Leaf Plate Set(s) in Etsy Shop

 Leaf Plate Set in my etsy shop.

There are three more (four total) of these sets available.

These have a beautiful shiny blue/green and gold glaze on them.

I added a few other pieces to the etsy shop and I'll be adding more. Also I'm reducing my pottery library and there are several pottery books for sale. Thanks to those who've already placed an order; your item will ship today. 

Meanwhile I fired a bisque yesterday and the electricity went off right in the middle (on a perfectly clear day). So I ran down and unplugged the kiln. Then the electricity went back on so I went down and plugged the kiln in again and it started right up where it left off. Thank goodness it wasn't a glaze load. I'll see today if all is ok. I have two commission pieces in there. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Boat All Primed

Here's another one of my leaf plates with just green glaze and no stain on the leaf. Even without the stain the leaf shows up but it's more subtle. This plate is a good size for a sandwich or salad.

A couple of these will be in my Etsy shop as soon as I get more photographs. Prices listed in my shop include shipping in the United States. I have the last load firing of all the backed up work with one glaze load to do. Meanwhile I've been thinking about what to make to test out my raku kiln.

We've having some sunny weather unlike much of the rest of the country. The boat is all primed and Gary and I are painting it. Gary is making use of the 55 gallon drum I use for barrel firings. Ha.

Here's a sneak peak at the color which is a pale aqua. We wanted it a little darker but since we've already opened the paint this will have to do. Oh, I just had an idea, maybe we can take the paint can back and get a little more color added. I'll have to check into that. I always learn or think of something when I post to my blog so I find it very worthwhile taking the time to write here. We're making the boat two tone, the bottom will be an off white. We're hoping to have the boat in the water by the end the week. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Fern Platters

Here are the fern platters. I made these as pairs since the design runs from one to the other. I like the first pair better. Those are slipped with my own colored slips.

For this second pair I've used mostly commercial under glazes; once again the brush marks show more than I wanted. On some larger plates I'll show you tomorrow, the brush marks didn't show. Must be in my technique. Practice makes perfect I guess. Ha.

Here are some tea bag holder, or they could be used for tea lights, spoon rests, ring holders or spice prep dishes.

They're about three and one half inches in diameter. These seem easy to make, but it takes quite some time to sand each one in the nooks and crannies.

Once again I tried the clear satin glaze over one. I'm really liking the subtle sheen of the plain white. Can't wait to make a whole set of white dishes.

These will be in my Etsy Shop as soon as I get the five photos taken and upload them. This post is part of Artists in Blogland show and tell Saturday. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Bonsai in Selby Gardens

If you've just arrived, in the past two posts we've been touring the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida. Last time we visited the bamboo section and koi pond. Today we'll continue our tour and see the bonsai display.

Bonsai take incredible work to grow, shape and keep healthy and can live hundreds of years. I admire the patience it must have taken those who grew these.

Believe it or not there's still more to see in the gardens like lots of palms, even coconut palms with coconuts, views of the gulf, and more, so stay tuned.

I've added a few items to my Etsy Shop; my shelves were full of pottery pieces I was reluctant to let go. I've decided to make a clean slate for the new year, so I'll be adding more as the days go by. I'm making room for new pieces running around in my head inspired by my trip to the gardens. This post is part of Artists in Blogland, what's happening in the studio. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Cold Snap and Repeat Customers

All of a sudden the weather made a right turn into a cold snap. It's supposed to get below freezing tonight. So we made up some faucet covers with supplies we had on hand. I took some batting (as in quilt batting) and inserted it inside a plastic bag. Gary put the bags over all our outside faucets and taped them on. Hope these work. We also covered some tender plants with sheets and towels. 

During the day I noticed this cardinal sitting under the eaves on a shrub. I thought he was trying to keep warm in a sheltered area out of the wind. I felt sorry for the birds so when I went to the grocery store I bought some bird seed and put it out for the birds. But they had all gone to roost early. I hope to see them at the feeder tomorrow.

One of my customers who I met at the Christmas Art Fair phoned this week to purchase more of my  pottery. She came by and bought quite a few pieces. Be sure to put your business card in every package for future sales, you just never know. If you're local just give me a call to arrange a time to stop by and shop. If you're out of town, please check out my Etsy shop or Big Cartel shop. If you see a piece of pottery on my blog you'd like to purchase please let me know via phone or email. Thanks to all my customers and to all those reading and commenting

Roly Poly

At least once a week I let myself play around with clay. Out of these playful sessions other ideas spring forth. Yesterday creatures were lurking in the clay. I planned to make a rabbit sculpture and somehow this humanoid rabbit emerged. The face is human like, the base is tree like, and the ears are rabbit like. Hum.

I thought about making a rabbit because Gary and I are always trying to remember to say white rabbit the first day of each month. My inspiration for a rabbit from came from seeing this roly poly rabbit toy. This rabbit has such an endearing look to his face. I thought I could make this shaped rabbit into a bank with a slot in the back and a cork in the bottom.  I might even work with some mixed media, perhaps a felt coat, fabric covered wire ears, or glass eyes. We shall see. One of my plans for next year is to explore some animal and human sculptures. More about those plans later.

More leaves are flying out of the Etsy shop. I have a few more to list in the shop, so I'll try to get those up today. I also have more leaf shapes I'm exploring. Back to the studio I go. This post is part of Mud Colony what's happening in the studio. Check out the next post to see a more realistic rabbit, a bank I just completed. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Holiday Ornament Sale

There's a holiday ornament sale going on in my Etsy shop.

They're in groups of two, three, and four, and shipping in USA is included in the price listed.

Each one is individually made with different textures and glazes, fired, then strung with a ribbon.

They're signed on the back with a little star.

They're perfect for stuffing the stocking or putting on the tree.

These textures would be nice along the rim of a plate. Each post I read or write I learn something new. Ha. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Sale of Mini Tiles

Originally I planned to make a mosaic frame for a mirror using these stoneware mini tiles. They look great randomly placed around the edge of a mirror. Now I realize I'm not going to get around to using these tiles. So I am listing them in my Etsy shop for a super sale price. There are 68 tiles and they're 1 1/2 inches square. There are four of each color except for the rose and there are 8 of those.

Here's what they all look like. These tiles are made of stoneware clay, textured with a vine or floral pattern, glazed in food safe non toxic glazes and high fired in my kiln. They're suited for mosaic or installation.

Everything in the bisque turned out just fine and now I'm firing a glaze load. Meanwhile I made a large wall tile with some relief additions. I'll probably crumple this up, not quite what I had in mind. Sometimes I have to let myself fool around though. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

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.