Explosion of packing and posting! part 2

Here are some of works sold lately. All were packed very well, and so far there is no accident. Touch wood!  

Japanese girl

Answer was in the box

Lots of birds have gone, too. Little birds are always popular. 

Long tailed tit

Bronze-glaze wren

Little bird

Sleepy Owl has flown to a lovely lady , USA 

Song thrush

Crow on a mount - sold

Flora the cherub found a loving home

Anteater has also found a super home.

These whippets were never seen in public, as they have gone as soon as they came out of the kiln!

Little ones were swiftly adopted. 

The last bronze-gold glazed whippet has gone. 

While I was wrapping the bronze whippet, this beauty has also gone!

Polar bears are also popular. 

The second set of mum and cub has gone to a loving home. 

All babies have gone very quickly. 

And the last but not the least. I do make functional ceramics on request.  

The chameleon brooch and sample tapir spoon as well as a baby tapir has gone to a lovely lady.  

Chameleon  brooch

Tapir spoon

Face cup, on commission. 

Face cup - front

Face cup - back

And this celadon bowl has gone to a gentleman.

Have a great week, everyone! 

In the studio in November.

The kiln started this morning. A few hours later than expected. One of Tiny baby tapirs fell and got an ear injury!  He was rushed in to A&E, but got in the kiln just before ten.

I have been busy working for the bisque firing for last three weeks. This is the last bisque firing for Christmas orders. I hope you will find what you are waiting for if you have placed orders.

Kiln shelfie - Lower shelf has tapirs for waiting lists as well as orders. A few should have a debut in my Etsy shop. Lots of whippets in various sizes, polar bears a little birds.

Middle shelf has porcelain spoons for tea leaves and parts for sculptures and four salamander brooches on commission. 

The top shelf has vessels on commission, rabbits, whippets and a spoon! 

I would love to fire more often, but I try to be eco friendly and patient. So I will try to fill it when deadlines are not looming. Here are some photos of work in progress before they were bisque fired. 

Tapirs come in three sizes.  

But whippets come in various sizes! 

In the UK, There is a TV program about competition for throwing pots. Here is mine. I seldom do, unless I have orders. A porcelain bowl.   

After drying enough, turning the bottom. I hate post with rough bottom.  

I might do the second turning, if the bottom is a bit soft. 

They have become bone dry for bisque firing. 

Being more efficient!

I have been steadily working day by day. That's nice. I used to work with lots of deadlines. This year, I am finally in charge of my own schedule. This means I am able to work more selectively and efficiently. Last year I crammed too much work in the second half of the year; which I regretted. So this year, as I knew I would be busy anyway with Christmas approaching, I left diary for only commissions. Also I was thinking to visit my mother; as she is getting older and she has had a difficult time lately. But after agreeing to do an exhibition in Tokyo next spring, I decided not to visit Japan this year.

Instead, one day each weekend, I re-organise my work place, establish my system, identify the areas I need to improve as well as do some experiments on my work methods. As I have already met my annual target, I thought this is a good opportunity to do that.

As I have to stay in Japan for about 4 weeks during the exhibition, I know I need to work for next year, now.  Also once the construction work for my studio starts, there would be interruptions. So I am working steadily every day.

I bought this clay a couple of years ago at Art in Clay, Hatfield. I finally had time to experiment with it. I love the texture and colour. I used turquoise blue glaze; it looks great on this clay. It reminds me of Japanese pottery. The little bird has gone to a lovely printmaker. The large one is in my shop now.

Large bird is in my shop.

News for people on the Tapir waiting list! The summer part has started moving. I will soon contact you! 

The waiting list has closed due to overwhelming demand. I hope I would be able to offer some in my shop in late November. But if you like to get this delightful guys for Christmas, please let me know.I might be able to put you in my commission slot. : )

We both are quite busy with packing recently. When time is ripe I should be able to share the pics with you! 

Rolled sushi style

Pie style

If you wonder, our dogs are busy sleeping! They do sleep a lot. 

In shade

or in sun

 Pumpkin the chicken has lost most tail feathers. The last two are still attached as the pride of chicken.

Tail is chicken's pride!

What does a ceramic artist do when she is relaxing? She makes little birds!

Hello! A week has passed so quickly again. I have been working on Angels. I have also made a trio of whippets for a lovely lady and more for my shop. But when I got tired and wanted to relax, I made little birds for fun! Here are some photos form my studio this week.

Whippets

A tiny wren

A woodpecker

He is ready for bisque-firing.

Angel

The last but not the least! I must share this sweetest card I have ever been given! A lady who purchased the Rabbit Girl sent me a thankyou card! How wonderful! The card is on my studio shelf with other lovelies!  Meow!

Thank you so much! 

Little birds and bisque firing

Hello everyone. The bisque firing went well. Phew! As there was still space on shelves, I quickly made some chubby rabbits, and fired them very slowly because they were not bone dry. I usually make rabbits on full moon nights. But that night, last Saturday, was not. In fact, it was a new moon night. Because of the lack of lunar power or what, one of the rabbits became an otter! Never mind.

Lower shelf - spot the goat! 

And this is top shelf. One baby otter is hiding.

Top shelf

Today I had a friend come to deliver boxes. My stock of boxes is low, and I had asked her to save some for me. As my studio space is a former dinning area adjacent to the kitchen, I did a major floor cleaning with a steam cleaner. During cleaning I injured my fingers twice! I had kept my fingers intact for a longer than one year; you see, clay is not good for cuts, and glazes are even worse for any injuries. So if you do ceramics, and especially throwing, it is important to keep fingers uninjured. Today I learned major cleaning is a hazardous activity!

Do you remember I made tiny chickens about a month ago? One of them was glazed. She is so small that I could carry her around in my coin purse. That's what I might do. So when I get bored in a train or bus, I can peek her inside my purse, and smile at her although people might think I am a bit strange!

A tiny chicken

And here is the little Mochaccino, my late owl finch. He is on the cabinet at my eye level. He will stay with us for good.

A sunny weekend, at last.

Hello everyone. Today Mike has gone back to work after 10 days leave. Suddenly I got inspiration for my essay, and I made progress by leap and bound, well, I have exaggerated. It was more like a hop and step! Yesterday I spent four hours wrapping and packing our ceramics made for a wonderful lady in U.S.. I packed six bowls in one box, and one sushi platter in another. The platter was easy. But not bowls. I had spent a long time to figure out how best I could wrap bowls with special protection at the rims. I really use all my brain to pack! Today we have posted them as well as one of my dog sculptures, which is for a lovely lady in UK. Luckily rain stopped when we went to the post office. I felt lucky all day! I hope all arrive safely. Now all I can do is just pray.

This is the sushi platter. It is the largest porcelain platter I have ever made. It is 32.5 cm long. I was worried it might warp, but no, it didn't. I was so pleased with the result, I am thinking to make one for my Etsy shop, and one for ourselves during summer. Believe me sushi taste much better on Japanese plate, and even better if it has a rabbit on it!

Porcelain sushi platter

I have been steadily working on my essay. I wrote introduction and definition and almost finished conclusion. Now I have to fill in between them. 6,000 words are not long, so I have to think what can be included and what not. Luckily my day work has been quiet. Once I finish the essay, piles of financial documents are waiting for me. They would be my bed time reading, I guess.

Over the weekend, we had marvelous weather; warm and bright. A rare combination here in UK. We took our dogs to long walks. When I think about something walking helps me. Walking stimulates my brain. But I found when we were four of us, that is Mike, I and our two girls, there is nothing pensive about. Still fun!

Campus. Full of buttercups

Hot! 

Hot!

In the garden, we have had sparrow chicks fledged from our nest box, one immediately got trapped in our veg patch (we rescued her). Blackbird chicks are getting bigger. Now they can fly! But they mainly stay in our garden. We keep watchful eyes on them. They bring us such joy!
  

A blackbird chick with a short tail

 

A tiny sparrow chick

Also flowers! Cammasia had setback this year, only one has flowered. Yellow climbing roses are in full bloom right now. Flowers make us feel happy.

Cammasia

Climbing roses