Bottles

I made these dancing bottles

for a show at the David Shelton Gallery in San Antonio (now in Houston) a few years ago and have always been drawn to making groups of different types of bottles.  Here are two new sets that I finished this week.  I always try to make more contemporary pieces.  However, these are a look to the Japanese past.  I did the imprint on the front and backside with a piece of bark from an old pine tree.

Usually I start out by making templates for the shapes with roofing paper like so.

Here are the second group of bottles that I finished using the above templates.

Cosmic Colander

I spent the day drilling holes in the Cosmic Colanders.  A good friend came up with the name when she saw me drilling the first ones and she said "that looks cosmic".  So the name was born.  After I have trimmed all of them, I drill them out on a turntable before the pieces get too hard or else the edges of the holes may chip.  I use four different sized drill bits and either the cordless drill or the electric one.  I start with the first grouping of holes and then eyeball the placement of the rest.

Coffee Mugs

I am always trying out new mug shapes with a few things in mind.  Will it feel good holding it with one hand and with two wrapped around it?  Will the shape allow for the coffee to stay hot longer?  Is it well balanced so that it does not fall over easily?  What glaze am I going to use?  Does the design speak to me?  Sometimes I will start with an idea in mind but it can all change once I start throwing and the clay tells me what it wants to do.  Here is a new mug I was working on the other day.