I hope you enjoy the photos of my pottery and some of personal photos as well.
I tend to be esoteric in my creations, but trust me, I'm not that earthy crunchy in real life.
I like to learn and I like to try new things, so if some of my creations look odd, it is because they are a bit experimental.
Please tell me what you think, good or bad.
~Cie

Adam's Dragon and Castle

I made these two for my son a few years back.

My "Archaeological Dig" Piece

This is another Raku piece (see below: Raku Leaf). I am rather proud of this piece because I don't use a wheel due to my bad shoulder. This piece was entirely coiled, and then flattened, which is pretty much the way it was done waaay back when. For that reason I decided to Raku it and give it an esoteric look.
When I was fifteen my dad thought it would be fun to drive from upstate NY to Guatemala. Every time I look at this pot I think of driving through Mexican jungles in a Grand Prix and exploring the ruins of Oaxaca on my birthday.

Raku Leaf

This is yet another leaf, but it is a Raku Leaf.

Raku originated in Japan. My teacher says it means "gift to the fire" but I can only find that it mean "joy" or "pleasure."

Having said that, it is truly a gift to the fire. The clay, having been previously fired, is covered in a mixture of true chemicals. The Leaf to the right is a mixture of clear glaze and copper. The kiln is much hotter than most kilns and therefore the firing process is quicker. When the piece is taken out it looks like molten glass. At our studio, we put then it in a small metal garbage can filled with shredded newspaper. This is the carbonization step. Keep in mind, I am simplifying this entire process.

The true colours of a piece don't come through until after carbonization AND after cool down, usually with water. Sometimes a piece needs to be scrubbed lightly.

Giving a piece I have worked on over to Raku is sometimes like stepping off a cliff. The colour variations are beautiful, but may not be. The above leaf could have very well been a horrible shade of lime green. And the funniest thing is, one of the best Raku glaziers I know (and my teacher completely agrees with me) is my eight-year-old daughter.

Just a stencil

Just something small I did with the same stencil I used in my kitchen.

The Rest of the Story...

My pottery teacher says that sometimes you only have to show part of the picture to tell the story.
This is only part of the picture. Not everyone knows what the whole picture is.
Leave a post if you think you know.
~Cie

Native American Celtic Spirit Rattle

This is my spirit rattle or rather my Native American Celtic Spirit Rattle. A spirit rattle is something the Native Americans used in religious rituals. When a person begins hand building or sculpting one of the first things made is a spirit rattle. It is made by combining two pinch pots into a ball of some kind, putting little pieces of clay inside (for the rattle) and poking a small hole somewhere so the whole thing doesn't blow up in the kiln.

For my spirit rattle I went with a Celtic design, and it turned into a labyrinth. There is actually one beginning, which you can see on the left, and there is only one end, where the air-hole is. You can back track, you can get sidetracked, and you may end up where you began, but always remember: one beginning; one end. I always say the clay will tell me what it wants to be, and in this case it practically read my mind! My spirit rattle reflects my thoughts on a journey almost as well as it reflects my spirit.