Birthday gifts - say it with pottery!

A while ago a got a commission from a daughter to make a personalised bowl for her mother who apparently had always liked my ceramics (which makes me blush!).  But anyway, she gave me some information about her mum and her interests, etc and I got to work.  There are lots of examples of this type of piece at www.catherinedanielceramics.com

Wet clay slab with basic design laid out.

Detail applied, clay dried out and read to fire.

After first firing, glazes applied and ready to fire again.

Out of the second firing - all ok - phew!

For a lady who loves books and knitting and ....

gardening and ......

last, but I suspect not least, her lovely grandchildren!

Seventy years young this week!

Happy Birthday Barbara!  The best people have January birthdays, 

says me who just turned ??? well, not yet 70, but getting there fast!

Do you find that the older you get, the quicker the time flies by?  A year somehow doesn't last as long as it used to!  What's that all about!

x Cathy

A Blank Canvas

First of all, a very Happy New Year to everyone and here's hoping that 2015 will be all that you want it to be!

Starting a brand new year can be quite an exciting thing, if you think about it.  A completely blank canvas, yet to be coloured in.  You might dare to use colours you never dreamt of before, or you might play it safe and go with what you know.

The choice is yours!  

Bisque-fired pottery awaiting glazing and re-firing

It's a bit like being faced with a batch of freshly bisque-fired pottery.  These are the blank canvases to be coloured in whatever way I choose.

Ceramic Quilt Bowl awaiting glazing - www.catherinedanielceramics.com

I sometimes find the plain cream colour of the bisque rather attractive in its own right. Maybe I will choose not to colour it at all and just put a transparent glaze onto it?  That would certainly be a bit of a diversion from my usual love of colour, but sometimes I do veer towards the plain, calm and quiet, instead of pots that shout "look at me!".

Scottish Borders in January 2015 - very black and white!

Maybe it's the influence of my new surroundings up here north of the border, which are pretty muted at the moment, but none the less beautiful for all that!

How will you colour your blank canvas of a new year - anything fresh and exciting planned?

Cathy x