgate Market for years.

Marina is a talented Native Flute musician, here's her webpage: https://www.marinaraye.com/ You can listen to many of her works there.

A couple of mugs made for Marina and Charlie. Then Charlie had a special order...and I did my best! At one point I did take photos of a big cup which also poured the water into his single cup coffee maker...so it looked like a big cream pitcher. But I can't find those photos today.

Sharing with Tom's Tuesday Treasures

Finished ladybug vases

Remember me painting all those ladybugs? (check here if you missed it)

The first one has glossy green glaze all over, then a bit of satin white on the top edge, causing the drips.

A simple form in matte black would look great with a few spring blooms in it!

And one done with celadon all over, then the top neck dipped into plum...which gives sky blue!

The blues on pots

Yes, I don't make everything with a butterfly or ladybug.
Or purple.

But while starting a line of blue things, I did play with some monarchs.  Just forgot to take most of their pictures, except the big green mugs.

Some little blue plates just went away in a flash.  Guess I planned that at $20 per.  Next batch will be a bit more expensive, I'm thinking.  The painting of bugs does take extra time after all, rather than just dunking the plate into a glaze or two.

I not only paint a bug and some leaves (usually 4 glaze colors) then I coat them with clear glaze, then wax over the whole thing when it's dried, then do the rest of the plate.  That's definitely a few extra steps.

Well, I thought I'd taken some photos of the blue mugs as well as the purple ones.  But they fell into the pit of never-again-to-be-found-no-matter-where-you-thought-you-saved-them.

Must be a monster blue thing!

However, they were bundled into a tub to be shown at the Black Mountain Tailgate Market again, yesterday...so I hopped over to see them before they sold right out from under me.  Ha!  This is one pretty smart potter, who is notably absent-minded!

Blue and Monarch platter, 12.5 inches - $45

The brighter blue with whiter streaks is from putting clear glaze over Floating blue glaze.

Hand painted monarch design in Mayco glazes (Stroke and coat)

Grey-blue with darker blue rims, with indents on each side, Celtic cross thumb knob.  $20 each

From the studio

I may enjoy the woods, and certainly take a lot more photos per minute spent there...but also am moving much further by car.  The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is 2 hours and 12 minutes from Black Mountain, but of course we took a bit longer with some interesting stops.

Here are the things I've been doing these days.

Celtic cross thumb knobs

Flowing purple mugs

 Thanks Marina, for being such a loyal customer!

Today's Poem:

by

Maria Keisoglou

 Haiku

 Baby ladybug
the princess of the caress
landed on my hand

Marina's plates and bowls

Marina has become a good friend and I dearly love this lady who has such a positive outlook on life.

Bowls are done...2 with lady bugs.  Hope the 2 plates are ok.  But only one has been glaze fired.

And I've got a couple of slightly larger plates getting bisqued as we speak.  But it will be another week probably before the waiting plates are glaze fired....and then I want Marina to see them.

Plates take so long to get fired, the space in the kiln is used best by tall and medium size objects apparently.

So I've got things I'm holding back from putting to be glaze fired, in hopes that these little plates will get into the next kiln load.  I am fine with sharing each kiln load with lots of other students and members of our community studio...just why are they all making flat things at the same time I am?  Strange.  I need some voodoo or something to help them be interested in making maybe tall vases?

Well, whenever it happens, it happens.  I've learned that is the only way to wait for my turn.  I may be first in line, but the kiln gods are crazy.

Quote for today (I should find one about patience, shouldn't I?)

Art makes life bearable. It isn't a luxury. Like our capacity for understanding, and our experience of love, it is a vitally important part of life.

Gillian Pederson Krag