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.

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." -Leonard Cohen

It's a hard life, having fresh flowers in the studio every day. Looking sharp in one of my new bottles.

Just whipping up a few small batches of fresh clay.

I'm trying something new- ceramic pendants, made from a clay that fires a rich, metallic dark brown that is almost black. I'm very much in love with this minimal, beautifully imperfect aesthetic.

The students, loading their recent, and first, glaze kiln, with the help of the ever strong A. Iber. The excitement, the excitement! 

And then, like magic, unloading it and examining the results, while Debbie looks on.

And in closing, delicious, delicious South Indian breakfast. How will I survive without idly?

After the sun goes down, Pondicherry comes out to take the air.

Bay of Bengal

Every evening, the ocean promenade is full of people, old and young, families with young children and courting couples, taking their constitutionals and catching up with their friends and neighbors. 

The only thing that disrupts the picturesque beauty is the trash between the rocks.

Gandhi Statue- A stately monument that children love to climb.

A balloon salesman's wares glow like jewels in the dark blue sky.

Carts selling food, jewelry, cd's, cell phone cases, flowers, and more.

The evening deepens to darkness.

Some pieces, or perhaps a single piece, out of the kiln. 

I wasn't that excited about these guys when they first came out of the kiln. But when I arranged them on this rock, which seemed to be made for them, I began to see them in a new way.

The texture and surface of the squares make a very interesting contrast with the texture of the granite slab.

The way the natural light reflects off the surfaces of each square reminds me of mirages on a hot summer road. 

As a child, riding in the car, I was fascinated by mirages. How could something be so clear from a distance, and then disappear completely when you got close?

These reflective, elusive surfaces suggest things that are there and not there.