Pottery. Photography. And All Things Handmade.
I have been busy with my last pieces of pottery for the year. Yes. Last pieces! Can you believe it? It seems as if I just started throwing yesterday! Pictured below are before and after pictures: Greenware pieces, dry but not yet fired, to be loaded into my kiln for a bisque firing in preparation... Continue Reading →
Summer is here! Things are heating up on my back porch . . . in between rain showers, of course. I've been working on dragonfly mugs for what seems like a long time. Now they are glazed and ready to fire. As I was rolling my kiln onto my back porch from the garage, the... Continue Reading →
I am back behind my wheel throwing things! Because my back porch studio is open to all the elements and whims of Mother Nature my production is determined by the weather. We have had rain and thunderstorms just about every day for two weeks which is slowing production down quite a bit. Meanwhile, the squirrel(s)... Continue Reading →
It was a busy week last week now that spring has definitely sprung. The dandelions are thriving IN the garden bed! I thought they looked so cheery and left them there. In fact, I decided to not plant a vegetable garden this year for a several reasons: Squirrels and rabbits eat everything and I mean... Continue Reading →
A carpet of leaves are scattered across the back porch. I fired my last kiln load of the season. I made new plate settings to go with our new kitchen and I am tickled with the results! The mug on top is a prototype of soup mugs I plan to add to my shop next... Continue Reading →
Time to pack up my tool box and put my pottery wheel away. I have a couple more firings to do of larger pieces that take up a lot of room in the kiln such as plates. I love making plates but because they take up so much room I just don't make many ~... Continue Reading →
A huge thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers! 🥰 I was reluctant to post anything about my brother's crisis but I am glad I did. We are making our way through fear, anxiety, many doctor appointments and a lot of waiting. Meanwhile . . . I continue to throw on my... Continue Reading →
Survived weeding over the weekend! Flowers are thriving! However, I noticed the geraniums leaves had turned red. I have never seen that before. Thanks to the internet, I learned the red leaves can be a symptom of over watering. We certainly had a wet and soggy week last week! In-between weeding, I was able to... Continue Reading →
It has been a wet, soggy and humid couple of weeks. Ideal condition for the weeds to take over. Meanwhile, on my back porch I've been busy throwing. [Click on the photos below to view a larger image and read the captions.] It was so soggy and humid I thought I would never be able... Continue Reading →
Finally decided on a "white" paint and painting our kitchen! Gone are the days when we could paint a room in ONE day! LOL Our peas are coming up nicely! Covered with a light mesh cloth to deter the rabbits from feasting on the tender little shoots; although, I don't think rabbits will be a... Continue Reading →
Tying up loose ends before leaping into spring's busy season. It has been a seemingly long two weeks behind my new computer. I never realized how slow and clunky my old computer was until I was forced to buy a new one. Everything so new, pristine and fast! Books I've read over the winter include... Continue Reading →
I've been scurrying around cleaning out garden beds and prepping the yard and back porch for winter. Pottery wheel, kiln, clay and tools have been put away for the season. My pottery has been photographed and listed in my shop. Traded my clay covered hands for mud of a different kind. Our resident squirrel has... Continue Reading →
My blue glaze finally arrived after being on back order since August. I have been using this delightful blue glaze for over 15 years. My customers nor I have ever been disappointed. So . . . I opened my new jug of blue glaze with great anticipation of glazing a set of custom made bowls... Continue Reading →
It was horridly humid and buggy on my back porch over the past several weeks. I took refuge indoors and continued to work with clay. While indoors, I made shallow bowls/dishes from slabs of clay draped over a plaster mold. A clay slab is a portion of clay that has been flattened into a sheet.... Continue Reading →
JULY UPDATE!!! In May I blogged about this weed that took over the garden and I mistakenly identified the weed as heal-all. The plant that over took the garden beds this spring is NOT heal-all at all. It is Red Dead Nettle instead! For more information about Dead Nettle scroll to the bottom of my... Continue Reading →
It does not feel like summer. 😟 It's has been cold, windy and humid. So cold that even my mugs are bundled up on my back porch studio! 🥶 The odd combination of cool temperatures, high humidity and 18 to 20 miles/hour wind has led to uneven drying for the mugs. The rims drying too... Continue Reading →
Dusted off and updated from an August 2019 post It starts with a lump of clay... A lump of clay is centered onto the pottery wheel then shaped into a simple cylinder and shaped some more. After shaping, the mug is ready to be taken off the pottery wheel and set aside to air dry.... Continue Reading →
Firing my kiln and throwing mugs on my back porch today after two days of rain. My pottery wheel on the left and my Vulcan* kiln on the right loaded with 25 glazed pieces. I started the kiln at 7 a.m. this morning. Anticipating a 12 hour firing which means it will take that long... Continue Reading →
Over the weekend, I started glazing some small bowls, cups and spoon rests that I made and bisque fired over the past few weeks. My glazing techniques vary from dunking pots into a bucket of glaze to brushing glaze onto pots. For my pet dishes and bowls, I stamp a paw print in the center... Continue Reading →
I have been asked by several people about making slow feeder bowls for their pets. I didn't know how to make them and felt a bit intimidated because there is not much information on how to make a slow feeder. But when my Grand-dog asked me to make one for him, I just couldn't say... Continue Reading →
Temperatures in the 70's this week! I am finally back behind the wheel after a very cold and wet spring! Grand-dog came by for a visit and curious as to what I was doing. Warming up my throwing muscles. Starting with 1/2 pound of clay. Making small bowls to sell as trinket or ring dishes,... Continue Reading →
As a potter, not everything I make comes out how I planned. 😱 Sometimes my pieces crack or warp. Other times, my pieces never make it off my pottery wheel . . . . . . or a cat decides to sit in or on one of my pieces. And those unfortunate pieces end up... Continue Reading →
Back Porch Studio 