origami pots

cheerful eggs

How to distinguish hard-boiled eggs and, perhaps, to surprise refrigerator visitors.

log with mushroom

Spied on a hike, a single mushroom that looks like a magnolia blossom.

just like a flower, right?

but, clearly, a mushroom

The very next day it was completely collapsed.

origami pots waiting for decoration

I'm working on a new series of hand-built pots made by cutting and folding slabs of clay. I make them by cutting a slab into a circle, square, or rectangle, then making little slashes in the edge (three or four, depending on the shape I'm after) and then folding up the sides (+ score, slip, press, smooth). Do you want to see how? I'll document the whole process if anyone asks...

compost bucket for the chickens

Our compost bucket was looking especially pretty after a kitchen session making roasted sweet potatoes, kale chips, and watermelon.

I really liked The Hare With the Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal; here is a link to his netsuke collection, so wonderful, especially when you know a bit of their history.

blue and white and spring

matsuno vegetable kitchen tile

I've been working on a blue & white tile job for a client in California. 

Sigh...

Even though I have made hundreds of blue & white tile, sometimes I miss a defect. This one was probably already cracked when I  decorated it and it didn't reveal itself until the glaze firing.

now there's a bee 

But, the client likes insects, so I added a bumblebee while I was at it. 

chickens enjoying the sun

We have taken to calling the chickens "pennys", partly because of their coppery coloring, but also because its easier than calling them out individually* (also, they don't care). 

gorgeous, and huge (!)

yay spring

Yes, but why is it still snowing and storming?

*for the record: Henny, Penny, Honey, Blackie, Little Red, and the other three...

seasons

view from the outdoor bed

The absolutely best thing about sleeping outside is watching it snow from a cozy cocoon under a down comforter. I never want to get up.

path to the studio

However, a warm studio beckons just down the path (thanks Mr. Cranky!).

chilly chairs under the wisteria

remember the summer work space on the terrace?

vegetable starts

Thinking of spring; planning the garden.

Oh, but that bed!

loooooooney

I love getting interesting commissions. 

Just before Christmas, I had a inquiry from a publisher wondering if I could make several small custom tiles to be inset into the cover of a box for a handmade book. It sounded right up my alley as he wanted blue & white porcelain with a design that echoed the calligraphic line dancing throughout the book. 

"Easy-peasy" I though slyly, already planning how to spend my loot.

He preferred a thin line, so I thought mishima might be the way to go~

mishima tests

I didn't like the resulting stiffness in the line, so I jettisoned that idea and went back to slip-trailing.

Getting the exact size was challenging because the shrinkage varied depending upon when I cut the pieces, cutting right away gave one set of dimensions and cutting later in the day gave another.

drying under a brick

My basic blue slip color read a bit dark for the printer's eye, so I launched into a flurry of color tests. I always think it will be easy to adjust a color and it always turns out to be, well, not. 

Fortunately, my client was not too fussy about an exact color match to the ink so it only took three rounds of tests to get to where I needed to be.

color testing

It was important that the tiles be both very thin and quite flat, so I made many, many extra to be able to cull out the ones with lifted corners and such.

awaiting bisque firing

Once out of the bisque, I chose the flattest ones to slip trail~

decorating with slip

After that, it's just rack them up, spray, and load into the kiln for the final firing~

ready to glaze

glaze sprayed

finished

They are winging their way south as we speak, so to speak.
It was definitely a fun challenge, but am I looney to keep on doing this?

This dancer will blow your mind...

thxthxthx

breakfast at the bird watcher's table

The day after our winter open studio was still beautifully sunny; breakfast consisted of cherry whole wheat scones and coffee served on our dotty black & white hand-built pottery.

That butter dish was made on a whim; I decorated a slab scrap and fired it; it turns out to be a perfect butter dish, simple and flat. I plan to tweak the shape a bit and make more of them, we love it.

the outside bed under cover

The outside bed is still in play, thanks to an electric blanket. The porch (with the addition of a couple of bamboo screens) provides enough protection from the rain. We use the electric blanket to preheat the bed  and keep the moisture at bay. Getting into bed after a quick sprint through the freezing outside air is indescribably delicious.

stack of dotties

Our Winter Open Studio was a lot of fun; it is always wonderful to see friends, both old and new.
Thanks to everyone who made their way out here to stop by!


Have you seen this blog by a woman who writes a short "thanks" blog post everyday? She is pretty witty and refreshing..

Holiday Open Studio

We have so many balls in the air right now...

juggling bunny cup ($12)

For instance, getting ready for our annual open studio~
I am baking things, both sweet and savory.

rugelach

And getting the house and studio ready for the sale.

blue & white pottery display in the dining room

Also making many, many very affordable things, and a few very special things too~

baskets of spice dishes

I am fond of the rhythm of the rim of this piece~

enormous bowl, topographical design

Also, there is always the daily wrangling of the chickens; they love us so much that they follow us everywhere, even into the house.

our favorite chicken, Honey, stealing wild bird seed

We very much hope to see you at our open studio:

Saturday, December 10th, from 10-5

22017 NW Beck Road 

Come and enjoy a glass of wine, hot spiced cider, and a snack with us~

and thank you for supporting your local potters!

work in progress, greenware

oval boats and snack plates

dotty fruit cups

cup interiors

All these pieces have been bisqued, glazed, and are cooling in the kiln right now. It makes the studio so cozy!

Warm and snug is one thing, but I don't stay indoors all the time~

fall at the Japanese Garden

spectacular maples

a glimpse of red in the distance

I have been indulging in a mad addiction to Pinterest lately. Someone make me stop!