This Spring painting florals has kept me engaged and exploratory. I paint the fractal-like petals outward with curling leaves around the bloom or stem, imagining them gracefully arcing as though a dancer extends an arm in flourish. Each flower painting begins organically- I am not looking to recreate each exactly, just as in a garden each blossom will have its own distinction.

 I've searched permutations of glaze and color work through the blooms- combining a red gloss glaze with a bright orange to create a richer poppy red.

Or mixing a translucent beige-pink glaze with good melting properties with a matte steadfast lavender and finding a strange barely there hint of violet hue. I can't help but think that these painted florals are braille like - the embossing which occurs when pairing glazes with different textures varying from gloss to hard matte, from super melty to thin and sinking into the body of the piece creates pools of raised and recessed petals and leaves.

While ever piece is painted with an attention to detail, and delicate line work - when the pot is in the kiln, heat and gravity rule - in some pots the effects turn the florals outright abstracted.

I'll marvel at a mug just pulled from the kiln with a melting of  red glass which feathers downward into rusty rivulets, a heavy layer of glaze which frosts the top of the layer underneath. Sometimes the effect reminds me of a lion's mane. These pots fascinate me the most. 

Below I'll share some pieces which will be included in the web-shop update on Friday at noon CT, with notes from their making. 

Mugs

Lights and Dark

Above all I am looking for color pairings. A minty crest toothpaste green against the matte white of the mug's background glaze nearly washes out the color, but against the metallic black, it brings forth a saturation otherwise lost. I made a small series of these black outlined pieces. They feel a bit vintage, a bit mid-century modern. Though the petals are light, they recall to me the most mysterious blooms hortoculturalists select for- the dark blooms. A dark blossom within the language of symbolism encompasses the vibrancy of life, plump, full but veiled in the mystery of morbidity. 

Notables and Oddities

There will be two Bouquet mugs available- these are a bit more in price then single blooms, because they are a lot more in time and planning of each unique design. I have a lot of fun with the flower 'arranging', and tying them with a bow.

There will also be several notable abstracted bloom mugs ... I just loved the feathering and tendrils of reddish-rusty glaze interacting with the oatmeal base colored glaze. 

Single Blooms

Single bloom mugs continue to enrich my understanding of color 'companions' or colors that are pleasingly placed together. Each still yields a surprise, and I hope that you enjoy finding the small details, too. 

Vases

Florals

These lovely pedestal vases provided a larger surface for painting, and also a relationship between sets. Vases are about 9.5" high.

Ever searching for ways to allow the process to shine, and simplify the form - these vertical pieces are constructed in the most straightforward way, with as much of the form being shaped on the wheel with little over correction on the shape later on. The subtle rim at the bottom of the main vessel is formed through the trimming process , and instead of loping it off, I left it and it becomes one of the small poetries found in a considered handmade piece. I see a lot of possibilities with this form in terms of glaze work, so I look forward to playing more.

Note that while they are being sold individually, each is painted in such a way that as a pair they mirror each other. I was so lucky that the peonies around our house came into bloom when it was time to photograph these- They would look lovely as a set over a fire mantle or bookending shelves. 

These are painted all the way around, a tangle of stems dancing together.

 Marbled Beauties 

When I originally conceived of the the long cylindrical vase, I thought they would also work well in marbled clay, which I happened to have on hand. There was an Ah-HA moment when I realized that these are the pieces I've been waiting for to dive into carving marbled clay. These three (see first pic in post for the third*) were so fulfilling to make I can promise there will be more. 

Bloom Plates

There will be two painted bloom plates available. They are 11" wide with a gentle dip and a wide rim. They could be used for serving, showing fruit or as an art piece on the wall.