May 2017
Some new kiln offerings. Most of these pots have been distributed between the Unicorn Farm (for their June 1st) opening) , the Train Station Pottery Shop in Parksville and Imagine That in Duncan.
January 2017
Starting 2017 with more of the new glaze, Autumn Maple and some fun designs. I also have some heart tea cups here that are for a friend of mine. I think they are so cute. The canister has an over sized lid handle. The scoop is also a favorite. Must make more scoops.
November 2016
A variety of pots with a variety of glazes. I am really liking the Autumn Maple glaze with the overlap. Warm and cozy.
Felt inspired after a coffee break with a friend. The goal is for these to become luminaries. We'll see! :-)
October 2016
And more! Some days just seem like Christmas!
Just a few delights from the last glaze firing. I like them all but the crab plate is my favourite. Oh, but I like the wavy serving dish too.
Here are some new pictures. I am trying out some new glazes. So far, I really like them. The pictures don't really do them justice but here you go anyway.
2016 July
I really have no idea how it got to be the end o f July but here we are. It was a busy year with moving and getting settled and getting some pottery space sorted out. I seem to be all set now and slowly getting back into the groove a bit. I haven't been taking many pictures to post here but here are a couple of recent offerings from the kiln.
2016 January
Here we are at 2016 and it is already flying by. Not much chance to make pots in this new year. I did find (make) time to try making some stamps. And I managed to get them bisque fired so here they are. I think I will try making the smaller stamps square-ish next time. Then one could join patterns together....it one wanted to. Looking forward to using them on pots!
2015 December
Here are some finished works for December. Unfortunately the month is going by way too fast. Not sure how much more I will be able to get done before Christmas but this should satisfy a mug request I had. Also, love the soup mugs. I was going to keep some for myself but they look so good I will sell them. And, lastly, the whack footed mug experiments. Love how funky they are. Must make some for real now.
Thought I would include a picture of Zoey this time...she's so cute! Here are some wonky looing teapots with lids that may not pass muster, a nice casserole and some chattered bowls. I like the chattering but it takes a while to figure it out. Looks nice when it is all uniform. Must play with that some more.
2015 October
Just a few pics of some work in progress, including the tree in a nearby park....that's Mother Nature's work in progress. :-)
2015 September
Where did the summer go. It took me until now to get the critters from MISSA fired. They kept taking a back seat to some other work on the go. Here are a few pics from the summer.
2015 June
MISSA 2015 - Story Animals. The Story Animal Sculpture class was such fun! The location at Pearson College (at Pedder Bay) is also amazing. Quiet, peaceful and beautiful. The class was only 2 days so not nearly enough time to really dive into but just being there was great. It wasn't one of those classes where you take away a lot of product as each one is time consuming especially when learning how. Anyway, here are my pieces.
2015 February
Lidded Casseroles;
Glaze Testing some new glazes.
2014 November
Pottery for Christmas sales this year.
2014 May
Finally some new pictures! All of these pieces are ready for the spring sale with the Nanaimo Pottery Co-op on May 9, 10 at the Country Club Mall in Nanaimo.
2013 November
November seems to have came and went in a flash. I did manage to get some work done to try and build up my inventory again. Sushi sets seemed to be my piece of the month!. The little fish are just so much fun. Anyway, hope they make someone's sushi taste that much better. Our Clay Group also attempted a fish bowl project for our project of the month. It was quite interesting and like everything, you need to make a few before you get the knack. Anyway, it was fun working with the coils so may have to try that one again. Next, moving onto December.....
2013 October
The plan for October was to get ready for Christmas sales. Well, actually that was the plan for August which would have been so sensible but..... I have been doing lots of firings lately and adding to my collection for Christmas sales. Seems I went a little crazy making veggie/chip dip plates. I also had a great time making the fancy berry bowls. Really enjoying the carving. Seems like good therapy. Here a few pictures. One of the last glaze loads is set for tomorrow...which includes 2 more veggie/chip sets. See what I mean about getting carried away? Hmmmmm
Last glaze firing done and pictures added. Maybe have a few days before the sale to fit in one more firing. The sale is November 9, 2013 at the Parksville Conference Centre from 10am-4pm.
Last glaze firing done and pictures added. Maybe have a few days before the sale to fit in one more firing. The sale is November 9, 2013 at the Parksville Conference Centre from 10am-4pm.
2013 September
Here are some pics of my favourite pieces of work for September. Can't wait to make more of these! I'm thinking about white clay with only the carvings glazed. And taller too. These are about 8" tall and the lids are about 4" tall. I particularly like the pots in the first 2 pictures with the wavy leaves on the lid. The 3rd picture is a lantern. It was fun to make as it was thrown upside down.
These next 2 are just a couple of the pots that are being prepared for Christmas. I like the pattern on the small platter. The pattern is thanks to cake making tools. Potters can find tools anywhere. ha ha
2013 August
2013-08-15
July went by so fast! Oh dear! I even seem to have missed out on taking many pictures lately. I did try out a glaze called Waterfall Brown. There are some pictures below. They have potential but need some work as time permits. Also a couple of pictures of a bowl inspired by Clare Wakefield and some other pots. The altered mug is inspired by McCurdy....but nothing like McCurdy pots I must point out! :-)
July went by so fast! Oh dear! I even seem to have missed out on taking many pictures lately. I did try out a glaze called Waterfall Brown. There are some pictures below. They have potential but need some work as time permits. Also a couple of pictures of a bowl inspired by Clare Wakefield and some other pots. The altered mug is inspired by McCurdy....but nothing like McCurdy pots I must point out! :-)
2013 July
This is a picture of my pots set up at Imagine That in Duncan, BC in July. So great to be a part of that.
2013 June
2016-06-16
Moving on to new pots. Quick shot of some bowls I made. I really enjoyed carving the leaf shapes into the clay. Carving out the shapes right out on one of bowls was also great. Now for them to dry.
The sculptures shown below are about as far from functional as I can get. They are so fantastic to make. Should be part of everyone's therapy program, :-)
Moving on to new pots. Quick shot of some bowls I made. I really enjoyed carving the leaf shapes into the clay. Carving out the shapes right out on one of bowls was also great. Now for them to dry.
The sculptures shown below are about as far from functional as I can get. They are so fantastic to make. Should be part of everyone's therapy program, :-)
2013-06-13
Another glaze fire is all done. Perfecto! Love everything that came out. Most of these pots are going down to Imagine That in Duncan for our month long window display and sale. My favourite from the lot is the leaf bowl.
Another glaze fire is all done. Perfecto! Love everything that came out. Most of these pots are going down to Imagine That in Duncan for our month long window display and sale. My favourite from the lot is the leaf bowl.
2013-06-08.
Here are some the results from the kiln today. Love the sushi sets. They warped a bit but I think I like that. Character. I also like the fish design and the especially the fishy chopstick holders. Must make more!
Here are some the results from the kiln today. Love the sushi sets. They warped a bit but I think I like that. Character. I also like the fish design and the especially the fishy chopstick holders. Must make more!
Can it really be June? May started out with the Nanaimo Pottery Co-op spring sale. Great success! The rest of the time was spent getting pots ready for sale at Imagine That in Duncan where the Potters 3 group will be for the month of June. We are so excited to be part of that!.
Seems like I didn't get to taking too many new pictures but here are some more works in progress. As you can see the sushi set project is still on the go. The fish are meant to be part of a sushi set and will gladlly hold your chopsticks for you. And they are so much fun to make. The other little fish are sauce dishes to go along. All of these pieces need to be fired yet. Hopefully soon and hope they all survive the journey!
Seems like I didn't get to taking too many new pictures but here are some more works in progress. As you can see the sushi set project is still on the go. The fish are meant to be part of a sushi set and will gladlly hold your chopsticks for you. And they are so much fun to make. The other little fish are sauce dishes to go along. All of these pieces need to be fired yet. Hopefully soon and hope they all survive the journey!
2013 May
Next on the agenda.
Seems like I just ran out of time to post any pots! We had our May Spring Sale at Arrowsmith and also the Nanaimo Pottery Co-op Sale. Between work and getting ready for the sales it has been a busy time. Here are some pictures of the pots I had in the sales. And happy to report that most of them found good homes.
2013 April
Here are some of April's pots so far. Some are a still a work in progress and some are done! This last kiln opening was a bit of a surprise. The blue-ish/green-ish colour pots in the 2nd row of photos were supposed to come out just Blue like the platter. You would never know the pots were fired in the same kiln, same firing and same glaze. The khaki green was intended but it did turn out more on the brown side then on the green side. It does have a wonderful blue blur where some of the colours met. The photo doesn't do it justice and shows them even more brown than they really are. Although the verdict is still out, I think I like all the pots but they are not what I had expected. Anyway, you be the judge and I get to figure out what to do about the next glaze firing!
The fish pots below are still drying. Can't wait to get them glazed and ready to go.
The fish pots below are still drying. Can't wait to get them glazed and ready to go.
2013 March
2013-03-29. Finally had some time to make some new pots to get ready for a May sale. Hope they all turn out. Will have to decide on which glaze to use for them. There are a couple of small dishes made upside down (no trimming, Yay) a couple of soap pumps, a leaf bowl, a platter, a chip dip set and a couple of mugs....that don't match! One of the pots will be used to try out a boat-like serving dish that was demonstrated on Ceramics Daily. Now these will become tomorrow's projects with trimming and attaching handles etc.
The 3rd picture is the finished Boat bowl. It ended up a bit "wonky",I mean "with some character". Must make another now that I learned a few things making the first one. In the 2nd row are the decorated soap pumps and the dip bowl all put toegher. Next, to dry and fire and glaze and fire!
The 3rd picture is the finished Boat bowl. It ended up a bit "wonky",I mean "with some character". Must make another now that I learned a few things making the first one. In the 2nd row are the decorated soap pumps and the dip bowl all put toegher. Next, to dry and fire and glaze and fire!
Here are some more pictures from my first full kiln load of the new glaze combo. Now I have a good collection of mugs and bowls and some extras in this combination. This glaze combo needs some kind of exotic name. Any ideas? The more I look at the colours the more I love them!
Here are pics from the first run on peices larger than the test tiles. I love them all!
2013 Feb
I always like trying out new glazes. Takes forever it seems but hopefully a new combination comes out of it.
I love this rich purple glaze. I'm also digging it with the cream color . I also quite like the green/blue strips but would 'organize' them a bit more on something other than a test piece. I would also do the cream over purple instead of purple over cream and reduce the overlap area. Just testing it now with a lemon wedge and lemon juice on it. Fingers crossed! Oh, just had an idea. Purple pigs!
Below are some more glaze combinations I am playing with.
Below are some more glaze combinations I am playing with.
Spent a little bit of time making some pots today. Ended up squashing a few after experimenting with reshaping after forming on the wheel.
These little guys are so much fun to make. They go into the kiln looking happy, they come out of the kiln looking happy!
All of these teapots were made during a Teapot Rodeo. What is a Teapot Rodeo you ask. A few friendly potters each made all the parts needed to make a teapot. Before joining the parts together to make teapot, we exchanged parts and the challenge was on. With someone elses teapot body, someone elses spout, lid etc. we then had to create a teapot. Some pretty spectacular creations!
2012 - May
Every once in a while I venture away from the realm of practical pots and try something different. So far, one has met its demise while the others are still waiting to be glaze fired.
2010 - April
We had a Show Competition at the Arrowsmith Potter`s Guild. My Prairie Shoe won 3rd prize which earned me a box of clay. The 1st prize winner and 2nd prize winner also built some beautiful clay shoes. Somehow I was also inspired to write a poem about the shoe:
Prairie Stroll
Where would I go?
What would I do?
If my size 7 foot
Would fit in this shoe?
Stroll thru Paris?
Wander thru Spain?
My heart finds its voice
“Go Back to the Plains”
At first glance
I’ll look with my eyes
“There’s nothing here”
But then, surprise!
I’ll see deer and coyote
and great birds of prey.
Rolling fields of wheat.
“So awesome” I’d say.
I’d stroll far away
from bright city lights
Count all of the stars
It would take many nights.
Untold beauty
It has been from the start
If I just close my eyes
And see with my heart.
A stroll thru the Prairies.
That’s what I’d do.
If my Size 7 foot
would fit in this shoe.
April 10, 2010.
An original poem by the potter.
Prairie Stroll
Where would I go?
What would I do?
If my size 7 foot
Would fit in this shoe?
Stroll thru Paris?
Wander thru Spain?
My heart finds its voice
“Go Back to the Plains”
At first glance
I’ll look with my eyes
“There’s nothing here”
But then, surprise!
I’ll see deer and coyote
and great birds of prey.
Rolling fields of wheat.
“So awesome” I’d say.
I’d stroll far away
from bright city lights
Count all of the stars
It would take many nights.
Untold beauty
It has been from the start
If I just close my eyes
And see with my heart.
A stroll thru the Prairies.
That’s what I’d do.
If my Size 7 foot
would fit in this shoe.
April 10, 2010.
An original poem by the potter.
2010 - Feb
These were pieces glazed with a combination of Ravenscrag glazes. Nice glazes to work with. So many glazes on a single pot made for a lot of work to glaze them. I ended up opting for a simpler glazing method.
2009 - May
Wow. When I look back at these photos I remember all the 'work' it took to get them painted. This was done on bisque ware with underglaze paints and then a clear glaze. I tried to make each mug different with roads going different directions and different houses and roofs etc.