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I have made pots directly inspired by the bumpy gourd in the middle and the tall gourd, second from the right ( See what I mean by looking at Ed's pot shelf in the update before this one.). In my last update, I mistakenly attributed some of my inspiration to Robineau, when actually the pots I stole inspiration from were made by Taxile Doat.
As I write this, I am one pot away from ending my make cycle and getting into glazing. I have started doing some glaze tests on small test pots like so...
I'll be glaze testing for about three weeks.
And here are a few recent pots that will bear the fruits of that testing.
I have made three of these Locust Tree pots this year. And they are going to be spectacular pots! And they will have a surprize inside each of them.
The pot below is a large landscape pot with an horizon line between land and sky and clouds that will go into the distance.
I have made a number of pots with a Sumac theme and they are going to be great pots. I know it. They will have more color than pots I have made in the past. You'll see.... This pot was pictured on the last update, before I did the surface decoration. What a beautiful shape.
But the pot shapes get even better.... Another Alium pot. These pots will be the hot commidity this year. (Remember I said that about the Wisteria pots last year? WRONG.) I will have about six of them. If they turn out like I imagine, they are going to be expensive. Better shop early...
After throwing pots for the last five or so months, I got very comfortable and the shapes and technical aspects of the pots improved steadily. I almost hate to stop throwing and start glazing, but I must. Anyway, here is a pic of the last seven pots that I threw. I made these with my last 60 #s of clay- seven beauties. It's rare that all the pots of a throwing session will look this nice. Pots as nice as I have ever made. I have decided to track these seven pots through the make process until I put them in the hands of the person that buys them. I'll keep a photo record of all this and show it to you in the fall.
After I throw the pots, they sit overnight. Then I trim the outside bottom half of the pot to reduce thickness at the base and refine shape. Next, I cut them off the bat, flip 'em over and let the foot end of the pot stiffen overnight. Next day I trim the very bottom of the pot and foot it. Then I wrap the pots in plastic bags until I have time to deal with the decoration aspects that will be carved or added onto the pot. They sit around the studio for a week of so in bags. What you see in this pic, below, is the very bottom of the pots drying out and stiffening overnight while the rest of the pot is wrapped to keep it moist.
OK. I blew my schedule by losing a month. That will ultimately mean I will not get done all I anticipated. One of my prime goals was to get the second picture tile made. Well, I have all the prep work done, I just have to make the tile and the molds. I really have my doubts about getting it done in time for summer. But I will show you a crude mock-up drawing of what it will look like...
It will be more somber in color. Grey and rainy. A blooming weeping willow in front of a pond in a rainstorm. Full moon, birds flying and Koi in the foreground. At least that is how I now imagine it.
As long as I have the following pics available, I'll show you some big pots that are sitting around the studio. First, a piece inspired by a planter full of black-eyed susan seedheads that were caught in an ice strorm. I was intriqued by such a sight just outside my studio door and decided to do something with it.
A big sculpture of all the life forms in a lily pond...
The above piece has been sitting 2 or 3 years for glaze. I think I may get to it soon. It has all kinds of fish, insects, frogs, snakes and the like.
Finally, late one night, I did make something I promised to someone. A frog. A smiling collector frog.
It's for you, Terry.