Thursday, June 2, 2011

One Step Further


This tile reminds me of some 1940s drapery fabrics I've seen. It would be fun to see this pattern repeated on fabric. I think the pink muumuu from the last post must have had an influence on my tile design.

I was going to make these leaf tiles just like I did earlier in the week but then I decided to take them one step further. Instead of just a slip background, I outlined the leaves in slip and used sgraffito to cut through the slip and I also used several colors of slip to color the leaves and stylized flowers.


Then on the second one I used a different color for the veins and a solid outline for the leaves. I made the fern tile in a similar fashion but also colored the background with a light green underglaze. I put two holes at the top of each tile and have an idea of how to hang or suspend them after they're fired. I'm thinking of a metal framework or some bamboo or driftwood, the ideas are still cogitating around in my mind.


Rain was predicted today and I told Gary I was all cooped up. Since the weather was predicted to be cooler I said I wanted to take drive. We decided to go to Cedar Key which we love. Today is our 26th year anniversary, so we celebrated one day early with our day off. We had lunch at the Pickled Pelican on Dock Street along the waterfront. We both had the grouper lunch plate and then we visited Cedar Keyhole Gallery. I met Sheila Thomas who was manning the coop gallery. We had some great discussions about pottery between the steady influx of customers and despite the welcomed downpour in the late afternoon.


On our way home Gary and I saw a sign for pottery. We'd seen the sign before and passed it by, but today I said to Gary as long as we're here we might as well check it out. Gary obliged. We drove a distance out of our way and were just about ready to turn around when we saw another sign. Finally we arrived at Cedar Key Pottery. We met the most friendly potter, Amy Gernhardt. Amy graciously showed us around her gallery, studio, and property. The luscious purple flower below is a hybrid passion vine flower growing on the fence of Amy's vegetable garden.


You know how you meet someone and you just instantly like them, that's the way it was with Amy today. Amy and Henry built a wonderful pottery studio on ten acres out in the suburbs of Cedar Key. I say suburbs tongue in check since Cedar Key, with less than 1000 residents, really isn't a huge metropolis. They have several greenhouses and Amy raises chickens and orchids. And Amy and Henry make pots, lots of wonderful pots. They mix their own clay and glazes and have several gas fired kilns they have built. There are several ponds on the property where Amy and Henry occasionally catch alligators and relocate them to a preserve.


After talking with Sheila and then Amy today, I realize I miss being in contact with other potters. Henry was off working on his boat, but he will be teaching a class beginning in October for six weeks. I hope to be able to attend; Henry has been a potter all his life and I am sure I can pick up some pointers from him. Thanks for the tour and visit, Amy, I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you and Henry in the future. Stay tuned for some junky inspiration coming up next.

14 comments:

  1. I can't get any pages to load via the internet except ones which are in my favorites, internet explorer or my computer is messed up so if I don't respond to messages on facebook, twitter, emails or here for a few days that's why.

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  2. Happy Anniversary you two. Sounds like you had a great day of exploring. I love that restaurant.
    Good luck with Blogger. It has been cranky lately.

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  3. Happy anniversary. What fun, to find someone with whom you share so much and feel a kinship immediately. I love that. She raises chickens and orchids. Sounds like someone I would relate to, as well. Your day sounds really nice.

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  4. There are a lot of us June brides out there. Happy Anniversary to you two!

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  5. Hi Patti, thanks, now my comuter is working, strange, I did send an error report to google and internet explorer, maybe they fixed it pronto. That Cedar Key is such a cute town we love it there, but it's real far away from anything, which probably helps to keep it cute.

    Hi Teresa, thanks, yes it was a great day. I should have taken more photos, but was too busy talking pottery and the rest of the day it was raining.

    Hi Tracey, thanks, yes I guess June is a popular month for weddings; I had forgotten your's is so close to mine. Same amount of years too. Ha.

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  6. grouper lunch plate! i am sooo jealous. happy anniversary to you both.

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  7. I'm a bit late but I still want to send anniversary greetings your way. It sounds like you had a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  8. Hi Michele, thanks, I can't figure out why grouper is so expensive in the grocery stores.

    Hi Mary, thanks, not too late anniversary is today, but we are setting up for a community wide yard sale today which is tomorrow and Saturday, so have to work hard today.

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  9. Happy anniversary. Cedar Key is great.

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  10. Those tiles are so soft and sweet to look at.
    Yep Happy Anniversary!

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  11. Happy Anniversary!!! how has Gary put up with living with an artist for 26 years?! Just kidding :o)) Those tiles are WONDERFUL -they really shout your name :o) I also love that flower.

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  12. Hi Lori, thanks, yep we sometimes wish we lived there, but it is so far from even a grocery store of any size.

    Hi Meredith, thanks, I hope they turn out soft after being fired. Somestimes the shrinkage makes them appear more harsh when there is lots of color. It's always a mystery to me of the outcome.

    Hi Cindy, thanks, I think I was easier to live with in the past than I am now. Ha. He really is a saint. "They really shout my name" cool. Yeah that flower was so beautiful the vine was covered with them. I must make a tile with the passion flowers on it.

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  13. Linda, the tiles are absolutely adorable! I love the fern/flower connection :)

    and Happy Anniversary~

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  14. Hi Kathy, thanks, I hope they keep the same tone as they have now; I never know what will happen during the firing and how the glaze will react with the color, we shall see.

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