Drawing and Painting on Clay

I'm getting back to my roots -- when I first started really working on the surfaces of my clay pieces I uses colored slips, stains and terra-sig. That was over 25 years ago. Over the years I developed my style of deep relief surfaces and began using more glazes. Although I continued to use colored slip and undercoatings and for some parts of the decorating, for the past few months I've been getting back to using the surface of the clay as a drawing surface, with very little carving. The work is becoming more pictorial and it is really challenging me to work in a different mode.  I'm not sure where I am going with it, but I will continue to explore this more.
Here are a few I'm working on now, unfired and not glazed yet.

Fantasy Orchid Wall Sculpture Flower

Orchids are such amazing flowers. All the incredible beauty and diversity make them truly fascinating. I've just listed this piece on my Etsy site for sale. Art print below is by Ernst Haeckel.

Hand built ceramic wall hanging sculpture, 14" diam. about 3" out from wall.
by Cathy Kiffney

Detail. Ceramic wall sculpture by Cathy Kiffney

Ernst Haeckel

Love Birds, Starry Night

 

Starry Night Love Birds platter by me, 20" diam.  Rainbow Lorikeets by nature. The photographer, Janine Duffy  from We Love Birds web site.  The Lorikeets usually mate for life; so they’re often seen in pairs, and during the heat of the day, spend their time perched together, preening each other

American Goldfinch and Thistle

Every summer the male goldfinch turns bright yellow.  They are still bright around here, but in the fall they will return to olive brown color.  This is a platter from this summer, aprox 12 inches diameter.  Hand built, carved when leather hard then painted with underglazes and glazes, fired to 1900 degrees fahrenheit.

Comet's Birthday

A wee pup...

Just a boy...

A straping young lad...

Blue Moon Comet!

Art in the Garden

my mom and a big dog

Every spring Tinka Jordy hosts an Art in the Garden show.  I just found these pictures I took during the show this past spring. Tinka and Mark now have a super art gallery in Hillsborough, NC. Eno Gallery

Group Portrait

I thought this might cheer up somebody's Monday.

Heckle and Jeckle found a home.

A piece from my new cloud series found a home yesterday and I could not be more pleased because an artist, Luna Lee Ray, whom I admire tremendously purchased this piece for her own collection. Check out her amazing art work here. Thanks to my brother, Gustin for the title to this piece!

Lovely Rainy Day