Geometric Bottles

More bottles. These are hand built and larger than one might think. The tallest measures 18 inches. The form and the process are seducing me and I have now made 6 of these bottles. I need to move on to other things but apparently that is not going to happen. My desire for this form is still strong. Alas, you can't tell the muse what to do. She has her own mind.

Even more bottles and some pots....

Still working on the bottles.
Still making bottles.
It's time to make the bottles......
Sigh, every time I start one of these assignments for myself, I forget how it feels in the middle.
I lose the initial inspiration.
Grouchiness claims me and I protest to myself that I am tired and that I will have these bottles sitting around for years. I struggle and procrastinate. I cuss a lot and find the littlest distraction an excuse to get out of the studio.



But then something amazing happens.
I have a break through.
This is the reason for doing these seemingly insane assignments.
There is always some movement from within, some new insight into form and design, some new sense of the material I work with everyday.
And finally, I get this surge of love and appreciation for clay and I realize how much dirt means to me.
YAY! CLAY!

Oh Spring! How we love thee!

Look at this man lazing around in the spring sun....or winter sun? It is just February but this day it was close to 70 degrees in the afternoon. Will was sicky that day with a cold I gave him so I set him up a little nest on the hammock and caught him with the camera. I Love to see him relax because he so rarely slows down.


And what are these little colorful toad stools doing in the grass? They are my new guerilla crocheted mushrooms, the first 2 in a set of 6 to put under the park bench on Monday afternoon.
This time I intend people to take these little mushies home with them! I am going to put a card on each asking that each person only take one and leave the rest for others. Will post more on this later.

















And then, the painted plastic owls that are residing in the studio. Me and Will found these in an abandoned home down the street. They are wonderfully tacky and used to be gold with those sparkly gold stuffed animal eyes.
Well, I wanted to bring them home to put in the yard but the color was so faded that they needed a touch up. I had just watched Marie Antoinette the night before and was inspired by the colors of the time. Look at the beauty of this movie here. Look at my friend Princess Poochie's blog to see some of the most inspiring shoes to date. They really are works of art. I was looking at her blog when I decided to watch the movie again. Love it!

These owls aren't quite finished yet. I am painting them with oils so I am waiting not so patiently for the paint to dry. I can't wait to finish these sweet birds. I plan to glue sparkly beads and crystals on them. They will glitter in the sun.






















And then another bottle. So far I have made around 50.
Fifty more to go!
Can I make it?
And then, what the heck am I going to do with 100 bottles?
This is a perplexing question of which I have many ideas.
A show of bottles? A bottle tree? A fundraiser for the soup kitchen?
Any ideas that ya'll have would be more than welcome!

Ancient Grecian Pottery and my attempt at a sort of imitation

Some of the earliest surviving decorated pottery comes from ancient Greece as early as 1000-900 bc. These pots have been a great inspiration for me throughout my potting life. Especially this first picture. This great amphora vase was meant as a grave marker. The vessel has holes in the bottom of the pot so that liquid gifts such as wine could be poured from the mourning to the dead below the earth. If you look closely at the breast of the pot between the handles you can see the funeral ceremony, the black figures carrying the dead to his grave. This vase was a blending of the geometric period and the middle geometric period in ancient Grecian pottery.

The geometric period was marked by the artisans decorating the pots with bands of geometric figures such as triangles, lines, concentric circles, waves....the list goes on.

When figures started showing up on the pots this was marked the middle geometric period.

To learn more on this amazing period of art you can go here for a brief uninspired summery. I am trying to find a simple but informative, inspiring web page about this great time.

With these pots as inspiration I decorated these bottles.

Definitely not the same feeling but I am enjoying the process and making these little characters. I am inspired to make more and can't wait to get back to work today!

Thanks Ancient Grecian Potters for all these beautiful creations.

More bottles and Memes

Here are some more carved bottles with a simple shape. The shape reminds me of a bottle that my mom kept as a bud vase for sweet spring flowers. I chose this shape for carving some of the Gothic flowers I was dreaming about last month or so.

And then some more experimental bottles . These were hand built quickly with really wet clay so that they would slump under their own weight. I am enjoying the softness of these bottles and plan to make many of these in different sizes. As for glazing, I am open to more suggestions. I will be glazing this week. Whoo Hoo!



It seems like these memes are going around a lot right now. They are super fun and I really enjoy doing them. I was visiting Jacky's blog and decided to take part. Jacky is super inspiring and this sounded like sooooooooo much fun!

The first 5 people that respond to this post will get something made by me, it will be my choice, but made especially for you.

However...this offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

-What I create will be just for you.

-I will make no guarantees that you will like it (but I hope you do !)

-You will receive this item before the end of the year (or sooner).

-You will have no idea of what the item is going to be or when you will receive it.

The catch is that you have to repost this "MEME" and put together something to be sent out as 5 surprises of your own.

These could be anything...a piece of art, a photo, a poem or haiku, a quote...whatever you like, let your imagination run wild.

Have a great Saturday!
Hope everyone has a creative weekend!
Leanne

First bottles carved and uncarved

Here are the first bottles carved and finished.
I am trying not to repeat any of the carvings on any of the bottles that are carved. Except, of course, the snakes in the first picture.


































These new bottles I made yesterday and altered today.
I have the BIGGEST
urge to carve them but don't know if that would be too much. Somehow I think these may need just a solid glazing.

Tag, I'm it!

I have been tagged for a great meme by MadSilence. Go and visit the dad and daughter team. There is always something wonderful going on over at their blog.

The statements in bold are the ones I have actually done.



1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity ( i gave all my money away when I was studying in NY to the homeless. Mom and Dad were none to happy)
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant


And I tag Linda at Rediscovering Art.
Can't wait to see what she's done!