Teapot Tuesday

I've been going through some boxes of pots that I haven't looked at since I sold my other house.  At one point I did a series of walking pots.  This one was called....guess....Americana!

Earlier this afternoon we had a flock of about fifteen or more wild turkeys wander through the woods.  I tried to get a few shots of them from a window.  I knew if I went outside they would all fly away.  It's rare to see them at this time of year.  I can only assume that they are looking for food in our snowy landscape.  When they go into full display it's easy to see why Ben Franklin thought they should be our national bird.  They are magnificent!  Hopefully I will be able to get some photos of them when they start courting!

There's over a foot of snow on the ground.  We're supposed to get another few inches tonight.  At least the temps are going to be in the teens, rather than in the sub zeros.

It was minus six when I looked at the thermometer at 6:30 AM this morning.  I didn't do any work in my studio today as I could not get the temp over sixty.  If I can get it up to sixty-five I'm good to go.  It's amazing the difference five degrees can  make!

Stay warm, and din't drive if the roads are bad.

As always, thanks for stopping by.............*s*

Teapot Tuesday

Well, it started out as a teapot!   I pulled the handle and spout and decided it was better off as a watering can.  It holds about three cups of water and is good for getting under the foliage.  

 Perhaps I will make some more as teapots.

As always thanks for stopping by........*s*

Teapot Tuesday

I made this one last winter when I was thinking of doing a different handbuilt teapot every week as a way of staying away from the winter doldrums!  Unfortunately family stuff intervened and I never got very far with the idea.

Ceramic Arts Daily did a post last year about making handbuilt teapots over a form in about an hour give or take some time.  I made this one over a bowl.  I did everything while it was still on the form.  The form gives the clay enough stability to be able to do everything.  By the time I had cut the lid opening and added the handle the clay was stiff enough to have the form taken out.  I placed it immediately on a clay slab.  I cut a circle a bit bigger than the base and attached it quickly using spooze.  I didn't worry about the tissue paper left inside as it peeled away when the pot dried.  I think I made a different lid from the one I cut out of the form. 

I've glazed it with my old faithful Spectrum #799 Majolica White on unfired clay.  The fish designs look odd as I cover them with a green tinted wax resist as soon as I am finished with a design.  Unfired stains smear easily so this solves that problem.  I think I'm going to add a little something more to the background.  I don't want them to look like they are floating in air.  Although, now that I think of it the fish in the pond look like they are swimming in air when the water is clear!  Hmmmm, now I have to think about it.

It's a cloudy, warm, muggy day with heavy rain on the way tonight and tomorrow.  Hopefully we will get several inches.  We are by no means suffering from water want, but rain in summer and fall prevents drought in the winter.

We are considering Woody's Garden behind the shed.  We have violets galore this year and I may get some end of season marigolds and petunias.  These appear to be the great favorites.  If we were starving I would not hesitate to kill and eat him, but we are not, so he can live on sufferance for now.

Lastly, I am so saddened to hear of Robin Williams death.  What pain he must have been suffering to have been driven to take his own life.  We knew him for all the joy he brought.....let that be his legacy.

Enjoy your day.  As always, thanks for stopping by...........*s*

Teapot Tuesday

Yet another refugee from the back of one of my unfinished shelves of pots.  I seem to have some dim memory of experimenting with slip with slip trailing, but that is only a guess.

I've decided that a cool thing about pots like this is that I no longer have anything invested in them so am free to experiment with glazes.  I'm going to once fire this after glazing it with Spectrum Clear, decorations and a coat of lightly (I hope) tinted clear.

 Originally there were no tea bags so all tea was brewed in a pot.  I still use only loose tea, although I do have some filters on hand so I can make my own bags for travel.  I brew a good sized pot every morning, no matter the weather.  On a hot afternoon like today I make frozen tea coolata with almond milk.

I use fine mesh baskets that fit inside my pots.  Tea baskets have a long history.  I am thinking about making them to go in teapots that I make.

Lori has some nice thoughts about teapots on her blog today.  Gary has a beauty in emerald green!

Take a look at Lori's and Gary's blogs for more neat teapots.  Any other teapotters out there? Let us know you're around!

Enjoy our sunny summer days.  As always, thanks for stopping by..........*s*

Teapot Tuesday

Better late than never; there are still six more hours of Tuesday!

This is a handbuilt teapot I made over a bowl.  Last year there was an article on CAD about how to make a handbuilt teapot in an hour or so.  I managed to break the lid so I bisqued some new ones.  I'm also doing some work on the yellow.  It seems like a fairly sturdy pot so it should be okay with the refire.

The body of the pot is glazed with Spectrum White Satin Matte #250.  Spout etc. is glazed with Speedball Yellow.  I don't like the way it looks over terra cotta so I am putting down some white, then more yellow.

We'll see, Grasshopper......we'll see.

As always, thanks for stopping by...........*s*

Teapot Tuesday

A slightly funky and very functional teapot I bought at Mt. Sunnapee several years ago.  Again I have managed to lose the maker's card.  I am going to start marking the bottoms of pots as soon as I buy them!

This one holds one generous cup.  It's perfect for afternoons when I just want one cup of tea.

I've spent the better part of the morning trying to get a picture of the hummingbirds at the yellow flags, with no success at all.  Man they are speedy little devils.  I hope this means we will see more of them as summer continues.  No phoebes nesting under the deck yet......we'll see grasshopper....

Get out into this wonderful weather, or if you are in the southern hemisphere snuggle in.

As always, thanks for stopping by............*s*

Teapot Tuesday #3

This is a teapot I made about twelve years ago.  It has had a doomed history.  I hated the first lid I made for it as it had nothing to do with the rest of the pot.  That lid broke so I made a few more.  What I did not realize at the time was that I was using a different clay body a friend had given me.  It was low fire but not the warm terra cotta I like for majolica.  The first one of that series was just right; unfortunately the cats I had at the time knocked it off a shelf and broke the lid.  This is a second choice. It fits fine but is a little too big for the teapot.  If you look closely you should be able to see the cracks where I glued it after another disaster.

I glazed it with Linda Arbuckle's majolica at (I think) ^04.  The designs are done with mason stains.  I mixed the strawberry color; the green is Florentine, a great favorite of mine.

Now that I have a safer place to store work in progress I may try a few more.....someday!

It was about 39 F. and cloudy when I got up this morning.  We have actually started up the woodstove again.  This is almost May for pity's sake.  Give me a break.  I'm just glad we are having longer days and that I don't live any further north!

Stay warm or cool as the case may be.

As always, thanks for stopping by............*s*

Teapot Tuesday

Last week Gary said he was thinking about  Teapot Tuesdays.  Being a tea drinker to the point of addiction I think this is a great idea.  Lori Buff has also posted a pretty fine teapot on her blog.

I make a pot of tea in the morning.  If I want more later in the day, I use a smaller pot or brew with a tea basket in a cup.  I only use loose tea so I have a number of devices to make tea in the cup.

This little pot is about the size of a grapefruit.  It holds one very generous cup of brewed tea.  It's made of white earth.  The blue background was put on the green pot and fired.  I then glazed it in Spectrum Clear, painted the decoration on the raw glaze and fired it to ^04.  

I'm fairly pleased with the final product.  I'll probably make some more this summer.

Everyone should hit the links and visit to see more teapots
 Gary;  Lori;  Mark & Meredith

 I just had a doc appointment cancelled.  She, fortunate woman, is on call this week and will be spending her day at the hospital.  Gosh, I'm glad I don't have the hassle of a day job anymore!

Today has been rainy and windy with dropping temps later in the day.  The cancelled appointment and the lousy weather have given me the gift of time to spend in the studio.

Enjoy your day and, as always, thanks for stopping by........*s*