Now that I am back in the United States, I don't know if I will continue blogging, or what form it will take if I do. I want to thank everyone who has been reading this small blog, and for commenting so supportively. Here is a last post, of some wall pieces I made in while working at GBP. Be well. 

Bay of Bengal, 2014, 6x10"

Inside,  24"x24"x12"

Between, dimensions variable

above, Not The Same, dimensions variable

above, Nighttime I, dimensions variable

above, Nighttime II, dimensions variable

I am getting settled in at home again, but missing Pondicherry terribly. I wanted to share a few of my memories of...

---nighttime walks along the beach...

...brightly lit gold statues of important people I do not recognize...

 ...and the street cows of India, everywhere...

As I begin my journey home, I am reflecting wistfully on more of the pieces I made at GBP. A few vases, bottles  and jars.

This little bottle makes me wish I could just have one more firing, so that I could explore this form and glaze combination more.

Some drips.

Above and below, two sides of the same bottle.

And my homeward journey begins! America, I will be seeing you soon.

Fresh flowers are a big part of life here in South India. Whether carefully arranged as a daily offering, or adorning a woman's hair, they are a beautiful, daily reminder of our fleeting and precious existence. Being surrounded by all these flowers inspired me to make a few different vase forms to hold them.

Above, Vase, 10" all; below, a detail shot of the rim. I love the soft, undulating rim on this form, and I the way that the dark, hard exterior contrasts with the soft, light inside.

Another vase form.

Above, another vase form, also about 10" tall; below, a detail of the disruption on the surface. In this piece, it seems as though the light inside, unable to stay hidden, is slowly stretching out through the dark outside.

A smaller version, a bud vase, around 5" tall

Just a few bottles

Above and below, two more favorites:  small, carved vases. I was thrilled when both of these came out of the kiln. They glow like small, muted jewels, small enough to hold in one hand.

And of course, none of these vases is complete without bright, fresh flowers.

All pieces in this post are unglazed terra cotta, fired to cone ten in a wood fueled kiln.

Fruit Tray, 12"x5"

Flower Brick, 5"x6"

Flower Brick, 6"x2.5"

Flower Brick, 6"x2.5"

Flower Brick, 2.5"x6"

Lemon Basket, 5x5", top view

Lemon Basket, 5x5", side view

Lemon Basket, 9x5", side view

Lemon Basket, 9x5", top view

I am very very excited about these guys, with their gunmetal surfaces that come from the inside out.

Although I love them as a group, each one is unique and intriguing on its own.

All these pots are ready to be glazed for my last firing at Golden Bridge Pottery. I can't believe how fast the time is going.

And here they are, in the kiln, ready to be fired. Tune back in to see the results of the firing!

I've been having a great time with this red clay, which is a real pleasure to handbuild with. 

Because it has such a rich,dark, vitrified surface when fired to cone 10, I have been thinking a lot about objects whose surfaces are built into them, coming from the inside out, rather than being applied.

I've also been thinking about how the methods of construction create not only form but also surface, and how form and surface can become one.

With these serving dishes and flower containers, I have also been thinking a lot about forms that are completed by what they hold. I am seeking forms that by themselves, empty, will have a feeling of absence and waiting, until they are completed by their contents- bright yellow lemons, red and orange flowers, perhaps a purple eggplant and a green zucchini, perfectly complemented by the quiet, dark forms that contain them.

I hope to show action shots of these guys very soon, once the are out of the kiln!

Coming up with new ideas seems to be part of the process.  When the studio is at its best it is like a conversation, playful and flowing.   Ideas come out of that flow, rather than being imposed from outside. This keeps them from being contrived.

-Simon Levin, from an interview with Jen Allen http://jenniferallenceramics.com/

I spent the day making bottles recently- one of my favorite forms.

It might be possible to discern from the shape that I am missing Bulliet Bourbon.

"Coming up with new ideas seems to be part of the process.  When the studio is at its best it is like a conversation, playful and flowing.   Ideas come out of that flow, rather than being imposed from outside. This keeps them from being contrived."

-Simon Levin

A sight on many street corners: a woman selling a pile of fresh coconuts.

Another common sight- garlands of fresh jasmine blossoms, strung by hand on site.

A corner store in my neighborhood.

A glowy nighttime ship.

Made by Mr. Mosel of Mosel Arts, this ship is constructed from plastic water bottles. 

I really like this small house, with many pots of herbs outside.