Perspective

Sunday Perspective

Handles waiting for coffee mugs to be trimmed while sipping coffee and listening to The Jesus and Mary Chain’s 1987 album Darklands. That voice, those licks and the pace are pure Classic Rock-N-Roll. One of the 80’s best.

Saturday Morning Perspective

Brown Bisque Nesting Bowl Rims while listening to Tony Joe White’s song “ Poke Salad Annie “ recorded in 1969. The song is about a rural Southern girl who harvests wild PokeWeed. She has a lazy father and brothers, a mother who works on a chain gang and a granny who got eaten by an alligator. These bowls would be the perfect rustic dish for Annie to eat Poke Sallet from. But be careful, the greens are poisonous if not cooked and prepared properly. That’s why it’s a Sallet and not a salad.  

Sunday Morning Perspective:

Where the handle joins the cup on some new commissioned big mugs while listening to the 1965 Dylan song It’s Alright, Ma. Some new painted details and textures can always be found when you dig deeper especially when listening to a Dylan tune!

Saturday Morning Perspective:

Saturday Morning Perspective: Looking between stacks of Cantarito Cups while listening to Meeting in the Aisle by Radiohead... B-sides and coffee are the best.

Pause For Thought

Planters thrown and drying. It’s probably been 20 years since I’ve made one. This one is destined for color. But for today, at this moment, I thought presenting in Black & White would be a good way to cause a pause for thought. Look Listen Unity Love Commitment Equality.

Saturday Morning Perspective:

Black Clay Espresso Cups drying while listening to Billie Holiday’s album Songs for Distingué Lovers. These cups are a commission and I should have a couple extra up on my shop page soon. It’s amazing to think this beautiful red will turn an incredibly deep matte black once fired to bisque then stoneware.

Saturday Morning Perspective:

Looking through the handles of Brown Clay Summit Mugs while listening to The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus… Get on this album with some coffee.

Saturday Morning Perspective:

Saturday Morning Perspective: Wedged 1 lb. Electric Brown Clay Rams Heads while listening to Phoebe Bridgers song “Stranger in the Alps”. These are gonna turn into wheel thrown Summit Mugs. Coming soon.

Working through the Coved-19 Lockdown

Here is a short video of me working in my home studio shot by my longtime friend and professional photographer Court Leve. He is an active community advocate here in Truckee CA and former member of the Riverside Studios artist group.

During the Covid-19 lockdown Court is helping to shine a light on the different ways people in our community are continuing to thrive despite local businesses being forced to shut down. His work is an important thread to our daily routines helping to keep the fabric of our community together.

You can follow Court’s work on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/courtleve/ and his website https://www.courtleve.com/ .

Thank You Court!!!!

Source: https://vimeo.com/412976312

Rustic Aspen Dinnerware

It's fall. 

     We just wrapped up working on a 53 piece dinnerware set for a lovely couple in Arizona. Soup and salad bowls. Dinner bowls and plates. Along with a few serving bowls. They chose a chic French Grey glaze to go along with the texture and warmth of calico clay. Very modern rustic. 

     This was the first time we've done our Aspen line with the calico clay. WE LOVE IT! And will definitely be doing this again just in time for the holiday season. 

Our Surroundings Inspire

Tall tumbler with image transfer

     Living in the Sierra Mountains we are surrounded by beauty. We've been trying to capture that in our work lately. Sometimes it's texture. Sometimes it's color. Sometimes both. Late August and early September always seem to bring great sunsets. 

Above the Truckee River on the Glennshire Bluffs you can see a very expansive view of the Pacific Crest. 

    The mountains turn colors of rose, purple and red with the Alpenglow. The sky does the same. Down in the meadows and valleys there are almost always wild flowers to find. This time of year you can still see Purple Lupine along with Golden Rabbit Brush. The Red Willows by the water begin to turn.

Purple Lupine in Martis Valley

     The early evening and late summer colors are represented on one of our new tumblers. We layer glazes with stains and clear coats in a specific pattern that we've tested. And when they go into the kiln they almost look the same. But when they come out each pot has it's own mountain skyline with sunset.

 

 

We Put A Bird On It. What Are You Gonna Put On It?

Black Bird Soap Dish

      This dish was made using a hand carved wooden bird stamp, white stoneware slab, a rectangle mold and black wash. First we cut the rectangle shape of our dish from the slab and pressed our bird into the clay using the wooden stamp. After that we round off the edges. Then, using the rectangle mold, we shape the dish. This is where the box outline comes from. Neat-O! At this point we let the dish dry for several days before firing it in the kiln. Once fired and cooled we stain and wash the dish to reveal our bird in a box. Load her up in the kiln one more time..... fire the dish one more time....... And ginger snaps! We have our finished dish.

     So what are you gonna put on it? Soap? Spoons? Jewelry? Tea Bags?

 

You can buy a bird here

Or at Riverside Studios in Downtown Truckee, CA

Tools we used to make this dish. Note the sun tea ( all-important tool)

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush... 

Bird dish finds new home

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  Put a bird on it....