Dream Pot series

This is the process of how I make what I call my Dream Pots.  A little history; they are inspired by a dream I had one night several years ago.  It was so vivid and when I woke up I had to make a sketch.  As you can see I have to start with a "structure" for the clay.  Long slabs of clay are rolled out and draped over a balloon resting in a large cardboard tube.  I wrapped some bubble wrap to give it more dimension.

I use my slab roller to roll out the clay.  The slabs are very heavy and when I drape them over the balloon, they will fold and the ends will sometimes tear a little but that just adds to the organic look of this pot.  I will come back when all the slabs are positioned and "help" them a little with the folding and tearing.  I like the raw edge the tearing gives the slabs. Very irregular!

Thick slabs of clay rolled with a textured rolling pin for a swirly design.  This is 3 slabs so far.

4 slabs

A total of 6 slabs and an added base.  This is getting pretty dry and is very fragile at this stage.  It was bisque fired to cone 04.  It's so big it took up half the kiln.

After the bisque fire, it was a little less fragile but still hard to handle.  It's really heavy! I had to pour the glaze over it as it was sitting in a shallow pan.

The inside has a nice pool of blue color at the bottom and blue drips down the side over a pale milky green.  The tans of the clay show through the glaze.

I think it is gorgeous!  It's about 15" tall and wide.  I can visualize it sitting in someone's home maybe in a foyer on a table as a great display piece.

This will be Dream Pot #8.  We've decided that numbering will be a nice touch.  This is destined to go to my favorite gallery, Genuine Georgia in Greensboro, Ga.  She had the last one for less than a day before it sold!  I will be making more as I get the right kind of clay collected.  I use all the scraps of white, tan and brown clay that I use all mashed up together.  This makes the pots be different every time. It takes about 25 lbs of clay.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and the insight into one of my more diffucult processes.  

Cruising the yard this afternoon

This is my stroll around the yard this afternoon.  Or "cruising" as I like to call it.  Late afternoon sun creates interesting shadows.  It's cool enough now for a light jacket in the mornings but the afternoons are just perfect.  I was very comfortable in my t-shirt!  

I went to the nursery yesterday and came home with pansies galore.  I put them in their pots today.  I pulled up the caladiums that I have enjoyed all summer and will try to save their bulbs for next year in the basement.

This is a black elephant ear.  Not the full black ones but as you can see, green and black

I love the sun coming through this one

My version of a bottle tree.  Slumped little jars hung with fishing line.

A white wood aster,  These are native and come up all over the place in the yard and in the woods.

One pot of my pansies and something new this year, swiss chard!

My hydrangea is still putting on  blooms

I love the look of the old blooms and they dry nicely for arrangements.

Wait for it!

Wait for it!

There you go!  These are garden orbs I had in my Etsy shop but decided they needed to live in my yard!

So I hope enjoyed the tour.  The yard will be winding down soon but we haven't had frost yet.  Probably before Halloween.  Oh, that will be another coming post.  Halloween decorations!

Can you make this bigger?

I had a question from someone asking if I could make this moon and sun plaque bigger.  I pondered on it for awhile and finally said I thought I could but I wasn't sure how it would turn out.  As you can see, it turned out pretty awesome.

This one is about 12" diameter.  The sculpting was all done by hand.  The "space" is
stamped with stars and shooting stars.  The moon is gun metal green with indigo accents.
I've done enough of these kind of plaques that they come fairly easily.  I know how to  handle the
clay and the finished piece so it doesn't break.

This one, on the other hand, was an exercise in patience.  After figuring out how to get a 17" diameter (I cut a string and tied a marker to it and drew out the circumference on a piece of drywall), I then had to roll out the slab, trim it and do all the stamping and sculpting.  I let it dry for a week under plastic to prevent warping and then uncovered for about 3 weeks.  I slid it onto the kiln shelf and then moved it to the kiln.  It would only fit on the top shelf.  Fired once, then  glazed and then fired again.

So now that it is done, I think I'll keep it.  There wasn't any final commission from the inquirer.  I just wanted to see if it could be done.  I don't think I would take on a commission for a second one.  It was a lot of work and possibility for disaster at every turn was high.  I wouldn't want that kind of responsibility!

It will look good hanging outside.

A new project

As if I needed another project, I've discovered "plate flowers".  I had no idea what they were until I started seeing them on Etsy.  Take old china, crystal, mismatched plates of various sizes and glue them together with silicon, I used the kind that comes in a caulking tube, add a bent spoon or knife to the back and stick in a metal pipe that has been stuck in the ground.  We experimented with pvc pipe and galvanized tubing, cut on an angle for a sharp point to stick in the ground.  I think I like the metal tubing the best.  My husband cut them for me.

So I've hitting all the thrift stores for dishes and silverware.  I also thought it would be cool to add some of my little pinched pots.  When I'm hand building, I'll end up with a little wad of clay and rather than throw it in bucket, I'll just pinch out a little shape. So a little piece of pottery is added for a different look.  

I love them!  They are very fun to make and look great nestled in with all the flowers.  I know what I'll be giving as gifts this year to my peeps.

2 china plates and crystal cup

3 plates, a clear glass plate and pottery piece.  This one is stuck in a PVC pipe

2 plates and yellow glazed pottery piece.  The pottery  reminds me of the trumpets on daffodils.
This one has a hanger and is hung on the garden art wall in the backyard.

Like I said, another project.  So many projects, so little time!

Outdoor gallery or what to do with some junk

Garden art for the backyard

This is the back of the deck behind the house.  The lattice seemed like the perfect spot for displaying garden artsy kind of stuff.  Since I make garden art, well, I guess it is like my outdoor gallery.  Some of the things have been given to me, some were flea market finds and some were pieces of rusty junk from around the property.  The moon and star plaque and the moon and sun plaque were made by me.  I'm hoping to have some moon vine growing up chicken wire I stapled to the lattice later in the season.  But it's being real slow.  I probably should have started the seeds in some peat pots and then transplanted.  Well, there's always next year.

Sunny Sunflower

This is one of my sunflower sculptures.  Well, it's sunflower-like. I don't try to be botanically correct but you get the idea of what it is. I did this totally by hand, pinching each petal and attaching to a central disc.  I added some fringe detail around the outside of the disc for extra interest.  I curled the petals for a natural look.  This whole thing dried for several weeks before firing.  I held my breath as I loaded it into the kiln. I just knew I was going to break one of the petals and then the whole thing would have been thrown back in the clay recycle bucket.  But I made it! Whew!!

 Glazed in a sunflower yellow glaze with amber accents over a speckled clay.  I think the speckles give it a lot of depth and dimension.  High fired stoneware clay so it can go outside in the garden or on the porch.  Inside is nice, too!  About 10-12" dia.

Sunflower sculpture

Fringe detail

Another look at the fringe and the petals

Let the sunshine in!

This is a new listing on Etsy.  I make this by rolling out stoneware clay and sculpting the features.  I used a stamp for the cheeks.  Glazed in a sunny yellow, this sun is one of my daughter's faves.  In fact, she has the first one I ever did.  I think she's my biggest fan.  Well, she's awesome and I love to give her my art.  She was with me through all the years of schlepping pottery to craft shows.  I finally got to a point where I said NO MORE CRAFT SHOWS.  My back can't take it anymore.  Packing up, unpacking, setting up, sitting all day and then doing it all in reverse.  That's HARD WORK.  I don't miss it at all!!!


I worked on some cute trays today made by pressing hosta leaves into rolled out clay.  I made some little leaf dishes to go with them and some chopstick holders.  So I'm thinking they will be sushi trays.