Recently I was asked to make a distinctly British Columbian jugbird. Of course most of the birds I make can be found all across this continent but sadly we don’t see Cardinals or Orioles here. Perhaps it was hearing about a Peregrine Falcon laying her eggs on a high ledge on Salisbury Cathedral that made me look up the species and yes, they are quite common here in BC.
On first studying the Peregrine Falcon, he seems to have a limited range of colours but I decided that a bold black head, dark grey wings and back, a white chest with distinctive markings there and a yellow bill would make him recognizable. The first Falcons were painted on three different sizes of jug and as a friend noted, the colours were pleasingly soft at this stage. Yes, the bright clear glaze does make all my work look bold but mostly I think it works for these guys.
The largest (thrown with a 2 lb lump of clay) feels really comfortable and I think is a size I’ll make more of. It would make a good summer water jug with some ice cubes. A friend has already spoken for the middle one.
What do you think of these dark colours? Does the jug look like a Peregrine Falcon? 
My jugbirds have been selling quite quickly at Eclectic Gallery, in Victoria’s Oak Bay so I have another nine birds already under way, hoping to have them fired by month’s end.
