There are two smaller oval pots in there, a couple stacks of small plates, a bunch of prep/dipping bowls made the same way as my kusamono planters but without the hole, and a set of little plate/trays that can be used lots of different ways!
Here's the latest load out of the kiln, my part of it anyway! The big brown oval in the background has been hanging since mid-November, it was a trial for a custom order. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! The actual custom order was an inch or so wider (front to back in this view) and had a terra sigillata and oxides finish that came out a nice muted orangy brown. I'm going to be listing it on Etsy soon, its about 14 inches long, nice footed pot with a matching tray. We'll see, I might be hanging onto it for a while though! I'll be pushing it as an herb pot or a succulent pot, but it'd work for bonsai if someone needed a DEEP LONG pot!
There are two smaller oval pots in there, a couple stacks of small plates, a bunch of prep/dipping bowls made the same way as my kusamono planters but without the hole, and a set of little plate/trays that can be used lots of different ways!
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So, ignore the sloppy stack of boxes (and... other) behind it! BUT... this is most of my part of the last kiln load, the refired stuff plus a few others I ran through before finishing the re-fire. The big orangy brown pot in the corner is a custom order I've been stressing over, trying to get it out so the customer would get it by Thanksgiving, but, um, well... I sort of fell on my face at 5am Sunday after gluing on some cork to protect furniture under it. Then I managed to sleep way past when the USPS truck takes off even though I had my alarms set to get up so I could finish packing. It doesn't help the truck leaves the post office at 11 am, but I finished boxing it up Monday afternoon, then got it in the mail BEFORE the truck took off Tuesday. Turns out USPS "Priority 2 day service" is predicting a SATURDAY delivery in southern California. How does that work? Even if you leave out Thursday (Happy TurkeyDay everyone!) it I would expect 2 day to mean FRIDAY... Sigh, maybe I'll be surprised. Monday shipping would still have meant delivery after the holiday. But seeing as I managed to burn my hands pulling it out of the kiln at midnight Sunday, it is what it is. Anyhow, the tall skinny orchid pot in the background of this one is another custom order, it's supposed to be 10 inches tall by 7 inches wide, in a nice matte blue. The rest of the orchid pots are already listed on Etsy, and the kusamonos will go up soon. The bowls will go up later this week, I'm not totally happy with the interior on one - Rainy Day isn't as pretty as I was hoping for! The trays may or may not go up (they're a clay I don't usually use so they don't go with most of the kusamonos), but I like the way the new forms I used to make them work so I'm going to do more. Well, these are something new! I'm trying them out to see how they go over. They're sort of randomly shaped footed plates with terra sigillata and stain on the bottom and a glaze inside. I'm thinking they'll work nicely as either small plates or something like a soap dish or spoon rest, a jewelry dish or catchall, or maybe even a kokedama tray for Japanese moss ball plantings. So far they're just sitting there, but I've only got a couple listed and I might need to play with tags. I'm really liking the finish on the bottom of the blue and green one on the top, but the green on this lower one is nice too! I've also been listing a few more #kusamonos - shocking, I know! Another project I'm working on this week is a line sheet for wholesale. Yikes, I haven't done wholesale this way before, but I think it'll be better than what I was doing before. We'll see! I've had a couple of people interested, one that was only wanting 6 to 12 items for her 'boutique', which since my typical order on the kusamonos is for 4 to 6 pieces isn't going to qualify for wholesale. The latest one was from a fairly good size bonsai retailer, so it could be nice! Sigh, too many ideas, not enough time! :) Unloaded the kiln today! I finally got a big orchid pot done thats been just hanging around, its going up on Etsy soon! Its a red clay, stained with iron oxide and a touch of cream glaze on the top to hide where the seams weren't cleaned up as well as I liked... durf, no shortcuts, I do know better! It looks great now. Also a bunch of kusamonos and the trays I did a few weeks ago at the studio tour. They're pretty generic so people can mix n match, the tan clay with oxide on the outsides and some with color, some with clear on the inside. My thinking was they'll go with most anything, we'll see if they're a hit or a flop! They should also work for kokedama (moss ball plantings) which might be interesting! I've GOT to get a kokedama made so I can use it in photos...
Also fired up a nice matte green DEEP scoop that was a back up for a custom order that I somehow forgot to get fired with the rest of the order, so its a good thing the customer was happy with the other one I did! This one is from a batch I made a few years back, I found these recently going through old boxes! Ooops! This one is very nice, straight sides and the glaze is interesting with the yellow and frosted yellow. Click on it to see the listing on Etsy, it has a bunch more views. Measurements 10 3/4 inches (275mm) by 8 3/8 inches (212mm) wide by 3 1/8 inches (80mm) high (exterior) Another one from that batch, this one is Fern Mist (I THINK, something close to that if its not) and is sort of matte olive green and glossy darker green in some areas. It measures 8 3/8 inch (215mm) long and 6 inches (153mm) wide by 2 1/8 inch (52mm) tall (outside dimensions.) Well, there's a bunch of little kusamonos still out there to get photos of, plus a few other ovals that I've posted to Etsy including another green one with drippies on one side and the ends, then very similar to the one above on the other side. Also a mottled brown one, and a cream one that I still need to upload. Also 3 or 4 triangles! Last time I had these boxes out was at the Bonsai Club Show a few years back, oops!~
I'm also in the process of uploading some more orchid pots, and debating on putting up a starfish plaque. I am working on some changes in the styling on the starfish, so the one I built today will be very different. The starfish have more texture and should be even more realistic than the ones to date. These are some of the little Kusamono pots I pulled out of the last load! Normally Bonsai pots are pretty neutral colors and shapes so the TREE is the center of attention, but with the accent plant - a small plant displayed along side a bonsai in a formal display - the pot can be a bit more radical. Often the plant has leaves that drape down over the sides of the pot somewhat, they flower, have brightly colored foliage, or some sort of attention drawing aspect like wispy seed heads on grasses. So the pots can have a lot more color and variations in shape. These are small, draped over a tennis ball, and a LOT of fun to make! I admit, the pink one is a bit more radical than I was actually going for, but its actually a nice little pot. The yellow is the same glaze I've used on a few bonsai pots, its bright but perfect for something like a maple that has BRIGHT fall foliage. I'll post some more later, they're just too cute. These are listed on my Etsy site.
Still sorting through photographs, but I guess I'll have to actually go TAKE some more to get the one I think I want for the banner... I have a plaque I made using the coil technique that'll work great for the banner, and I know I HAD a photograph of it, but, well, its evaporated!
I SHOULD go get some pictures of the new buttons so I can put them up on Etsy, I re-listed a few last night and they immediately got hits. Oh, wait, there's a theme here... guess its time to break out the camera. I found a new sheet of watercolor paper to use for a backdrop, as the last one is rather... bedraggled... Oh well, gotta dig out the lights, etc etc etc. JOY! LOL |
Maryjane Carlson
Clay has always fascinated me, its many colors and textures, the shapes you can create using it, even the feel of it squishing in my hand. Even after years of playing in the mud I find myself exploring new ideas and I hope my work shows this. Archives
August 2017
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