Fresh from the kiln

Second kiln firing

May the firing be all I desire and more. 

Dogwood flower bowls

This spring was the first time I've paid close attention to dogwood flowers blooming. The center contains multiple flowers in itself. I was awestruck by the imperfect beauty of their outer white petals, which I believe may technically be called something else (if the center has flowers). I made a pencil drawing from some pictures I took a few months ago and copied them to a template form, which I used to decorate these three bowls. 

These pieces are waiting to be slipped today and decorated tomorrow. The bowls above are the same clay color as the pieces below. They are brushed with a white slip on the inside and then carved into. The lines that make up the flowers are the color of the clay seen through the slip.

Cornflowers

I love the mishima slip-inlay technique so far. I have been using AMACO's underglaze rather than a stained slip because it was readily available. The fine lines very much appeal to my detail-oriented self. I hope they turn out nice after glazing. Gradually, I would like to incorporate colors into my work. 

You won't find me at the Farmers' Market as scheduled this Saturday. Instead, I will be at Mud Slingers Pottery Studio in downtown Concord for the Spring into Arts Festival (10 am-?). There will be demos, pieces to buy, class sign-ups, and a chance to make a bowl on the wheel which we will fire and glaze for you! 

Come by and see us!

Flower template

We planted these garlic cloves in November. I went to our neighborhood Harris Teeter and bought about 8 heads of organic garlic. We planted each peeled clove individually and then covered them with straw and leaves. We pulled part of our harvest early, but you usually wait until the scape rises and curls into a "pig's tail" before pulling. Now, they are hanging in bunches of three in an area with good ventilation (which is our living room and clay area). Imagine the smell! 

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On Saturday morning, I drew some cornflowers I had picked from our old well. I am going to laminate these separately and create a template for a slip inlay technique similar to potter Molly Hatch. I've been reading and re-reading her article in the Pottery Making Illustrated journal (Nov/Dec 2009) to make sure I've got everything right.

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This is a detail of a mixing bowl in progress (about 12 inches in diameter) commissioned by a lovely lady at the Farmer's Market. 

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Closed forms that will be cut open after leather hard. 

I will also throw a lid knob directly on the piece.

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Garden 601

Our Highway 601 garden is very lively these days. In fear of rot, we went ahead and harvested 64 (!!) garlic plants yesterday. There are 49 still left in the ground. Slugs are calling garlic home with all of these great spring storms. 

Lemon balm, lavender, oregano, coriander, and green onions.

I am proud to claim this lavender plant all the way back to when it was just a little seed. 

These potato beetles are very pretty with their stripes, but are not welcome in the garden.

Sweet onions, potatoes, and garlic beds.

Potato blossom.

Buckwheat beginning to seed.

Goose

There is a fallow field by our house where I walk my dogs. Last week, I found one of the Canadian geese who stay around our place, chest down, dead in the field. They are larger and very majestic up close. 

Teapot

I finished this teapot today. I am still learning and playing with how all the pieces fit together most effectively. 

Farmers' Market Schedule

Here is this season's schedule for the pottery booth down at the Winecoff School Road Piedmont Farmers' Market in Cabarrus County:

Hope to see you there!

May:

14 Beniko & Mike O'Brien

21 Beniko & Mike 

28 Beniko & Nancy Bibby

June:

4 Beniko & Mike

11 Mike & Nancy

18 Beniko & Nancy

25 Beniko & Mike

July:

2 Beniko & Nancy

9 Mike & Nancy

16 Beniko & Mike

23 Beniko & Nancy

30 Mike & Nancy

August:

6 Beniko & Mike

13 Mike & Nancy

20 Mike & Nancy

27 Beniko & Nancy

September:

3 Mike & Nancy

10 Beniko & Nancy

17 Beniko & Mike

24 Mike & Nancy

Bluebird plates

The evening pollinator

Fresh carvings

I've found some time, with the spring semester coming to a close, to decorate some small dishes. I sketched out the barn owl lightly with a pencil, then carved out the final drawing with a needle tool. 

We took a trip to our Highway 601 garden beds to add some cow manure to beds. The comfrey had purple bells dangling from their stems. 

The other morning, as it threatened to rain, we collected up all of our flower seeds and dispersed them in our yard and along the cow fence. A gallon bag full of sunflower seeds were some of the seeds we shook. They sure were eager to sprout!