New-ish Things
Jenny Dowd
Amongst pottery orders and the making of inventory for upcoming sales I’ve been trying to make time for new ideas and tests. This time a few new ideas came from a mistake and from trying to remember how to make a form.
It’s been awhile since I have made a coffee pour over & pitcher set. Making the forms ended up being the easy part, decorating was not as intuitive. I liked the idea of simple black and white areas with a diagonal line to emphasize the triangle of shapes in the forms. But after I brushed on the white and black underglazes I had no idea what to do.
I carved vertical lines into the white underglaze thinking I’d come up with an idea, but I also realized that my usual patterns might not work this time. I sat there lost for awhile and then the person working near me asked what my plan was. I’m still not used to working in a group studio after years of solitude in my old garage studio, so what a welcome conversation! I told him I had no idea and as we discussed ideas we both agreed that perhaps a shape or pattern was needed. He drew out a little triangle inside of a triangle and that clicked.
I liked how the pitcher and pour over set looked so much that the next day I made a few mugs with the same pattern.
These cups were supposed to be mugs. I threw the cylinders on the wheel and forgot to cover them with plastic. When I came into the studio the next day it hit me, can’t attach handles to dry clay. I bisque fired the cylinders and put them in a box, where they rode around in the back of my car for a few months.
Sam and I will be participating in a craft fair on February 12th, NW Arkansas Girl Gang Winter Market, right before Valentine’s Day. After being accepted to this sale I realized I should make a few Valentine’s gift items. Since the cups were already bisque fired, the surface was perfect to draw on with underglaze pencil.
This is a drawing I’ve made before, but the first time on cups. And it’s based on a true story, but it's not totally true because I am not a lamp. (Surprise!)
Sam and I met in college, in the clay studio of course, we immediately hit it off - like non-stop talking & laughing. We'd gone on maybe one date, but mostly just arranged our time to be in the studio together. Anyway, it had been a few weeks and we were obviously smitten.
One evening Sam had a really bad cold and came over to my house but wouldn't come in. He stood on the porch and through this super bad head cold told me that he really really liked me and that he wanted to use the other L word. But mostly he needed me to know right now that he really liked me. It was actually the sweetest thing ever and I knew it was something because it was the first time my roommates didn't make fun of my dating antics.
So there it is, the stories behind two new-ish things that I’ve been working on in the studio!