I fired my kiln twice this week for bisque and glaze firings. Plates and tiles painted by TriCity Potters and a large plate by Bill Thomson helped to fill it and the top shelves held my latest jugbirds.

I’ve been working with three galleries in mind, but the top priority is Crafthouse YVR who have ordered ten. I must continue to produce because I need a few more for them. Other jugbirds are intended for Primavera in Cambridge and an upcoming wedding, but sadly our holiday in England, Shetland and Hamburg, scheduled for June, has had to be cancelled. Alan has some health problems that need to be sorted so we can’t travel for the time being. I shall have to find another way to transport pots across the pond and meanwhile be looking after my spouse.

My favourite jugbird of this new batch is a redesigned English Goldfinch. As mentioned before, he is not yellow all over with some black, like ours, but much more colourful. He has a jaunty red patch with black, white and just a little yellow. I always enjoy spotting them in my family’s gardens in England.

There’s also a larger European Eagle, the White-Tailed Eagle, who looks rather fierce with a big hooked yellow bill.

And I’ve made a lidded bird which might be suitable for storing bird seed. All the others are jugbirds I’ve made before. My next batch will include some more exotic tropical birds for Alcheringa, in Victoria, to accompany their Papua/New Guinea carvings.

I painted a red clay tile as a demo for the TriCity potters’ group, and for the other one I used bright underglazes. I think I still prefer working with slips.

As usual Al took photos of all the work for me.

My next blog will show the plates and tiles painted by TriCity potters the other day.