24 March 2010

Wednesday- in Two Parts

    I spent the first half of the day at Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site) celebrating the life of Mrs. Mary (IB) Bridgewater, an extraordinary woman of 85 who touched a huge cross-section of our community. She led an amazing life of service to anyone that crossed her path. I feel fortunate to have known her just a little bit. Her only daughter, Pamela, was the U.S. Ambassador to Benin and Ghana and Mrs. B. traveled the world with her, making friends with heads of state, royalty and common folk where ever she went.

I got to the studio mid-day to work on a few things.
Every year the lady bugs return and it can feel like working in a war zone full of kamikazes. They are on the pots, the windows, the throwing water...they've even invaded my cup of tea. This character was walking along the coil that I applied as if it was a lady bug highway.
I put a handle on the bottle from yesterday and then went to work turning it into my version of a 'Bartman'. The handle is a little undernourished...I'm still finding a comfort level with this scale. I over did the next bottle I handled, leaving more clay than it required. Sometimes the 'pendulum' effect prevails.
I couldn't avoid adding my version of a pulled strap handle. I then finished it off like the German pot from yesterday's post and I'm not too sure that the transition is as graceful as it might be. Still, I'm always willing to try and be wrong. In fact, I've built a career on that very idea!
I also have this big fat vase going...like the bottle above, it's made from 12 lbs. of clay. I don't often make a vase out of this form (by that I mean such a minimal neck as wide as this)...it always seems to ask for a lid but I'm glad that I resisted. It's like an old crock ready for a cheesecloth cover tied around the rim. M-m-m-m pickles

4 comments:

potterboy said...

Fabulous pots, all of them. I like the medallion on the bottles/jugs very much - are you willing to show us the mould you used - quite interested in what it's like and how you use it.

Been making big jars myself - two piece, often using around 16-20lbs of clay - about 3/4 failure rate. I wish I could just throw 12lbs of clay...

Anna M. Branner said...

When I cooked in Williamsburg we covered those crocks with wet leather stretched and tied with string. Makes quite a nice seal! :) I like your Bartman version. I wonder if the handle finish would look more balanced with an odd number of "pushes" rather than even?

Linda Starr said...

Great pots, really love the sprigs and coil additions. ladybugs are so special, reminds me of when I lived in the mountains and I would discover a bunch of them hunkered down against the cold near a fallen log.

mudheartpottery said...

Ladybugs - aren't they a sign of a healthy garden - your studio must have a great environmental feel.
Love all the big pots - I am sure a lot of your followers will be inspired to throw some large chunks of clay today.