It has been tooo long between updates and I have not been making pots, but I am keeping busy and pots are in process. Here is what I have been up to. I bought some old Japanese lanterns years ago with the thought of turning them into some kind of lamp. I dug them out of the basement and figured that now is the time.
They were extremely fragile, so I propped them open and coated them with numerous coats of lacquer...
made some cast iron bases and thin pipe poles for them to hang on...
and put a string of small LED Christmas lights inside. They look "candle-lit" and are only for effect and atmosphere, not illumination.
Maybe you could help me ID a few pots? These are big and heavy and have been sitting in the same spots for years. The piece pictured below is heavy heavy and probably 2" thick.
A beautiful pot.
I bought this blue pot without really touching it. I thought it might be Fulper Vasecraft at the time.
It is covered with blue crystals...
and the bottom is marked with a number in such a way that it could possibly be ID-ed by the way it was done. Something tells me it is not American-made. From the wear and tear on the bottom, it is obvious it has been around a while. I have had it 30 years and it has barely moved from the spot where it sits, so I am not resposible for much of the bottom wear.
I have a relationship of sorts with a native of St. Lawerance Island and I bought this pice of sculpture from him recently. The claw is polar bear and the carving is by my friend. It is about 4" long- claw to nose.
The black is baleen inserts.
As long as I am showing you carvings, I'll show you this piece I carved out of wood that is titled "My Eternally Sleeping Cat" and is made in memory of one of my cats named "Chicken Lady".
It is a beautiful piece.
Speaking of beauty, my Greek Temple Folly was covered with blooming wisteria this year. Here the buds are about 3" long...
and here in full bloom.
I had a fellow named "FerRell Johnson" ask me for some tile images for his web site ThrowClay.com.
My son, Chris, my pride and joy, graduated from St Louis University this spring.
I recently compiled and finished an inventory of my many collections. I had three boxes of small paintings that had been packed away for 20 years. I was glad to once again see this painting by Trew Hocker. Looks like bad news in that letter. Super Deco!
Another painting that looks kind of folky...
another...
and another painting.
Another thing eating up my time is this building where I have a second studio. I use this studio when I am really going to make a mess. I intend to finish covering the front in galvanized steel before winter comes along.
When I was creating an inventory, I was down in the basement and uncovered stackes of Burley Clay Products planters that I bought up in Zanesville circa 2002. I also found boxes of Fioriware from the same time.
I also dug out and rebuilt an "OK" sign I bought from a Chevrolet dealership circa 1982. I bought five of them and this one is a gift for my brother on his birthday.
I am toying with the idea of making these two Oak Tree pots into lamps. This is an early mocked up shade. I refined the shape- made it more acorn-like- and got a price for turning out two copper shades similar to what you see. $1000!
These doors used to be white. I grained an entire five room apartment to look like mahagony.
Some more of my graining. This time it is meant to be straight grain fir. This also used to be painted white.
During the inventory, I came across two Ansel Adams photos I bought in 1983. Had to frame them!
My wife and I took another Amtrak journey from St. Louis to LA to Vancover, Washington. Talk about great fun!!! The "Coast Starlight" is the crown jewel of Amtrak and runs all the way up the west coast of the country.
LA's Union Station is a ceramic lover's dream. Everything you see in the next photos is California Tile. KILLER!!
And the food on the train is wonderful!
I really got side tracked from clay when I undertook my household inventory. Another piece that I framed up is a relief print of Angor Wat. I made the frame out of real black Bamboo.
Another week was eaten up on a fishing trip in the Jack's Fork river in southern Missouri. It was heaven, fishing, camping on gravel bars, sitting round the fire at night eating peanuts and tossing the shells in the fire. Heaven.
The weather was perfect...
and we did tip a few times, but proper packing meant nothing got wet.
More inventory. I love to cook and here are a few special kitchen accessories.
