It seems that I find myself constantly using birds as inspiration for my work. In this latest soda firing my pots are either birds or I’ve drawn them on the surface, using sgraffito.
Here are some more angles on the bird vessel. My sister Mary says she has one from a long-ago trip to Peru that has a filling hole underneath so I think that must be where I got the idea for this silly fellow. It does work! But I don’t think I’ll make tea in it.
This is one of my more ‘normal’ bird jugs. I painted his bill with my earthenware pale blue slip, for a nice contrast. For potters .. the eye is black underglaze.
Some of the pieces I submitted to last week’s soda firing had already gone through the flames once. The left-hand Bird Vase was fired last November and I felt it needed a little more soda. It is now juicily orange-peely. The right-hand one was sprayed with the same colours but you cannot duplicate effects. I’m happy with both.
Here are three views of the same little blue Crow vase. I enjoy finding a way to have a sharp distinction between the image and the blue around it.
On this beaker I was experimenting with sgraffito again. After its bisque firing I painted the drawing with black underglaze and wiped it away, just leaving it in the lines. Parts of the design were waxed before I sprayed flashing slip, to give a little contrast.
The last bird-related item in this firing was another of my Egg Boxes. I do enjoy those parallel carved lines. I first used the technique when making a Reamer (lemon squeezer) at a salt-firing workshop with Douglas Phillips in Queen Camel, Somerset in 1984! See the latest two below.
Three of these mugs were re-fired. I like the curved insides for stirring my coffee.
The last piece to show you is a boldly shaped vase.
Now it’s time to return to working with my red earthenware for a while.
Hi Gill,
I love all your new work very much, especially the little crow vases and the beakers with the sgraffito birds. The colours are gorgeous!
Happy Birthday, card in the post.
Best love,
Dot
Lovely to hear from you, Dot. I’m glad you like the crows. Yes, the soda firing brings out a whole different set of colours from my usual earthenware. My birthday was happy, with cheerful boys being boys. love Gill