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.