Back To Work

It's really good to be back in the studio; the weather was very English (cold gray relentless rain) for a few days and then turned to clear, bright and cold. I'm not as tempted to work outside and once I make that first pot the obsession is unleashed again. It is good to wake up thinking of pots. It's only in the last few years that I started making anything of any scale. I have always viewed myself as a maker of 'domestic' ware...pots for the table and the kitchen and that remains important. But I am enjoying making bigger things and I started out this cycle with a group of 7 lb. bottles and vases. I throw them in 2 and sometimes 3 parts and I'm really getting the hang of it. I firm up the bottom with a soldering torch and the trick is getting it to stand up and still be malleable. So many choices to make...bellies and necks and rims and handles. This batch are on the skinny side. I'll make some fat ones soon.

The last photo is this season's 'Epic' pot. I've been starting each firing cycle with a coil built pot. I'm still not sure about this one. Making a bird was more elusive than I thought.