Feeling A Little Sheepish

I have to admit that I have been uninspired in the pottery studio these last few months. I have been doing just enough work to get orders completed and when they are done, so am I. Last Friday I decided to switch things up a bit and make some sheep. They are fun to make and are a nice break from the wheel. These little guys are also rattles. I will finish them with a combination of tenmoku and sprayed ash glaze. They aren't fast sellers, but I usually sell a few at the Celebration of Seagrove Potters show in November. November will be here in the blink of an eye.

Looking back on 2017

I won't mince words.
The 2016 Presidential election wore me out. The results definitely had an affect on how often I had the energy, or inspiration, to write a blog post. After the inauguration in January, 2017, I took some time to sort things out and then got back to work. In between the ginkgo leaves and piggy banks, I worked on this...

The "Radical Moose - Lamb"

Inspired by Melissa McCarthy's first SNL skit of a Sean Spicer press conference.

Since I have created many sheep sculptures, I knew right away that I had to make a "radical moose lamb".

It took me a long time to complete and even longer to get it fired. So long that it may have lost it's relevance to a larger audience. Nevertheless, I am happy with the piece.

If you missed the sketch, or need a refresher to understand the "moose lamb", you can watch it here:

Melissa McCarthy Sean Spicer SNL Skit

Sheep Building

 This year I have sold all of my small animals, except for one lone piggy rattle. It's not really the pig's fault, he has been sitting on the peninsula in the kitchen, not out in the gallery.

Time to start building some new clay animals. I always go back to the sheep first. 

His head and body are hollowed out.

I apply the "wool" with a tiny Kemper extruder tool, using what I call the spaghetti die. Some day I might find another use for the tool, and the other dies that came with it. So far it's only been useful for creating sheep.

Despite the hollow body, his "wool" makes him quite thick. I will let him dry a good long time before going into the bisque kiln.
Next on the list... piggy rattles.