Mugs and bowls

In the midst of everything else, here are some new pics of my work.  If I didn't have some pottery to work on, I'd probably be vege-ing out somehow. 
Of course today is turning into a wonderful outdoor day.  So there's that too.

The clay makes all the variations in color so much fun.
And putting glazes on then wiping them thinner in spots, so the great clay shows better.
This has become my favorite glaze combo.  I've now made demitasse cups in small and large, and there are now 4 mugs that are grande...probably 14 oz. (Well, maybe 12.  I can't check because they are all wrapped in the crate in the car, waiting for next week's tailgate market)

I'm asking the universe of all possibilities to help our little group of potters make some sales this weekend.  There are some of us using pictures of various saints to help.  Whatever can help is more than welcome.  Some of our group are students that need help paying bills...well, we all need help paying bills, I'd guess.  So while people get their great produce and honey and organic this and that this weekend, I hope they think of how a piece (or more) of pottery would just be the thing to get as well!

I'm going to go work on the triple spiral labyrinth that my friend made 2 days before she died.  We worked together to make the path clear.  I am just going to infuse the path with some purple paint, which should contrast nicely with the orange tones of bisque clay.  That will be placed somewhere among the "remembrances" at the memorial service tonight.

I've decided to skip the pot luck dinner, and just hope I can remember how to sing the 2 songs the Sahara Peace Choir will be singing.

Our community of loving friends and family will be sharing what a blessing this woman has been.  It is indeed going to be a celebration of her life.

trees and pottery

Our hardwood forests here in the Swannanoa Valley of western North Carolina.

 A pair of bowls in white clay, eggshell glaze with trim of Mexico...which got away and made that cute dot in the bottom of the small one.  I'm in love with the dot.

 This pair of bowls is also the same clay and glaze, but with a bit of "floating blue" for trim.

 Medium size vase.  Speckled brownstone clay with eggshell glaze...scalloped lip.

How often do you look up at the interlacing branches?  This is squirrel-land and bird-land.

 Triangular lip with a bow on another brownstone and eggshell vase.

Here a lip on a vase is folded with fours...same size and clay and glaze.

This shows some of the dead and dying Hemlocks with which the North Carolina woods are devestated.  Some storms soon will bring more of them down.

Sheets of water between rocks, disappearing over the edge of gravity into unknown depths.  This Flat Creek (what strange person considered this tumbling water "flat" anyway?) runs into the Swannanoa River, which in turn in a few miles joins the French Broad River in Asheville.  It then flows to the Tennessee lands of the Smokies, which is where my branch of the Rogers originally settled in this area...namely in Sevierville.

Raspberry glaze mmmmm!

I'm so happy with the new raspberry glaze we've mixed up at BMCA studio...as an experiment.  It looks best with other glazes somewhere around it, or maybe just double dipped.  No more running all over the kiln shelf either!  Mmmmm.

 Small pitcher, 6-1/2" tall, 6" wide, 4-1/2" deep

The top edge was dipped in eggshell, which gave it a bit more purplish tint in places.

I think of this color as wine...deep and delicious!

Since I seldom drink red wine, maybe I'll get some and fill this pitcher with it...just for the fun of comparing the reds.  What's a good red wine to try?

Couldn't decide which shots to post, so I just put them all here.  I've finally gotten out the white boards to use reflective lighting, which gives somewhat better color accuracy.

 Small slab built vase with a frog for flower arranging...

 A threesome of bowls...raspberry with a whisper of eggshell which made all the difference...

 I'm partial to drips that just blend, rather than those that are pre-arranged by the potter.

 I'd call these purple!

 This is as close to a purple glaze that I've ever achieved.  Thanks to the potters that went before me and came out with these combinations.

A tee-pee shape with holes for stems...another tiny flower vase...eggshell finish.

This is so simple it looks like a child made it.  Well, my inner child makes many of my forms!