No Easy Button // My head said “this clay isn’t made for this bashy work, WHAT ARE YOU DOING” and my heart said “PFFFT” and some quote about getting to success faster if you steam through the failures. Or something. My head wasn’t really listening. Pinch pots from super soft porcelain, this could be really cool. Or a learning experience. . We’ll find out later which was right: ️ or 🧠 once these firm up a bit for sculpting faces. . Happy 2023! May your heart’s desires guide you (isn’t the journey the most important part anyway?) . . #pinchpots #headpots #handbuiltpottery #potteryprocess

New // Wee friend pots, d20 steins, and new rainbow yarn bowls fresh from the kiln! . This work and ME will be at Calgary’s Inglewood Night Market @inglewoodnightmarketyyc in the @albertapottersassociation tent on Fri Sept 16 and I hope to see you there! Artists, food, drink, and a great vibe. 🥰 . . #inglewoodnightmarket #pinchpots #pottery #d20 #d20mug #yarnbowl #yyc

After // Fresh from the kiln. ️ The skin tones are much richer than I could hope for and I’m so thrilled. The mix between pupil and non-pupil pots is really working for me. I’m now ready to glaze the rest of this batch of sweethearts to ready them for adoption. I will have these at the Inglewood nightmarket in Calgary mid September and in the online shop afterwards. Those red lips on the third friend are so vibrant and I’m here for it but I’m tempted to add some gloss rather than the matte What do you think? . . . #pinchpots #handbuiltpottery #pottery #ceramics #headpots #facepots #faceplanters #littlepots #handbuilding #sculpture #yyc #yycart #AlbertaMade

Pillar progress // I finally completed the asymmetrical finishing touches on these faces and I am letting the pillar pots dry. They will join the other waiting heads in the kiln through first bisque firing then a second glaze firing sometime this summer. Working out on the deck with a temporary sculpting studio was a refreshing change of pace although the clay dried quickly, giving my timeline a shortening. The birds singing, sounds of children playing, and the sweet scent of lilacs on the wind? What a lovely day to make pots. . . . #notskunks #pinchpots #facepots #headpots #ceramics #ceramik #clay #pottery #potteryprocess . . [Image description: Three rounded white clay pinch pots stacked upon each other, each with a different neutral peaceful face sculpted upon it. Each of the faces have eyes with pupils, a nose, and lips with fleshed cheeks. They are positioned on the right of the photo on a faded wooded table.]

Pillar / in progress, stack o’ heads. I have no idea if this will work, if they will be stable at completion, if they will work functionally or artistically. Yet I can only imagine what fun treasures each will eventually hold and what you will trust each to contain. I’ve been working with a different set of reference models for these three wee pots (they are VERY small) and I am loving the wide smiles and softer cheeks. . . . [image text: a set of three small white clay pinch pots, each stacked on top of each other although you can only see a small bit of the top pot as it is mostly out of frame. They sit on a dark charcoal work surface, littered with sculpting tools and surrounded with clear plastic in the background. Each of the bottom two pinch pots has a serene human face sculpted into it with open eyes, a nose, and lips.] . . #pinchpots #yyc #sculpture #facesculpture #humansculpture #facepot #headpot #pillar #ceramics #pottery #ceramik #ceramicprocess

Very much in progress // I haven’t been sitting with clay for at least a couple of weeks as we battle the ‘Vid. From throats coated with brambles to heads full of rocks and chests on fire, we’ve been consumed with naptime and Neocitran, our pre-trained immune systems battling this Omicron as it invades. My system is more invested in destroying itself so I’m behind the others in the household in recovery, my cough still too impressive to take into public. Today I haven’t slept for 18 of 24 hours so I sat at the clay bench instead and formed the beginnings of a mighty schnoz and mouth and eyes before finding that I needed a rest. I’ll continue tomorrow or the next day because these eyes still need focus. . . . #pinchpots #faces #facesculpting #sculpture #clay #ceramics #pottery #humansculpture [Image description: White clay, grey in colour, sculpture of a humanoid face with lips, nose and eyes with no pupils taking up a third of the screen, looking towards the right. A scrap of clay lays off to the right on the black table top. ]

Dramatic lighting // I finished this wee pot on the weekend and it’s drying under the watchful eyes of the surrounding faces. This is going to be another exercise in planning a date for bisque firing then delaying it so I can squeeze juuusssst one more head in. I can feel it. I’ve been occupied elsewhere for a couple of days so the heads are just staring and waiting for their numbers to increase. They nag that way when I see them because I want MORE. So many more. . I’ll be back to making yarn bowls shortly for those that like a good throwing video. Noses and bowls are what the future holds. 🏺 . . [Image description: A white clay pinch pot resting on a dusty charcoal gray board. On the pot is sculpted a realistic eyes nose and mouth. It is surrounded by similar pots of varying sizes. The lighting is very drastically shadowed by a bright light from the front right. ] . . #pinchpots #headpots #facesculpture #ceramicart #modernceramics #handemadeceramics #ceramicpots #ceramicplanter #ceramicstudio #ceramics #ceramicsculpture #claylife #pottery #handmadepottery #handbuiltpottery #potteryprocess #potterygram #pottersofinstagram #potterlife #canadianceramics #AlbertaPotters

Make new friends // I’m attending the virtual #CeramicsCongress this weekend and making as I watch/participate. This friend isn’t keen on being photographed as it dries, the lighting is bouncing strange no matter what I try so this will be the only “before” photo until completion. Some pieces are more shy, I suppose. It recovered from a smooshing incident and I’ll post a video with some of the steps that I took to fix the poor bruising. There, there, little friend. You’re ok now. 🤕 . . . [Image description: a white clay pot with a realistic face with eyes, nose, and mouth sculpted on it. The background has several unsculpted pots waiting. All are sitting in a dusty charcoal-black coloured surface. ] . . #pinchpots #headpots #facesculpture #ceramicart #modernceramics #handemadeceramics #ceramicpots #ceramicplanter #ceramicstudio #ceramicsculpture #claylife #pottery #handmadepottery #handbuiltpottery #functionalpottery #potteryprocess #potterygram #pottersofinstagram #potterslife

Heads // And continuing our quest to populate the world with ceramic best friends with potted hair, I have another itsy plant pot drying on the table tonight. Solemnly calm creature, this one. . . . [Image description: A white hand, arm clad in a rust orange sleeve, holds a small grey clay pinch pot in the palm of its hand. The pot has a realistic human face with eyes, nose and mouth. In the background, several other similar larger pots can be seen.] . . #ceramicart #ceramicarts #ceramicartist #ceramicplanter #ceramicsculpture #claylife #ceramicsculpture #potteryartist #pinchpots #handmadepottery #handbuiltpottery #potterymaking #potteryprocess #potterystudio #potterygram #pottersofinstagram #yycart #MadeInAlberta

Say cheese! // Fresh Outta the kiln. . . . #MakeNewFriends #pinchpots #sculpture #yycartists #ceramic @albertapottersassociation #albertapotters

VIDEO Process // Here is one of my little head pots from their first resemblance of a face to the fully sculpted details, to bisque and oxide completion, to the finished glossy piece. This little friend will be with me on Saturday at the @albertapottersassociation show with a small collection of wee friends (many of them are currently cooling – I’ll have photos tomorrow). Please come early for best selection, doors open at 10am and pack your mask and vaccination record. (And your “smize”) 🥰 . . . #pinchpots #potteryprogress #oxide #cone6oxidation #ceramic #albertapotters

Halloween // working on some new friends near to the front door tonight while spooky scary skeletons are ringing the doorbell, hollering for treats. Toss some candy, work on a nose, adore a costume, put on an eyelid. This is a pretty fun way to spend a creative night! . Who knows if these will be dry and double fired by Saturday’s show I’m trying. Plus can’t stop won’t stop. . . [Image description: a white hand holding a white clay pot with a face sculpted. In the background is two smaller pots with hollow insides with faces also sculpted on the front.] #ceramics #potteryprocess #pinchpots #plantpots #plantsForHair #facesculpture #clayfaces #headpots #canadianceramicsstudio

Heads // Obsessed. Many of these are sold. More will be available on Nov 6 at the #APASale @albertapottersassociation . . . #MakeFriends #pinchpots #facesculpture #pottery #ceramics #keramic #ceramika #headpot

Glaze test results // I’m contemplating glazing half my head pots in a clear glaze with no dimension for a cold alien feel, and for the other half, I want a range of rich skin colours and “life”. I did several tests and well, lucky me that failure is part of the journey to success. These are my favourite results thus far. The right result, a thin tenmoku, has shine in the deeper crevices that I’m not sure if I’m a fan of yet. The matte RIO warm brown tones on the left is the only truly successful glaze test that seemed to capture the nuance of rich tones within the same face. I now know what doesn’t work in my glaze and underglazes “kitchen”: other tests came out quite green or jaundiced, or my wiping was far too aggressive leaving the colour to fade completely after firing. My clear glaze on top of the testers almost always turned my browns to greens, or even clear (as seen on the top of the left pot), a glaze chemistry fascination. I’ll keep working and practicing and testing but I’m quite excited about finding one that has such potential. 🥰 (Tagging @liz.larue.7 so she can see this process update!) . . . #sculpture #pinchpots #facesculpture #clay #ceramics #ceramicsculpture #potteryprocess #redironoxide

I make heads so they can grow hair // I was in grade four or five when my teacher handed out raw chicken eggs, and we drew faces upon them. We then blew them out so they were hollow, and carefully peeled off the top bit of shell. We crafted the fanciest of toilet paper roll pedestals for our eggs, then propped them atop and added soil and grass seed. Adding a bit of water, they were set upon the classroom ledge and we were asked to dig into our wee selves and find patience. Within days, we had the start of grass shoots and within weeks, were able to trim and style our little egghead’s grass hairdo. 🥚 I can only assume this is remnant sweet memory and bliss from that project. You never know what will stay in a young artist’s heart, only to arise again over three decades later. 🥚 . . [image description: Two white plant pots with faces. The left contains a jade plant and the right contains a delicate circular vining plant with multiple strands down the pot’s “face”. They are perched on a white shelf in front of a bookshelf] . . #sculpture #pinchpots #houseplants #handbuilding #KeepArtInSchool #canadianceramics #pottery #ceramics #cone6oxidation