150 lbs Later

Newest porcelain pieces

One hundred and fifty pounds was about the amount of clay I started off with when I purchased my little Shimpo wheel. After all that clay had been thrown and fired I am now just starting to get pieces that I am truly and sincerely happy with.

I have worked with earthenware white, earthenware mocha, stoneware and the ever evasive porcelain. My preference of clay still stands with porcelain. It's smoothness is intoxicating. It's gorgeous even in the bisque state and it glazes up flawlessly. And the most thrilling aspect to making porcelain pottery is if you add a tea light inside the vessel, it will glow. No other clay has captured my attention and heart like porcelain. Porcelain and I are a good match.

One of the first from my wheel

I searched the blog this morning for a photo of one of the very first vessels I pulled from my new wheel and felt so thrilled to show off. I have to laugh now. Its so wonky! I was so proud to show it off though. I'll be excited to see where my pottery making adventures take me in the NEXT few months! It's an exciting time in the studio.

There Is Something....

Horse hair tea cup

There is something utterly dreamy about the smell of a horse. I suppose you have to be a horse fanatic to understand. I've had a hunk of horsehair in my posession for a while now. Smelling it from time to time is just something I love to do because it reminds me of my trips down to the barn. On a really down day that smell can even take me as far back as when I was nine just waiting for my neighbors to arrive to feed their horses.

Today I got to experience its smell in a new fashion...burning on a hot piece of pottery. With tongs in hand and saftey gloves I dove into my little kiln, plucked out a porcelain teacup and began adding hair. The smell was atrocious, but the result was fabulous. I'm now totally dying to try this technique on more pottery.

Well, tomorrow it's back to the grind for me. I let myself wander enough here with my pottery and dreamy smells. If I dont get things mailed out and a few projects completed customers will be coming after me with pitchforks. And you know, I wouldn't blame them in the least.