Bird, Basket, Bowl, and Bisque

I never made birds until recently because my friend Connie, who passed away last year, made them. Connie and I met in ceramic class in California. Now whenever I make a bird I think of Connie. The blue bird above is one which Connie made; Connie could make a lump of clay look so good. It's made from a solid lump of Rod's Mix clay, is about 2 x 1 1/2 inches, was fired in a reduction atmosphere, with blue flambe glaze which gives those nice blue speckles. (If you click the link of Connie's name you'll be taken to another post I did of Connie's work).

Each time I make a bird I think they turn out a little better looking. I may practice making some stand alone birds to improve my skill. Here's another bird basket I made the other day. For this one I've used the speckled stoneware with white slip and made a twisted ribbon and handle. I like the mottled surface of the basket with the contrasting slip and clay, but I'm not sure this surface goes with this style of bird basket. I think these bird baskets look better with a solid color glaze. I'd like to explore these mottled surfaces more on other pieces however.

I just finished a bisque load with mostly rectangular plates, large platters and a few strip stacked pieces. The kiln isn't as full as I normally like it, but I needed to get some feedback on pieces I've been experimenting with. The bisque fired is cooling down now. I keep three fans going to reduce the heat in the garage, it seems to help. One fan is close to the ceiling on a shelf.

I'd forgotten all about this small bowl which I just listed in my Etsy shop. It's a nice size, 5 inches wide by 2 inches tall, for a candle, candy, or a ring dish. I'd like o make this shape of bowl in a larger size. Hope you have a relaxing Labor Day. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.