It's all in a pot

A white clay vase, with red iron oxide brushed all over, then Mexico glaze, brushed down a bit after dry, then fired to cone 6 oxidation (electric).  7 inches tall.  Thrown double wall bottom half, carved for tree trunks.

Out of chaos comes creation? - my shelves at the studio

Sarah trimming up a storm...

Marsha fixing a bowl ready to glaze

My favorite wheel ready to work on mugs...and fortunately I haven't had to wait for it in any Open Studios this week!

Blair working on one of her huge pots.

Our Black Mountain Center for the Arts studio has Open Studio each day, at different times, and we all gather to do our work.  Its a great sense of community, seeing most of the same people every day, and the only thing we have in common is clay. 

To whoever reads my blogs

Why I'm writing to whoever reads my blogs?
Well, my comment on my last one included 2 thoughts, and I decided nobody would even read them in a comment section.

First, if you comment here, and I "reply" do you get that reply in your email or where?

(And if you comment as anonymous, and I reply to you, does my reply go anywhere at all?)

...and second, how can I get the comment box to have larger face type size? It's sooo tiny when I want to reply to you. Is there a setting somewhere? I know blogger help should have this somewhere, but I'm too lazy to wade through it all. (Incidentally I use the old blogger format, cause I know how to navigate around it, and the newer one is too confusing for me).

Mr and Mrs Mallard at the lake.

Pear tree across street, Mar 10, 2012

Pear tree buds 3.10.12 (may be in full bloom by the 21st)

The Forest Project

Here are some sculptural pieces before being bisque fired...I call it the Forest Project.

The largest ring of trees and the smallest are sitting side by side here.

Impressionistic glazes

Color on leafy areas, starkness of structure on the trunk...playing with what happens when glazes are applied with more abandon.

The spring pallet of colors...

Is it really a tree, or a cactus with blooms in profusion around it?

The spectrum of colors are reminiscent of stained glass, with the dark incised lines of twigs among bright but undefined rainbow hues.

Clay inspiration?

Yep, that's an alligator handle.  I don't remember, and can't read, where it's from.  These are basically some photos I had in an album and never got around to classifying.  But they are interesting, I think.  All clay work, also I think.

The snow flurries haven't landed at all here.  I just am so disappointed in this winter.  You all who have had inches of it, please think of how much I wanted to scrunch my feet through snow, hearing that special sound it makes.  Think of how much I wanted to make snow cream.  Think of how I wouldn't have minded being cabin-bound for a day or so.  And think of all the photos I wanted to take of a white pristine earth.  I know plenty of people are really sick of snow by now.  Sigh.

Earth, Air, Water, Fire

I was reminded of the four elements (with the fifth of Spirit,) by our friend Cristol when she spoke of her senior project at the gallery last night.  It's really very inspirational, and well done.

Wind (Air) has been powerful lately.  News coverage of various tornado swaths on TV and other pictures tell the story of how Air can touch some with disaster, and leave the rest of us wondering how we survived intact.

Water continues to identify our liveability on the planet.  When is the last time you drank spring water right out of the earth?  Ah, we get so separated from this life blood that we're directly connected to.

The Earth is in my fingers daily as I form clay into different shapes.  I loved today making a cat that had lioness features, but she's wearing a tiara.  Yep, taking the glorious to the sublime.

Fire, that source of heat from the sky, has returned today, but will be back behind clouds before I blink.  I am grateful that I have heat available to survive the remaining chills of this winter.  I see how this unseasonably warm winter has skewed nature's usual rhythms.  (the spelling just doesn't look right, is that the cycle of season's rhythms?  I guess so.)

And Spirit is part of my life when I listen to the calling of birds, deal with the ants that have decided to invade my kitchen, and feel like dancing myself.  Yep, the Spirit of Life continues, and I hope it does for a long time, as it adjusts to, or perhaps creates Changes.

Rain and musings

Sorry, no pictures today.  So I'll be brief.
 
I've got banana bread in the oven for a pot luck tonight at Sarah's, before we all (BMCA clay students) go to the opening at Warren Wilson College for one of our own who happens to be doing her senior show there tonight.  Hope the rain holds off so I can drive those lovely winding roads.  I'm ok in daytime, but with cataracts beginning, it's really hard to drive into someone else's headlights.  I get completely blinded.
 
Volunteering at Folk Art Center today was great fun.  Lots of people from all over coming to see the wood carving and turning exhibit.  I loved that one woman said she'd recently begun learning how to make pottery, and really loved some of the antique pots from Jugtown Pottery that are in the permanent display.  She said that their history belonged to everyone, and what she meant was that she wanted to be able to take pictures of the historic displays.  I really don't know why that isn't allowed, at least without using a flash.

In a few minutes I'm off to volunteer at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts clay studio for a couple of hours.  I'm interested to see how my tree sculpture develops...a three tiered piece with spaces between trunks and branches to peep through the trees into the woods.  That's my concept anyway.  The center of the piece is to hold either a person or animals, or maybe both.  Last night I've started forming these tiny shapes.

  I'm having fun.

Tree Shrines #2

Shrine for a tree, or whatever you want.  size 6" tall x 3-1/2" wide

The depth is pretty shallow, but there's also a hook for hanging. (on all the tree shrines I make)

A wide and dark tree setting, size 6" wide, about 5" tall.

A small tree shrine with white glazed back and bottom, size 4-1/2 wide, 5 inches tall.

 These have the little raised glaze leaves, and the more difficult glaze branches done with glaze pens.  The next set will just have incised branches and more impressionistic leaves...without all the sky colors.

Cloverleaf Ramekins

Oatmeal colored glaze is actually eggshell

Rims are given a hint of turquoise with Mexico glaze

The clay is Bellas Blend, (from Highwater) which is a nice creamy cone 6 white stoneware.

Size 7 inch diameter, 2" deep.

I just wanted you to know I'm still throwing things, and this is a pleasing set of baking bowls.  I like their stackability, since I personally have a tiny kitchen.  Many things are easier to add to a kitchen when they don't take up a lot of new space.

They may be a bit shallow for ramekins, when I look at the various ones used to make single serving soufle's.  But I am definitely interesting in cooking some shepherds pies.  Mmm, won't that look yummy?

Circle of Trees

An open space which is hidden beneath a lid.

When the lid is removed, an open container with trees in a circle inside and out.

I'm excited about exploring looking into a space from outside.  This will be a focus of more of my sculptures coming soon.  This is a concept of coming in from the public area into intimacy of inner private spaces.

The Circle of Trees was inspired by the concept of a sacred grove of trees, which was often used in ancient times for rituals of worship.

Ancient Mesoamerican Clay

Mayan art in Charlotte, NC.  Who knows what you'll find in a museum?  ( this may not be clay, but is cerrtainly interesting sculpture!)

Somehow this is listed as a Male Effigy Vessel by the museum.  Mayan

Moon Goddess, Old God and Deer, Maya

This is scarey, but I don't have the description.

big bottle

A pencil to give scale for this bottle

This large bottle is done in raku clay, with dry-wiped Mexico glaze over red iron oxide wash.

Facades

Faking it, making you believe it's something it's not...the facades which come to my mind are the buildings which once graced Main Street in many towns across our country.  I started to say "out west" then thought of some of the buildings right in our small southeastern towns.  Yep, we tend to strut fake stuff by making things look bigger, prettier and better than they actually are. Think of the cosmetic industry.

So here are some little facades.

Is it this, or is it that?   Not meant to "strut" at all, but to be humorous or perhaps to touch some memories.

 

Click here for the rest...

Archives of tree goddesses

A friend from our studio said she hadn't seen any of my old tree goddesses, which I made several years ago.
So, in case she looks here, or anyone else is interested, here are a few shots of them.  Apologies for the poor photo quality!

What's orange and turquoise?

Plate is 10 inches, sponged Mexico glaze and sponged Eggshell, on raku clay.  The iron really turns it orange (also eggshell glaze when it's thin is orange)

Platter is 12 inches.

I've been thinking about new things to make.  In the middle of the night whenever I can't sleep, I think, what about making computer faced people, calling them screen heads?  Then I think, it's probably been done, how about iPhone faced people?

Well, I let most of these forms of inspiration go right back to wherever they came from.  I don't make very good figures.  But I will make some more shrines.  I cut out five more trees today, and the little bases and backs for more tree honoring shrines.

Secret Room finished

You may have seen this after it had been bisque fired.  Now it has also been fired to cone 6, to bring it to glaze temperature without glaze...in order to vitrify the clay.

The Haniwa House

Again, in case you noticed, I offer pictures of a house in the style of a Haniwa house from Japanese ancient times.  (see earlier post which has some source materials)



Here is the final version, with some stain on the terra cotta coloration, so it is more, I think, sculptural. 

Haniwa house

Tree shrine and green symbols shrine

Shrines are personal, and I've left much of the decoration to whoever wants to use them to symbolize something with meaning to the owner.

Tree shrine

Tree Shrine

Glaze is mostly Mayco "Stroke and Coat" except the green base which is matt bronze green.  It was applied thinly, and over the back side of the piece as well.  I have supplemented the glaze on the back with some acrylics for improved coloration.  Black linear branches were done using a glaze pen, which I found incredibly taxing of my patience, so don't expect much more of it.  The leaves were a mint green glaze pen, and came out delightfully light blue. 

Tree shrine detail

Green symbols shrine