What happened to August? It seems I last wrote a blog in late July. After that we had a fine week with the family at Rathtrevor Beach before Steve, Jen and the grand-boys left for their big move to Edmonton. Al and I spent a couple of days more with friends in Duncan before returning home. There were no ceramics-related events in August that I could attend so I settled down to finish making earthenware things for Circle Craft.
I had almost made enough for a kiln load when we left for a long-anticipated trip into Washington State on the day after Labour Day. In Seattle we were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the newly built Burke Museum at UW, and thoroughly enjoyed a morning at SAM (I might share photos from there soon). The next two days were spent with long-time friends Gary and Gloria at their home in beautiful Port Townsend. BUT I developed a ‘cold’ and some days later tested positive for Covid. Al followed with the same. What a waste of time that is! Since then I have recovered and managed to complete the work on a few final pieces for the kiln and now those pots have seen the light of day. Poor Alan still has a beastly cough, even though he’s tested negative now.
I’d like to show you the jolly things I’ve made, and I did get started on some new work in stoneware as they were firing. But I have two group soda firings booked for October and November so the pressure is on!
Apart from making half a dozen expected jugbirds, I seem to have concentrated on using the colour green, and playing with sgraffito on some slab plates, for this firing. With earthenware I feel that the best finish for my carved grooves is to coat them with terra sigillata, á la Samian Ware. So my favourite pot this time is a carved bowl lined with gorgeous green slip.
I coated another moon-shaped lidded jar with terra sig. The ingenious lid will keep the contents safe!
My jugbirds are a seagull, a puffin, a penguin, a pileated woodpecker, a spotted towhee and a black-headed grosbeak. All are roughly 5″ tall.
When making a sgraffito drawing it’s important to consider the underlying clay colour. I coat the thrown or slab-formed plate with slip. When the piece is nicely firm but still damp I carve a design. You’ll see that on the thrown plate the line is white, and on the red clay the contrast is dark. Already someone has asked to give these four a home so I’m tempted to make some more right away but I mustn’t get distracted from throwing with Umpqua and H555 clays for the next few weeks.
Other plates were also slip-painted and I used sgraffito a little. You can see that I was playing. Some ideas will be used again.
More pieces in the green theme. I hadn’t used a ‘celadon’-stained slip in a while and isn’t it delicious on this wee vase? The tiny yunomi is a green/blue teal that I like. The mug and matching plate have colours and paper resist ideas that I’ve used before.
Who can resist layering white and red clay and adding a little blue-stained clay to make a bowl?
So now it’s late September and I have totally different plans for high-fire soda pots next.
But we also hope to take a flight to Edmonton before the snow falls to see the new McMillan home. Our garden upkeep, cooking, house cleaning etc can mostly be avoided, right Al? Somehow I’ll find time and energy to meet my deadlines. Making makes me happy.
A trip in to Granville Island with new pots for Circle Craft Co-op is on the list too, asap.
Gillian, That green colour is tops with the earthenware. Looking very good. Are you in Circle Craft Market this year? My first year of not being there. Hope Alan is better soon.
Glad you like the green, Pene. Thanks for telling me. No, I’ve never had a booth at the CC Christmas Market. The Granville Island shop is enough for me, but I do love attending the Convention Centre event. Alan is feeling a lot better.