New Form and New Item

As an artist, I always find it challenging and fun to create new forms. I had been thinking of some sort of wall art decoration with tiles for a long time. In my head I had thought of countless ways of making them. Square, round, paisley shapes etc... I wanted a three dimensions look and every process I went through was very tedious and not really getting to the look I wanted. Handbuilding with slabs required a lot of scoring/slipping and making sure the slabs didn't loose form and split. Thought of working with molds, but then I didn't want everything to look exactly the same.
Then just sitting on the couch one day (day dreaming my clay ideas), I made the connection between pillows and the beautiful farbics they are covered in. Aha! I will make them like pillows and decorate them as though they were covered in embroidered fabric.
Then of course started the process of how to make the pillow shapes. Thought of slabs of clay first, but then went back to one of my favorite eqiupment in the studio, my extruder. I made a die shaped in the form of a leaf and there I had my form. Of course there was a struggle with closing up the ends and cleaning them up, but I think I have the process down.
As a functional potter, I sometimes crave for everything to have a function. I know that even wall art has a function, i.e. to decorate a wall. So I decided to turn these into wall clocks. I absolutely love the way they turn out. I also like the fact that the hardware all gets hidden inside the pillow shape.




Interesting thing was when I posted the picture below on facebook, I asked people to guess what they were. I was amazed by the creative ideas everyone had like salt pepper shakers, vases, pencil holder, bread warmer, etc.. Someone finaly did guess them to be wall clocks. But this got me thinking that I could really make so many different items from this same basic shape and different sizes. So keep looking out for some new work coming to my shop as pillow shapes.



The original idea for wall decor is still something I am working on. For starters, I made several smaller size pillows as seen in the picture below. Can't wait till they are fired and installed on a wall.

Color Feature of the Week : HALLOWEEN ORANGE

Last week we had 700+ views!!
This week the color is BLACK/WHITE and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog, you have to do the following TWO steps,

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature
AND
2. Post your item matching next week's color, "Black/White" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Color Feature of the Week : PINK

Last week we had 800+ views and TWO SALES!!
Congratulations to tmeddie04 and FlowersForRealJewelr for their respective sales!
This week the color is PINK and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog, you have to do the following TWO steps,

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature
AND
2. Post your item matching next week's color, "Halloween Orange" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Handbuilt Tumbler Video

Last Friday, my video on making Handbuilt Tumblers/Vases was featured on Ceramic Arts Daily and it was great to get the responses from so many potters and artists. Looking at google analytics, I got hits from all around the world, majority from the United States. I had hits from every State except from North Dakota. Wonder if there are no potters there? And you can see the most are from California.

I enjoy sharing my techniques and it is always fun to see another artist's take on the same technique. If you try this technique or do handbuilding feel free to share pictures of your work in the comments section.

I got more confidence in handbuilding with slabs after taking a workshop from Ginger Steele, a potter from Oregon. I also saw a few videos on Yixing teapots from which I picked up other techniques.

Here are the steps for the process and the video

Cut template for your tumbler or cylinder from a thin slab (1/8 inch) of compressed clay. The clay needs to be a little stiffer than fresh out of the bag.
Roll the top rim with a brayer to round it making it comfortable for drinking. Roll the side of the slab to bevel it later for joining. The brayer can be purchased at a clay supply store.
Roll patterns or use stamps to decorate. This is where you can let your creativity show through. I make some stamps and some I purchase at thrift stores.
Apply slip to the sides and roll over a rolling pin to form your tumbler. To true up the roundness, use a round object like a Styrofoam ball which won’t stick to the clay.
Score and slip to add the bottom. The bottom is finished by running a profile tool (made from a popsicle stick) along the edge.
My tumblers are embellished with buttons to capture the look of embroidered fabric wrapped around and held together with buttons.
These tumblers are further decorated with slip to give more texture.

Bollywood Influence

As many of you know, my work is influenced a lot by Bollywood and Indian fabrics and costumes seen in the movies. It is amazing to me when these influences penetrate your brain.

I came across this video of a Bollywood song shot in 1970 (Shot before I was born). There is a striking resemblance to how I even take pictures of my work compared to this video.

You can see the main actress (who appears a little later in the video) in red dancing in the center and the other dancers in colorful costumes dancing in the background. Now look at the picture below of my Dancing Bottles. I took this picture several months back without intentionally matching it to this song. Can you see what I see?

FREE Gift with every Purchase

It is never too early to shop for the Holidays! Take advantage of shopping early and get a FREE gift with every order placed on my online shop.
Yes, I said FREE gift with every order.
I am not "Oprah", so I can't give everyone a FREE car or a trip to Australia! LOL!

Every order receives a FREE Magnet! These cute little magnets will surely brighten up your fridge.

And for every order more than $40 (excluding shipping) you get upgraded to one of my "Everything and Anything" square dishes.
Why "Everything and Anything"? These 3.5" square dishes can be used for anything, for teabags, spoon rests, paper clips etc. These retail for $12 each and are yours for a purchase of $40 or more.

This offer ends in two weeks (October 31st)!

Do check out my shop for newly added items and make good use of this opportunity!
Thank you and have a great Holiday Season!

Color Feature of the Week : LIME GREEN

Last week we had 700+ views and one SALE!!
This week the color is LIME GREEN and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog, you have to do the following TWO steps,

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature
AND
2. Post your item matching next week's color, "PINK" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM