Random Ones

Today I have decided to focus on the pieces that occurred when I found myself slightly bored in ceramics class with no assignments to do. I'd say the results are pretty fun, but you judge for yourself.

According to a mycologist friend of mine, a mushroom with this spotting pattern and gills on the underside does not actually exist. Therefore, I call this creation a "Tuffet" like the one poor Little Miss Muffet sat upon. Anyway, this is actually two pieces, with the base being a basic cylinder and the top being the much more difficult and heavier piece. That said, it is surprisingly stable. The clay body is B-mix with a red engobe for the spots and a iron oxide stain for the gills. It was glazed with matt yellow. This Tuffet is just one of those pieces that make me grin whenever I look at it.

This has got to be one of my favorites for the sheer amount of personality it has. The body and head were first thrown on the wheel, then I did a significant amount of hand building (at least for me) to add the ears, eyes, beak, and wings. He is actually unglazed except for the eyes, which makes them shine so much. I used an iron oxide stain over a stoneware clay body for the rest of the owl. It's hard not to fall in love with this guy.

A few people have pointed out to me that this piece looks like an isolator off of a telephone pole with a strange lid. I'm a fan of it all the same. One day, I decided to see how many "riffles" I could get into the cylinder I had thrown. This was the result. The clay body is bravo buff and I honestly can't remember the glaze I used. Next time your walking/biking/driving down the street, take note of the telephone poles and see if you can't imagine this piece up there.

Well folks, that is all for today. Hope these pieces were able to bring a smile to some of your faces like they do mine.

Getting Started

After a number of friends asked to see photos of my ceramic pieces, I decided to create a forum where I can share my current and old work with friends, family, and those interested in hand-thrown, functional pottery. I've decided to get started with a couple of my favorites.

This first one is a piece I made for my sister, who loves candles. It was thrown using recycled clay I found in my ceramics class, each leaf was cut by hand, and it was glazed jade green with the inside edge of each leaf painted with hunter green glaze.

The second photo I am posting is of a vase I gave to a family that kindly hosted me during spring break when my camping trip in Yosemite became much less enjoyable as a cold storm passed through. This was thrown using a B-Mix clay body and was glazed navy blue with ruthile blue sprayed on the upper half.

Last one for today: a sugar bowl I made for myself. Still can't get over how perfectly this lid fits. The clay body of this one is a little different, as it is a stoneware, meaning it is a natural clay just as it was pulled out of the earth. Much grittier than the pieces posted above. Used the navy blue glaze again on this one with white drizzled over. This piece makes me happy as I add sugar to my tea each morning.

Plenty to be added later, so be sure to check back if you're interested to see more.