Before and After

Here is the bisque fired bird getting more glazes.  Remember the camouflaged birds from  a previous post. That is how they look before the bisque firing.

And here are a few just out of the kiln. I like the new glazes and I am enjoying the slip trailing process and the combination of the glazes with the slips.

Some of these new birds will probably be in my upcoming show at NC Crafts Gallery in Carrboro, NC.
April 1-30.  I am still working on more pieces and will see how the next two firings go before choosing the work to show.

Making Vases

It has been a while since I've made any free standing pieces, here is a start to a group of new vases for the spring!

Don't they look like a group of sentries or chess pieces? Slab built, some are kind of closed forms with openings for stems of flowers, others are open--those remind me of flowers.

All huddled together to be wrapped up for the night.  I don't have a plan yet for the glazes and surface, but I am thinking about majolica.  I used to work with majolica a long time ago and love the soft feel of the colors and surface.

Camouflaged Birds

Sort of!  New birdies with the first stage of surface work. When I finished working on them I realized how they matched the fabric on the work table right behind me. Note to self: surround yourself with beauty. I'm off to the garden center, it is beautiful today and should get up to 75 degrees today!

The owl and the rabbit...

Doesn't that sound like the beginning of a story?

Well, I've heard that every picture tells a story.

Here is mine.

It is a cold Monday here, I plan to warm up the studio and do some glazing. 

 Wishing you a warm Monday!

Getting back to work

Little bee pocket vase, terra cotta clay

 The last couple of days have been productive. It feels good to get into some raw clay, make some pieces...wall vases seemed to be on my mind so I started groups of butterfly wall vases, bird vases and little bee vases. Hopefully they will be ready for spring which is just around the corner.

Love Birds II

From my slide archive, Love Birds, hand built ceramic wall platter, 21 inches diam. circa 2004.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Foxey Loxey

Woke up thinking about foxes...Here are just a few. To see the whole skulk (that is a group of foxes) check out my first treasury group on Etsy, fun!

Love Birds

Bali Mynah Love Birds, hand made, slip and glaze painted ceramic wall platter 13" diam. Cathy Kiffney

May I suggest most gently for the sake of these little birds and so many more please, do not support the use feathers as a decorative accessory, I am seeing them more lately. It has always been a fad and because of that many wonderful creatures are experiencing horrible suffering becoming endangered or are already extinct. Another reason for decline is the pet bird trade and loss of habitat.  The Bali Mynah is one of the world's most critically endangered birds.   In fact, it has been hovering immediately above extinction in the wild for several years.
This is a new platter from my slip painted series, Bali Mynah Love Birds, 13" diam.

The only lasting beauty

is the beauty of the heart.  Rumi

Fireplace Surrounds Commissions

I've been going through old floppy disks and CD's trying to organize old pictures. It is soooo hard! Some of the old pictures are just horrible.  These are a couple commissions from many years ago, I wish I had a better image of it.  I took this shot with my first digital camera that was a 1.3 megapixel!