Chickadee Bowl

Wow, it would've been nice to make a whole chickadee and holly tableware set for Christmas. Maybe next year!

American Toad bowl

Three American Toads and one female Spring Azure butterfly. The flowers are bindweed, chicory, and yellow wood sorrel. I love our little hop-toads and lawn weeds. Miss you all, come back soon!

The test results are in

Here are a couple of glaze combinations, on white clay and on brown:

The mug on the left is white stoneware, the 2 on the right are brown. All three have Coyote Mocha Shino as their main outer glaze. The two mugs on the right seem slightly underfired - we've been having an issue with one of the kilns firing unevenly. Don't tell Joan, but the mug on the left is one of her Christmas presents.

Again, the mug on the left is white stoneware, the 2 on the right are brown. All three have Laguna Brilliant Sunburn and Laguna Green Tweed as their outer glazes. I like how the glaze turns aqua where the pink and green overlap. I may use this combination for our "Potter's Kitchen" show, and I'll definitely use white clay. I like the bright, clear color.

Bowl with holly and chickadees (unglazed)

My favorite of the bunch

Glaze test mugs

Toad bowl (unglazed)

Telescope-eye goldfish

The Saturation Gold glaze didn't work out as I had planned - the idea was a mostly black fish with a little gold here and there (it's a black telescope-eye goldfish).

Wine chiller

More goldfish ornaments

More goldfish ornaments - some calicos this time

Nothing says Christmas like orange goldfish ornaments

So cute! And more on the way...

Wine chiller

In progress... it's a birthday present for my Dad.

Everyone loves mugs

These were made with white clay - I plan to do some painting on them.

Finch plate and turtle bowl

House finch and goldfinch (both males)

Red-eared slider with goldfish

Warbler Vase

Warbler vase, about 9 inches tall. Here's a pair of cerulean warblers...

and male and female scarlet tanagers (the female is buff yellow)

...and a pair of hooded warblers (the male has the black hood)

Finch dinner plate (in progress)

Goldfinch and House Finch

Goldfish ornament prototype, continued

It took a few tries to get the face right, but I think I got it - the final prototype is in the front. I'm using oval cutters and a drawn template to keep sizes consistent. Overall weight is very light, and the ornament will hang from its dorsal fin. Eventually I'll add other types of fish to the line.

Goldfish ornament prototype

It needs some refining -- it weighs more than I'd like

Turtle and goldfish bowl (in progress)

Diameter = 8 inches

Vase with warblers (in progress)

Hasn't been glaze-fired yet

Toad, turtle, and snake (small jars and platter)

Turtle and toad jars

The interiors

Snake cookie platter

Turtle mug

Big vase

Joan's flower platter

Pottery pal Joan made a flower in January that she didn't have a chance to glaze. She let me finish it for her - the petals are a combination of Coyote gunmetal green, Laguna desert yellow, and Laguna forest green (transparent). The center is Coyote mocha shino.

Big pink flower

I love it! It's just what I wanted.

Bowl with little white mouse

Goldfinch plate

Blue dahlia

I lost a couple of petals - "Amazing Goop" is my glue of choice because no clamping is necessary. You don't even need a precise fit.

Large flower bowl

This one turned out well! One out of three isn't bad...

Flower group

Yellow flower

Oops

Silly me -- I thought our Castille Blue glaze was transparent. So much for that flower bowl.

Yuck!

The bowl looks better in the photo than in person - I got the interior glaze too thick, so it's all milky.

Purple wallflower

Big bowl - now with flowers

Three mugs

Belated Christmas gifts

Carnation (in progress)

Used my new heart-shaped cookie cutter for the petals