J'aime Paris

I'm working on some new designs that incorporate more colors. White is elegant and simple but can be quite boring after a while, don't you think? That's not to say that I'll stop making white ware. Nothing looks better in a china cabinet than stacks and stacks of white plates and bowls. Below are my new Parisian plates. These will go in the kiln tomorrow, along with other pieces from custom orders.

If you haven't received your order in the mail yet or see them posted on Etsy, they will be there very soon. I've over estimated the amount of work I can put out (so sorry). Thank you for your patience. I'm working hard to get them out the door.

Recent Kiln Load

Here are a few more pictures of a recent kiln load.

What's in the Studio Today?

Here are some of the items currently on the shelves:

These small scalloped plates, inspired by Whitney's plates, are ready for bisque fire.

"Got Chocolate?" I have a couple of these cup & saucer sets ready for the kiln as well.

The drawing on this large porcelain fruit bowl was done with an underglaze pencil.

These finished pieces are from recent kiln loads:

A little bit of fun... the kiwi and watermelon bowls

Simple birdie cups and pitcher set

My fun contemporary take on traditional blue china

One out of Four

Something always goes wrong with one out of four plates. For years now, I've been trying to break away from this pattern. It hasn't happened yet. Perhaps it is a sign from above?

Before and After

It never fails. The successful rate for plates has always been 3 out of 4. I guess consistency is a good thing.

Studio Time

Have you ever had one of those days when you just want to scrap all pre-made plans so you can throw pots until your shoulders and neck ache but you feel completely satisfied? That was exactly how I felt. At the very last minute, I opted out of a mountain biking and camping trip last weekend so I can spend a day in the studio. It turned out to be a good day. The clay felt just right and for a brief few hours, my hands seem to know what they were doing. I am working torward a personal goal and that is to slowly replace all of the commercial dishware in the kitchen cabinets with my own. Wouldn't that be neat? They don't have to all match. In fact, I think it would be fun to have the plates and bowls be of slightly different sizes and designs. The only thing that will make them somewhat uniform is the color white. White is the perfect background for food, similar to a blank white canvas for a colorful painting. I have the feeling this project will take a lot of time.

By the way, do you like the new blog layout? I was getting a bit bored with the old design and felt like a change. Let me know what you think.

More Plump Birdies

I spent most of this weekend glazing away like a mad woman. Above are the latest birdie designs on bisques.

top: 3 mugs, porcelain, 5" height x 3.5" diameter
bottom: a set of 6 dessert plates, porcelain, 6" diameter

Botanical Inspiration

These pieces came out of the kiln on Monday. They are very different from my usual happy and colorful designs. I hope you're not disappointed. I've been experimenting and trying to challenge myself to come up with a more mature and practical line. What I ended up with are these pieces. They are classical (inspired by botanical illustrations) and stronger too. All are microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe. The illustrations were drawn freehand using a black underglaze pencil.

Small pear platter "Poire Josephine de Binche" (6" diameter x 1.5" height)
Small poppy plate "Papaver Orientale" (5.25" diameter)
Poppy creamer (3.25" diameter x 4" height)

Cockle-Doodle-Doo!

I don't know what it is about chickens but I absolutely adore them. Perhaps it is the feeling of comfort that they bring or the delicate eggs that they lay. For whatever reason, it appears that I'm not the only one who loves these little creatures. According to USA Today, roosters are ranked among the best-selling designs in all of Horchow catalogs. Recently, I've incorporated them on a few of my ceramics pieces. Let me know what you think of them.